Training Your Dog to Sit

Mom and dad were talking to a neigbour the other day and she asked them how to train her new puppy to sit. Dad told me about it and I thought that it would be a good article to do for the blog since training your dog to "sit" is probably the first thing you will train your puppy to do. In fact it was the first thing I learned and mom and dad started teaching me as soon as I got settled in my new home. You might think that training a dog to sit isn't that important because they do it all on their own quite frequently. However, learning to sit on command is very important. Read on and you will find out why it is important and how to train your dog to do it.

1. This first step in this training program is easy. You just start by saying "sit" every time the puppy sits itself. He learns to associate the word sit with the action. This is a tip you can use in all training.

2. Take out a treat, his favorite treat if you know what it is and keep it in your hand. Anything that is tasty and won’t make a mess in your pocket usually works well but remember to cut it in small pieces so the puppy can swallow it fast. Mom and dad found that “Chicken Tenders,” dehydrated chicken breast, cut into little pieces was a great puppy treat for all occasions. It's healthy for me and I really enjoy it.

3. Sit down on the floor so you get to nearly the same level as your puppy. You are less threatening when you sit. More important is that you are closer to him so you can reward him more quickly. More about that in a moment.

4. Slowly move the treat over your puppy's head. The intention is to get the puppy to smell the treat (he will) and follow it with his nose. He has two options. Either back up while standing or sit down. It's easier to sit down.

5. Immediately as he sits you say "sit" and give him the piece of treat. This is the key factor to all training. The reward has to be given to him in exactly the same moment as the dog does the right thing.

6. Praise the dog. Show your happiness with your voice as well as your body language.

7. Repeat these steps 3-5 times and then take a break. You want this training to be fun for your puppy and if you keep doing it over and over for a long period of time, the puppy will get tired, lose interest and rebel against the training. However, you can repeat the steps several times during the day, as long as you only do it 3 to 5 times and then take a lengthy break.

8. Once your puppy does this repeatedly, you can try to see if the dog reacts only to the word "sit" without your hand and the treat. If he sits down you obviously should praise him and give him a treat. Once he does this repeatedly, see if he will continue doing it with only the praise, but without the treat. If he doesn't, don't show disappointment. Just go back a step or two in the training and start over. You should never show your disappointment to your dog when you are training. Once your puppy will sit on command, stand up and try it again. Once he responds to the sit command with you standing you can go onto the next step.

Now you can try to make him sit down beside you. This is actually a preparation for the heel training. There you want him to sit as soon as you stop walking.

The next level is to strengthen the word so you get the dog to sit in every situation no matter what's going on around him. This is an ongoing process and you should never stop training. Use every new situation to train him. Make him sit with new people, new dogs and new surroundings.

It's quite easy to train your dog to sit. If you consider not training your dog, my advice is think again. When you start training with your new puppy you get much more than the sitting part. The puppy loves to do things with you. He learns to listen to his name. He gets used to training and doing things with you and on your initiative. This strengthens your position as the leader and the puppy feels secure. When the puppy falls asleep in the evening his last thoughts should be: "This is a really great pack!"

Until next time,

Teia