After all, in addition to being charming, the act of sitting at the command of its owner shows a lot of intelligence, and good communication between the dog and its owner.
Many may think so, but this is not an impossible task. So, to teach these tricks to your dog, make an effort, have patience and treats at hand. Read on to learn how to teach your dog to sit in 10 steps.
Table of Contents
1. Start early
Depending on your pet’s age, his learning may be faster or slower. While we recommend teaching your puppy to sit when he’s still a puppy, it’s never too late to start. So train hard and don’t give up.
Oh, and since puppies tend to be more inattentive and scattered, we recommend using your favorite treats to help you on this quest.
2. Positive conditioning
This step is vital for your dog’s learning, so you are allowed to use and abuse snacks and treats.
The first step in teaching your dog to sit is to associate the movement of sitting and the fact of receiving the treat with a word.
First-hand, try to use monosyllabic words to give orders. Dogs don’t understand what the word means, but the tone of it, so it’s much easier for them to record the tone you pronounce a short word than a long sentence.
You don’t need to invent much, using the word “sit” is already great.
3. Positive conditioning 2
This step is more of a Pet Angel tip than a mandatory step.
Try holding the treat with your thumb and index finger and bend the rest of your fingers into your hand. Speak the command very clearly and slowly.
Make eye contact and be patient, your dog may be slow to understand the command, but once he does, reward him.
4. Training attention
Start by bringing the treat closer to the dog’s nose about 1 centimeter away. To teach your dog to sit , try to get his attention by moving the treat a little from top to bottom, very gently.
When the dog has his full attention on you and especially on the treat, it’s time to go to step 5.
5. Training attention 2
Very well, now you should gently lift the treat upwards, a few centimeters above the dog’s head is enough. Obviously, the dog will follow the treat with its gaze, so it will raise its head and automatically begin to sit up.
When you notice that this is happening, it is very important to say the chosen command, in this case “sit”, so that your pet makes the command – movement – treat associations. When the dog is fully seated, give the treat as a reward.
Repeat this process several times until your dog completely associates the command with the sitting movement. Then he can start giving the order without having a treat in his hand.
Ah, it’s important to remember: don’t give the treat if your dog just puts his butt on the floor and quickly gets up. This is almost like cheating.
6. A helping hand is valid
If, even after several attempts, your dog does not sit up automatically or on command, you can help him by pressing down on his backside.
The pressure must be extremely light so that the dog ends up sitting on its own. At the same time that you induce the dog to sit, you must say the command “sit” and, after he finishes sitting alone, give him the treat – so he also associates!
7. No punishments or punishments: reinforce what is good
Remember to reward your dog whenever he does something right.
It is very important that the dog associate the commands with positive things for him: the treats. In this way, he will learn much faster and it will be much easier to train him that way.
Positive conditioning is, always has been and always will be more effective than punishing your pet. For besides being horrible, it is a cruel act.
8. Tone is important
To make the trick of teaching your dog to sit easier and faster, try to always use the same tone to say the command you have chosen.
As we said before, in step 2, the dogs learn the tone and sound of the word, not the meaning. Then repeat the command during the day, several times, keeping the same look, tone and same gestures. But take it easy, no repeating “sit” “sit” “sit” “sit” 400 times a day.
It is possible that your dog will need more than a day to absorb the tone and associate it with the movement, so it is very important not to bore him or press with this step.
