Teaching your dog to sit

Teaching your dog to sit is the most basic part of a dog training program. Basically the success will depend on how much effort you put in and how you maintain overall consistency plus frequency until the dog learns. Certain dogs can be easy to train while other breeds might present the most challenging tasks for the owner but somehow I still feel that success rate will depends on how you establish the relationship and conduct the training routine.

Let’s begin with the first step towards guiding your precious pet as I presume you’ve already read my previous posts about introducing crate and collar and leash to your dogs. I’m sure as an owner, you should also have a dog treat ready and if you decided not to use this, it can any food that your dog loves. Hold the reward right above the dog where he/she can sees it clearly. Once your pet notices it, use the “sit” and voice it out in a firm and commanding tone. Some dogs will jump on you but make every effort to ignore this and take away the treat to tell it that “until you behave, there’s no treat for you”. This sends a clear signal to your pet that you will not tolerate such behavior and make no attempts to give in to its pleas.

Once you again repeat the “sit” command, try to make your dog go into sitting position. Have one of your family members help you out on this if they have free time to spend. Generally, it is better if you continue to stand and hold the treat above the dog’s head while the other family member are trying to push your dog down, resting on the floor. One has to be patient to continue holding the treat and again repeating the “sit” command and never reward until your pet obeys your instruction. Eventually, what you are trying to achieve is telling him/her that as you say the “sit” word, it sends an instruction for it to lie down and behave. The dog has to know that you will not tolerate improper behavior and he/she has to follow your command in order to please you.

After your pet sits down, present the snack and praise you dog by patting it on its head. Somehow, as a pet owner this basic training routine should be something fun and exciting. Be prepared to spend considerable amount of time and never loses patience when a dog does not follow your expectations. Certain dogs can be more playful than others while some can get easily distracted when there are kids running around the place. Ideally, if you want to ensure that teaching your dog to sit goes on as smoothly as possible, try to conduct the training at a quiet location in order to avoid external disturbances and distractions.