How to Get Your Dog to Sit in a Few Easy Steps
Teaching your dog to sit is one of the simplest things to teach them, and its a command that will make your life a whole lot easier.
A sitting dog is mostly relaxed, because sitting is a passive position. A dog can be tense while sitting, but they are still calm enough to be in a sitting position rather than a standing, alert position.
The first step is getting them to realize what you want them to do. That is, you want to get them to sit for you at least once. After they have done the behavior once, they are far more likely to catch on and learn the behavior on command.
Food is one of the best motivators to teach a dog a new command, though not the only one. You can use anything that they really want, such as a toy, food, or some odd object they enjoy having (i.e., towel, sock, business card, etc.).
For this, well go with a food example. Holding the piece of food in your hand just out and above their nose, move it backwards in a horizontal movement toward the back of their head. Do this slowly enough so that they do not just back up, but so they are stuck in an awkward position with their head craning backwards. This will often cause them to fold their legs and sit because it is more comfortable than straining.
You can also back them against a wall (without corning them) and perform the same procedure if theyre being difficult. This makes it so they cant back up, and makes sitting the better option.
Once they sit for the first time, praise them enthusiastically, and immediately give them the treat.
You may have to manipulate them again into sitting a few more times, but after that first breakthrough, dogs usually get it pretty quick. Make sure if you are using hand signals or voice commands (or both) to introduce these after they have gotten the basic idea down - that you want them to sit.
Work with your dog a few minutes every day, and you will see a vast improvement from the first time you had to maneuver them into sitting to even a few days later when they are starting to really get the command.
Do not over work them. If your dog becomes bored, then training is a bother rather than being something fun to do with their owner. Work with them no more than ten or fifteen minutes at a time, even if you want to do it twice a day.
Be patient and consistent with your commands and your rewards. At first, you will need to reward them every time they perform the behavior in order to really cement the learning in their brain.
After they have started promptly responding to your command, you dont have to reward them every time. You will still have to reward them sometimes, however, to keep up the behavior.
Once the behavior is paired with the word and/or the hand signal, they will be able to perform it on command, with or without the treat!
=> Morgan Clemens currently owns and runs "The Mutt Squad, LLC", a business that provides pet sitting, dog walking, and dog socialization services to Phoenix, AZ, and its surrounding cities.
Her passion is and always has been the proper treatment of all animals, both wild and domestic. According to her, this proper treatment includes both mental and physical health, and is a necessary part of owning or interacting with any animal.
