Requirement
5. Obedience training explained, and three commands shown with your dog
Required Often forgotten
The correct way to obedience train and the equipment needed, then any three of eight commands demonstrated: come, sit, down, heel, stay, fetch, get it, drop it. The requirements page links two free videos on basic commands.
Notes and warnings
Warning. This needs your dog in front of you and three commands it will actually do. "Show with your dog any three": come, sit, down, heel, stay, fetch, get it, drop it. If the dog does not yet know three of them, that training happens during requirement 4's two months, not on the day you meet your counselor. The requirements page links two free videos on teaching the basics.
Where this step comes from
- Dog Care Merit Badge Requirements (Merit Badge Hub, last modified 2025-12-01), Requirement 5 · Says "Show with your dog any three of these commands", and lists eight. The 2025 requirements book lists the same commands as seven, treating "fetch" or "get it" as one.