Training your dog to sit is one of the most basic commands, and the easiest position for your dog to put himself in. The speed at which your dog learns behaviors will vary – some may be able to teach their dog in one sitting, while other dogs may need several days before they understand the command.
What You’ll Need:
- A tangible reward such as food or a toy
- A quiet place with minimal distractions
How to do it:
- Have your dog on his leash to minimize wandering, and try to put him in a standing position.
- Show him that you have a reward (which will be used as a lure) in your hand, and hold it right in front of his nose.
- Slowly raise the lure up. The dog’s head should rise as the lure rises, causing his spine and bottom to go down. If he jumps up, then you maybe have raised the lure too high.
- AS SOON as his bottom touches the ground, mark it with a “Good boy!” and give him the lure (which is now considered a reward).
- Repeat steps 1-4 until his bottom is quickly touching the ground as you raise the lure – this means he understands what it is you’d like him to do.
- Lure him into a sitting position as you’ve been doing, but mark it with the verbal cue “Sit” as his bottom touches the ground. Give him the reward and praise him.
- After you have repeated Step 6 several times, give the verbal cue before you start to lure him. Give him the reward and praise him as usual, as soon as his bottom touches the ground.
- Don’t use a lure this time. Just raise your palm up, the way you would if you were luring him. When he completes the behavior, give him a reward and praise him. This step may not happen right away. It can take days or even weeks for your dog to complete behavior without lure, simply because he may not understand. If you suspect your dog does not understand, repeat steps 5 and 6 until you’re confident that he understands the behavior.
Remember, if your dog gets bored, you can always play a game of Touch or Spin to win his attention again.
