Have you gotten a new puppy for the first time? You’re probably excited to have a companion that you can train to be your best friend. You can have a friend based on a mutual loving and respectful relationship.
But knowing where you stand takes a lot of trust. Learning tricks or skills is one way you both can learn from each other. If you want to learn how to train a dog to sit, you’re in luck because today that’s the skill we’re talking about. Read below to learn about training your dog to sit.
The First Step in How to Train a Dog to Sit
There really in one key thing to consider when trying to teach your dog any tricks. No matter what age or breed, all dogs respond best to positive reinforcement.
Positive reinforcement is exactly what it sounds like. You are going to be reinforcing behaviors you want to see more often with something your dog values. There are high value items or low value items. A low value item might be giving them a toy they like or a treat. While a high value item might be cuddle time or a nice game of tug-of-war. The important thing to remember is that each dog is different as well, so it’s up to you to learn what your dog values most.
Once you know what your dog likes, you can use that to your advantage. One thing most dogs dislike is punishment. Avoid yelling at your dog or using other forms of harsh punishment. This can cause your dog to become confused and will only lead to an extended training time. Speaking of time, be sure your training sessions are short. If your dog becomes bored, they are less likely to get the message.
Once you have their reward lined up, it’s time to start practicing. There are two different methods for training your dog to sit.
Capturing
Capturing is an easy method for teaching your dog to sit, and all it uses is simple positive reinforcement.
Take a treat in your hand. Stand in front of your dog and wait for them to sit. When they do sit, say “yes” and give them the treat. Simply put that’s all this method entails.
Once your dog sits and you’ve treated them, take a few steps either back or to the side. This will encourage your dog to get up to follow you. It also gives you both the chance to try again.
As you practice, you can start saying “sit” while your dog is sitting. This will help your dog associate the word “sit” with the action.
Once your dog starts to get it, you can start giving treats less frequently. Start with every other time, then every three times. Soon enough, your dog will be performing the command without the need for a treat.
Luring
Many trainers use luring to great success. This involves being in front of your dog with a treat in your hand just like capturing. When capturing your dog, you simply wait for them to sit. With luring, you encourage them to sit.
This is done by holding the treat right in front of your dog. You then start to lift the treat up and over your dog’s head. Your dog is likely to follow your hand with their eyes. As a dog’s head goes up, their bottom is likely to go down.
Once your dog is completing the command, you can start doing the same thing but without a treat in your hand. Use an empty hand to lure your dog. When they sit, use your other hand to give them a treat. Your dog will start to associate your hand movement with sitting. Once your dog understands your hand movement, you can also add the word “sit” so your dog will learn that the hand movement and the word both ask them to complete a command.
The one thing you never want to do when training your dog to sit is to push them. You should never physically put your hand on your dog and push their rear toward the floor. Your dog will find this to be confusing or upsetting. Your progress will be much slower if you are upsetting your dog.
You should also be sure to keep your training sessions frequent and short. Once a day is more than enough. Each session should also be no longer than ten minutes. And bored student isn’t likely to learn very well, and keeping your training sessions short will ensure you are not boring your dog
If You’re Having Trouble Training Your Dog to Sit
It happens. Sometimes a dog simply won’t follow commands even if you’re offering a high value reward. One thing to try would be watching your dog. Watch for when they sit on their own. If you catch them sitting, say “sit” and give them a reward. It’s important that you are able to reward them, so you’ll want to have a pocket full of treats for them.
Be sure to work with your dog in a quiet, distraction free environment. This will help ensure that your dog is giving focus to only you and nothing else. Once your dog understands your command in a quiet room, you can start on proofing the behavior. Proofing is when you practice with your dog in various location with differing levels of distraction. By working with your dog in this way, you can help ensure they will respond how you want when you’re out of the house.
As your dog masters sitting, you can slowly remove treats. But remember that it’s always a good idea to give a reward. For most dogs, praise is good enough, but you might want to consider giving a treat occasionally, just to reinforce the behavior.
Hopefully you’ve learned how to train a dog to sit. These tips will have you and your pup whipped into shape in no time.