How to Teach Sit
- Apr 10, 2018
- 2 min read
“Sit” is typically the very first command that most people teach their dog. And it is one of the commands that will be the base for many other manners and tricks which makes it extremely important to master. A young pup, even at age 6 weeks if not younger, can begin learning this command. The earlier you start your training, the better your dog will be.
Benefits of “Sit”
Base of many commands and manners.
Can be used to substitute unwanted behaviors.
Very helpful in taking pictures.
Downfalls
None!
My Recommended Training Treats
How to teach “Sit”
Get a treat in your hand.
Put the treat to the dog’s nose so they can smell that you have a treat. This will help to gain their focus on you.
SLOWLY lift your hand up above their head.you should have your hand just slightly higher than their nose if they are looking up at the treat.
Don't go so high up that they have to jump up to reach the treat. If it is too high, they will most likely jump instead of sit.
Be PATIENT!
They don't know what you are wanting them to do at the moment, and they may have never done this before. In fact, they may not even understand what a “lure” is.
A lure is having the dog follow the treat to encourage them into a behavior you desire.
The split second their but touches the ground, and their front paws are still on the ground, mark and reward!
There are various ways to mark the behavior such as saying “yes” or using a clicker.
Repeat this about 100 times haha.
Once the dog is understanding the movement of your hand and reliably doing the command fairly quickly, you can begin adding the word to the command.
Start by saying the word “sit” as you begin to move your hand from their nose in the up direction. Once they complete the command, mark and reward.
Once your dog is completing this reliably, say the word “sit” just before you do the lure. Once they complete the command, mark and reward.
If your dog has mastered this, try saying the word “sit” and not luring the dog with the treat at all. Just hold the treat still in your hand. Wait a few seconds to give them time to process what you said and figure out how they will get the treat.
The first time your dog does this step correctly, give them a “jackpot” (a large amount of treats) to tell them that this is the absolute best way they have completed the command.
Repeat , repeat, repeat.
Practice in various environments, with different people telling your dog the command, with and without treats, sitting for their toy to be thrown, while you put their food down (stay tuned for this post), from far away, and any other challenge you can think of.
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