Start Dog Training

One of the first commands you teach your dog is the command to sit. Fortunately, this is not only easy, but a fun way to begin training your pet. This is an essential command because it could save your dog’s life if you teach it well. I won’t dwell on this, but more than one dog would have happily charged into traffic and certain death had its owner not saved it with the “sit” command.

In this article, I suggest two basic ways to train your dog to sit. If your pet is a puppy, then start at about 8 weeks. Set up a schedule, and then once you start, don’t deviate from the routine. Make sure that your training is conducted in the same manner.

When running your dog through training routines, try to keep everything the same and predictable. This is important to dogs as it makes them feel safe and secure. Again, never lose patience and be willing to repeat as many times as necessary until your dog catches on.

Method 1

Catch your pet’s attention. Say its name and present a treat. The way to do this is to hold the treat a little in front and just above the animal’s nose. Now, slowly move the treat up and backward over its head. You dog will try to watch the treat, and as it follows the motion over its head, it will naturally lower its rear end into a sitting position. As the dog assumes the correct position, you utter the command “sit,” and offer a piece of kibble as a reward.

It goes without saying that you will need to repeat often in order for your dog to “get it.” I suggest working in 10 minute units of time. Later, as your dog gets more training experience, you may want to increase this to 15 minutes, though I wouldn’t recommend going beyond 15 minute training sessions for this single command. As your puppy begins to catch on, you will be able to gradually replace treats with praise. Generally speaking, you do not want your dog’s obedience to be treat dependent. Expect to take approximately 2 weeks in order for your dog to start reliably obeying the command.

Method 2

The second method is not so different from the first. However, you will begin by placing your dog on your left. I also suggest that you have it on a leash. With this method, you hold the treat in front of your pet, say “sit,” and then press gently but firmly down on its hind end. The dog will sit, and then you give it lots of praise followed by the treat. If you have put a leash on your dog–highly recommended–then as you say “sit,” you give a gentle, upward pull on the leash as you press down on its hind quarters.

Get more free information on Basic puppy training preparation.

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