By Holly Hill, Owner of True Harmony Dog Training
Teaching a dog to sit is not just an essential basic behavior that every dog should know, it’s also an easy behavior to teach. You’ll need to gather a few things before you teach sit.
- Small size treats
- A leash and collar on your dog
- A treat bag to hold your treats
- And of course, your dog
Remember to keep training short: 10-15 minutes at a time, two to three times a day is all you need.
Before you start, find a quiet place in your home. Attach a leash to your dog’s collar.
Have the dog in front of you and grab a treat from your bag. Let him smell the treat and slowly bring it up towards the back of his head. His nose should follow the treat, bringing his head along with it. If he tries to move back just hold steady pressure on the leash so he can’t do so.
As the head goes up, his natural response is to sit. Once your dog sits, say, “Yes,” and reward him with the treat.
To repeat the steps, walk off and let the dog follow you. Then start over from step 2 again. Once the dog is following your hand and putting his rear end on the ground every time, you can start adding in your cue word. Say, “Sit,” and repeat the steps 2-3.
Repeat “sit” while luring your dog’s head for a few days, keeping the training short and repeating the lessons a few times a day.
When you feel your dog understands “Sit,” start phasing out the treats. Repeat the steps with no treat in your hand. Over a few weeks, phase out the treat completely by giving just hints to what you are looking for and rewarding after with a treat.
Troubleshooting
Dog nibbles at my hand for the treat. Just hold the treat a little snugger in your hand, he will soon figure out that nibbling does not reward with a treat.
Dog moves around while I try to lure his head up. Hold the leash a little shorter so he can’t move around so much. Many dogs will go through behaviors when learning something new.
Dog won’t follow treat, is jumping all around and being silly. A few things could be going on with this one. Trying going for a walk first, or play ball to release some pent-up energy.
Dog will not follow treat or lower his rear end. If you find the dog is stuck and not understanding what you are looking for, you might need to help him. As you lure the dogs head up, use your other hand to put some light pressure on his rear end. Most dogs will sit with a little help from you showing them what you are looking for.
