You can teach your dog to sit within minutes of reading this article, so don’t even waste your time looking for expensive dog training books. Teaching your dog how to sit may be one of the best things you can do for your pet. Not only is sitting a comforting activity for your dog, but it teaches him to obey your commands in other situations as well. Teaching your dog to sit, will also keep you from having to doggie train him every single day. It is more effective if you practice the sitting technique with your dog on a regular basis, but if you need an incentive to get him to sit then it is a great way to do that too!
To begin the sit command, say “sit” in a calm, soft voice, similar to a calm, gentle parent. You will want to use the same technique to teach your dog to stay, or come whenever you call your pup. With your command word, make sure your pup is sitting down first. You may want to offer a small treat once he has seated himself.
Let your dog know that you are now wishing him a very nice day, which usually starts with a short, quiet sit. Praise your dog while he is sitting down and after he is done, but be sure not to praise him too much for staying down or coming up again, dogs need to work on those aspects separately from sitting. Once your pup has settled down in his sitting position, repeat the command for each direction, left to right for left to left, or right to left. Your dog should soon be practicing both sitting and staying. In fact, if you only practice sitting, and never practice remaining, he will never learn the staying technique.
The key to consistently having your dog sitting down and coming when called is to use treats. Reward your dog for sitting and/or staying as you would reward for any other behavior. Using treats will make it more of a natural behavior for your dog and he will quickly learn what to expect. Always leave treats loose in areas that are away from other people, so your dog doesn’t think he is being watched. If you have other dogs that you want to distract, put treats near their cage so they can’t tempt them with the treats.
First, find a safe place where you can consistently practice your commands. Then, familiarize yourself with the “stay, come, and sit” cues. You can use the verbal cues and body cues in combination to reinforce the proper sit and stay positions. For example, if you want your dog on a leash, use the verbal cue sit, then say the stay, come, and the follow-up cue (laying down). Your dog will soon associate the verbal cue with the stay, the next cue, then the position.
Step one is to always begin by putting your dog on a leash, then placing treats at his feet. Step one is complete, but, step two adds an extra challenge. For step two, choose an area where there will be plenty of people around, but which is not easily accessible. You will need to position your dog in a way that he cannot see the people standing in front of him. Make sure there is no one giving you a look or offering a hand. You may also want to choose an area of the park that is closed off from the rest of the park.
Step two, after positioning your dog, begin saying the release cue word. Do this slowly and deliberately, letting your dog become familiar with the sound of the word before trying it again. When he begins saying the release cue, give him the treat and praise him. As he becomes used to the sound of the word and the praise, you can increase the number of treats given, until eventually you are using less treats, until finally, you are only using the release cue as a reward.
Keep practicing and improving your technique to teach your dog to sit. Remember to start out with treats and praise. Eventually, you will only use the lure.