Sims 4 Dog Training Cheats: Master Canine Companions in Your Game

Ever feel like your canine companions in The Sims 4 aren’t quite living up to their potential? You’ve adopted the perfect pup, decorated their doghouse, and stocked up on chew toys, but they still haven’t mastered that “stay” command or perfected their “fetch.” While the game’s natural progression rewards patience, sometimes you just want to fast-track your furry friend’s education. That’s where The Sims 4 Dog Training Cheats come in. Forget the endless game days of practicing “sit”; these cheats can instantly elevate your dog’s skills, unlock new behaviors, and make them the most well-behaved (or at least the most capable) pet on the block.

Understanding Canine Skills in The Sims 4

Before diving into cheats, it’s helpful to understand how dog training works organically in The Sims 4. Dogs, just like their human Sim counterparts, have a variety of skills they can develop. The primary skills related to training include:

Obedience: This skill governs how well your dog responds to commands like “sit,” “stay,” “come,” and “roll over.” A higher obedience skill means a higher success rate for commands.
Agility: This skill is crucial for activities like fetching, racing, and obstacle courses. Higher agility leads to faster completion times and better performance.
Barking: While not a skill to “train” in the traditional sense, a dog’s barking can be influenced by their mood and environment. Sometimes, you might want to discourage excessive barking.
Responsibility: This is a trait that affects how well a dog manages its needs independently.

Training a dog typically involves using the “Train” interaction on the dog itself, or using specific objects like the “Dog Training Agility Course.” Success in these interactions is influenced by the dog’s current mood, traits, and the owner Sim’s skill level (if applicable).

Why Use Sims 4 Dog Training Cheats?

There are several reasons why a Simmer might opt for cheats to speed up the dog training process:

Time-Saving: The Sims 4 can be a time-consuming game. Cheats allow you to bypass the grind of skill-building, especially if you have a specific story in mind or want to unlock certain gameplay elements quickly.
Gameplay Variety: Sometimes, you just want to see your dog perform advanced tricks or excel in canine competitions without spending hours on it. Cheats offer instant gratification.
Overcoming Frustration: If you’re finding the natural training mechanics challenging or repetitive, cheats provide an alternative route to success.
Testing and Experimentation: For players who enjoy experimenting with game mechanics, cheats can be a tool to quickly test different scenarios and outcomes related to dog training.

Accessing the Cheat Console

Before you can input any cheats, you need to open the cheat console. This is a universal process for most cheats in The Sims 4:

PC: Press Ctrl + Shift + C simultaneously. This will open a white text box at the top of your screen.
Mac: Press Command + Shift + C simultaneously.
Console (PS4/Xbox One): Press and hold all four shoulder buttons (L1 + L2 + R1 + R2) simultaneously.

Once the console is open, you’ll need to enable cheats if you haven’t already. Type testingcheats true (or testingcheats on) and press Enter. You should see a confirmation message that cheats are enabled. If you ever want to disable them, you can type testingcheats false (or testingcheats off).

Sims 4 Dog Training Cheats: Skill Levels

The most common and useful cheats relate to instantly setting your dog’s skill levels. This allows you to bypass the entire training process for specific skills.

To use these cheats, you’ll need your dog’s unique identifier, called a SimID. You can get this by hovering your mouse over your dog after enabling testingcheats true. You’ll see their SimID pop up. However, a simpler method for setting skills often involves targeting the active Sim or a specific Sim without needing their SimID.

The general syntax for setting skills is:

stats.set_skill_level [SkillName] [Level]

Here’s how to apply it specifically for dog skills:

Obedience Skill:
- To set Obedience to Level 5 for your active Sim’s dog:
  - First, make sure your Sim is the one interacting with the dog. Then, type:
    stats.set_skill_level statistic_dog_obedience 5
  - Press Enter. Your dog should now have Level 5 Obedience. You can replace 5 with any number from 1 to 10.
Agility Skill:
- To set Agility to Level 5 for your active Sim’s dog:
  - Type:
    stats.set_skill_level statistic_dog_agility 5
  - Press Enter. Replace 5 with the desired level (1-10).

Important Notes on Skill Cheats:

Targeting: These cheats typically affect the currently selected dog if you have one selected, or the dog belonging to the active Sim. If you have multiple dogs, ensure you have the correct one interacting or selected.
Max Level: The maximum level for these skills is 10. So, to max out a skill, use 10 in the command.
testingcheats true is required: These cheats will not work unless testingcheats true has been enabled in the console.

Cheats for Dog Traits and Needs

While direct cheats for instantly changing dog traits are less common and often require more advanced modding, you can influence their behavior and needs indirectly.

Mood Cheats: You can use the sims.add_buff cheat to influence your dog’s mood, which in turn can affect their training success. However, this is more complex as you need to know the specific buff codes for dogs. Often, it’s easier to manually influence their mood through interactions (like petting, playing, or providing comfort) or by using household cheats.
Need Cheats: Again, direct cheats to fill needs are more common for Sims. For dogs, you’ll generally need to manage their needs through interactions or ensure their environment is set up for them to manage independently.

Advanced Cheats and Interactions (with caution)

For more advanced manipulation, players sometimes turn to mods or more complex cheat commands. These can include:

Modifying Traits: Mods can allow you to add or remove traits from dogs, directly impacting their personality and learning capabilities. Be cautious when using mods, as they can sometimes cause game instability.
Directly Giving Skills: Some mods might offer more direct ways to grant skills, but always ensure you download from reputable sources.

Setting Dog Behaviors and Commands

Beyond skill levels, you might want to ensure your dog performs certain actions or stops others.

Stopping Bad Behaviors: If your dog is digging in the garden, having accidents in the house, or chewing on furniture, these are typically tied to their traits and mood. While there isn’t a direct “stop dog chewing” cheat, improving their obedience skill and keeping them happy can mitigate these issues. Consistent training and management are key.
Teaching Commands: Cheats directly set the ability to learn commands (via Obedience skill), but they don’t force the dog to know all commands instantly. You’ll still need to teach them commands like “sit,” “stay,” etc., through the game’s interaction menu. However, with a high Obedience skill, these training sessions will be much faster and more successful.

Example Scenario: Training a New Puppy

Let’s say you’ve just adopted a new puppy, “Buddy,” and you want him to be a star in the upcoming Pet Show.

Open the cheat console (Ctrl + Shift + C).
Enable cheats: testingcheats true.
Make sure Buddy is the active dog or is associated with your active Sim.
Set his Obedience skill to Level 8:
stats.set_skill_level statistic_dog_obedience 8
Set his Agility skill to Level 7:
stats.set_skill_level statistic_dog_agility 7
Now, when you interact with Buddy, you’ll find that teaching him commands like “stay” or “fetch” is significantly easier and quicker. You can also see his improved performance on agility objects.

Conclusion: Unleash Potential with Sims 4 Dog Training Cheats

The Sims 4’s “Cats & Dogs” expansion pack brought incredible depth to pet ownership. While the game encourages organic growth and learning, sometimes players need a little nudge. The Sims 4 dog training cheats offer a powerful way to bypass the skill-building grind, allowing you to enjoy the fruits of a well-trained canine companion much sooner. Whether you’re aiming for a champion obedience dog, a speedy agility star, or simply want to curb a pesky habit, these cheats can help you create the perfect virtual pet story. Remember to use them wisely to enhance your gameplay experience, not replace it entirely, and enjoy the delightful company of your virtual dogs!

Training Your Dog