You finally have your new pup at home and now begin the process of teaching him all that he needs to know to become an upstanding member of the canine community. Or maybe you have brought home an adult dog that has had a less then fortunate upbringing and is missing large chunks the necessary doggy education to cohabitate with humans and other pets in a happy, well-mannered way. Where do you begin their lessons? With the ‘sit’ command as every other command builds on that foundational building block of knowledge.

 

The ‘sit’ command is the most basic of all the dog-training commands. It is usually the first command a puppy learns, often before it knows its own name! ‘Sit’ is a precursor to most other commands and, once solid, can get your dog out of many sticky situations. ‘Sit’ is a confidence building command as it is fast and easy to learn and can help keep a  dominant dog  in its place.

 

Teaching a Puppy to Sit

 

Puppies are like small children – they learn incredibly quickly, absorbing knowledge at an alarming rate. The down side to this is they absorb bad behavior equally as fast whether you meant to or not. Once a solid ‘sit’ is established, even in a young pup, stopping bad behavior in its tracks is simple and easy.

 

To begin the formal  training  of your young pup, find some yummy treats that the pup sees as a valuable reward. Soft treats work best for training as you can easily give them just a taste of the treat, a better option then over feeding the pup rich treats that result in loose stools. Rollover works well for this as does cheese, or hot dogs. If you prefer homemade treats, dried liver is an especially yummy reward dogs love!

 

With small pups, it is easiest to either sit or kneel on the ground in front of them. With larger pups, standing is fine although you may find your back becomes sore from leaning over.

 

 

Training sessions with pups work best before a meal and should last no longer then a few minutes to start, as their attention span is not yet developed.

 

Show the pup you have the treat, holding it above his nose. Say ‘Fido, sit’ once while slowly taking the treat up and over his nose, so he is forced to tip his head back to keep it in his sites.

 

As he tips back, his butt will go down. As soon as it touches the floor, give him the reward and tell him he is a fabulous puppy!
Repeat these steps until he is starting to lower his bottom as soon you give the command. The next step is to keep your hand still, slightly above his nose so he still must look up but no longer needs the backwards movement to understand what it is you want.

 

Eventually he will learn what the command means and enthusiastically sit, expecting his reward. At this time, try weaning him off the treats every third or fourth sit making sure to still give him the verbal reward!

 

Teaching an Adult Dog to Sit

 

Teaching an adult dog to sit is almost the same as teaching a pup except their attention span is longer but their history may make them not as inclined to work with you. Without knowing what training experiences your adopted or foster dog may have experienced in their life, approach all training sessions as though it is one big party. Keep the excitement high and the rewards, both treat and verbal, plentiful! Until you have a greater understanding of his background, it is best to keep sessions short as well, unless he is fully engaged and enjoying the experience.

 

Depending on the size of the adult dog you are working with, standing may be the easiest position. On a very large dog, you may find you have to work from the side in order to have enough range of motion while moving the treat behind his head.

 

The action is the same: let him see the treat, say ‘Fido, sit!’ and move the treat to behind his head so he must tip his head back to see the treat. This will naturally bring his bottom down. As soon as his bottom hits the ground, tell him ‘good boy, Fido!’ and give him the treat. Repeat as often as needed.

 

Additional Tips for Teaching a Dog to Sit

 

Eventually you want to try using the ‘sit’ command when there are distractions around such as other dogs, traffic, birds, or at the park. Keep a secure leash on the dog, in case the distraction is more enticing then your reward!

 

Part of the joy of dogs is that, they understand the  commands  we have taught them. When you two are just hanging out together and you are not working with him, if he sits of his own accord, tell him ‘good, Fido, good sit!’ He may not entirely grasp what you are saying at first but he will learn the words eventually. As dog owners, we tend to say ‘no!’ a lot and rarely tell the dog when he is being a good boy. By telling him he is a good dog when he is sitting or when he is relaxed and laying down, he will begin to learn proper house manners.

 

 

Teaching a dog to ‘sit’ is just the beginning of his learning so do not stop once he has that one nailed down. Keep going and soon you will have a wonderfully mannered, well-behaved companion.