The internet is filled with some pretty good tips on how to teach your puppy to sit. The problem is that most of these tips are outdated and don’t work any more today than they did twenty years ago. Good news though! You can find much better ways of doing this than just searching through old search engine results. These tips will show you how to teach your puppy to sit in no time.
OK… The first tip I have for you is to use the old fashion positive reinforcement method. Teaching your puppy sit requires positive reinforcement. This means using treats or praising your dog when he acts correctly. The best way to do this is with a toy… OK, now that’s easier said than done but…
Aiden Roberts (author) from United Kingdom says “Aideen’s book is a treasure trove of excellent advice on dog training. The tone is very conversational and the text is clear and easy to understand. There is a lot of good advice in this book, which will be very useful to new puppy owners as well as seasoned veterans. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is just getting started in the obedience arena.” Dogs Learn To Sit by Aiden Rott.
Here is an interesting trick that some dog trainers use to get their puppies to start sitting. Get your puppy used to a treat and then hide some treats around the house. When the puppy finds the treat he should immediately sit down. If you only hide the treat around the house, eventually your puppy won’t know where to find the treat, making it harder to train. Hide the treats around different areas of your house such as along a furniture post, a wall, or even on a shelf.
Have your puppy sit and then say the word “sit” while backing away one step. Keep backing away until your puppy begins to turn around. When your puppy turns around, reward him with a treat. Begin adding distance between the two positions by gradually expanding the distance until your puppy no longer knows exactly how far to turn around.
How to teach your puppy to sit by having him sit while waiting for someone. Have a friend or family member to hold a treat above his head and tell him “sit” while backing away two steps. Once he sits, praise him. Continue doing this until you have your puppy sitting while someone is holding the treat above his head.
You can also use a simple trick called the “cute-cue”. Place your index finger in front of your puppy’s nose and say “sit” while backing away two steps. If your puppy moves forward, give him a treat and if he moves back, praise him.
Another method is to distract your puppy during his training. If he becomes distracted simply turn your back on him. Try not to give him the same treat twice because he may become confused. This will help him learn not to become distracted.
A good training session needs a lot of repetition and attention from both you and your puppy. If you skip training sessions, the dog could become bored and irritated and he might stop listening. You need to show him that you are pleased with his performance.
To make the learning process more fun, you can use a clicker. Clicker is a small metal box with a trigger on the outside and an earpiece attached to it. Whenever the puppy performs an action correctly the clicker will sound and then give a treat. The clicker also helps to reward your puppy because he will associate the sound with the action of sitting.
If you have adult dogs, one of the best things you can do to motivate them to sit on command is to give them a treat when they sit on your command. It is important that you hold the leash in both hands while teaching your puppies treats. If you have a long leash, you can hold the leash between your legs and guide your puppy using the leash to sit and giving him the treats.
After your puppy has learned how to sit on cue, you can start mixing in other types of commands for him to learn. For example, you can begin by guiding your puppy to sit whenever a member of the family comes home. Then after your puppy understands that the family member is a friend, you can begin to guide him to wait patiently until the member gets in the house. Once your puppy understands that he will wait, you can lead him out to the yard. Be sure not to rush your puppy into the yard. Be patient and eventually, your puppy will be well trained and you won’t have to worry about him always finding a way to get into the house.