How about starting the year training your dog to sit?
Many owners struggle to teach their dogs to sit, but with a few tips, it is possible to teach this skill to your puppy in a simple and fun way.
Sitting is an essential behavior, as your dog will learn other behaviors from it, such as come, stay, and down.
But let’s get straight to the point. Want to find out how to train your dog to sit? Read on and discover the step-by-step guide we’ve listed for you.
Training your Dog to Sit!
1. With your dog upright, tap a treat to his nose.
2. Lift the treat over the dog’s head towards the rear.
3. Your dog will lift his head to look at the treat and with that, his bottom will touch the ground.
4. As soon as the dog sits down, say “good” and offer the treat.
5. Call your dog to another location and repeat the process.
6. Once your dog is used to this initial training, try removing the treat from the main hand. Do the process with an empty hand and at the end, offer the treat with the other hand.
7. When he learns the behavior, you can add the verbal cue “Sit” before making the hand movement. Don’t forget to always offer the reward at the end.
8. Try this in new places and with new distractions so your dog understands that although the environment and situation have changed, the behavior you are soliciting is the same.
Read more: The Best Way to Socialize a Puppy
How to Step up the Training?
Once you’ve learned how to teach your dog to sit, you should step up the training each day.
Our tip is to attract your dog to sit before meals, rides, walks, games, and socializing.
Before heading out for an outdoor walk, take the leash and approach the door. Let the dog see you and ask him to sit at this time. This will help your puppy associate the behavior with something positive for him.
Read more: Where to Adopt a Dog in NYC
What Not to Do?
For your dog to learn to sit, you must train him patiently each and every day. Never yell at your dog or be aggressive. Respect your puppy.
We’ve listed below some things you shouldn’t do while teaching your dog to sit:
1. Push the dog’s back.
2. Forget to offer the reward.
3. Lose your temper or scream.
4. Skip Training Sessions.
5. Expect your dog to learn overnight.
Pretty Sit
After your dog learns to sit, you can teach him the Pretty Sit trick, when the dog sits with his front paws in the air. It’s very cute.
Follow the step-by-step instructions below to teach Pretty Sit to your puppy:
1. Ask your dog to sit.
2. As soon as he is seated, hold a treat close to his nose and start taking it up slowly. Your dog will get up to get the treat. As soon as his paws leave the ground, say “good” and offer the treat.
3. Repeat step by step, but this time, raise the treat even more. Keep increasing the height until your dog reaches the desired position.
4. When he learns to do the trick with the treats, try doing the movement with an empty hand, so that he recognizes it as a hand signal. Don’t forget to offer the reward at the end.
5. When your dog starts responding to the hand signal, add the verbal cue “Pretty Sit” before the hand signal. In time, you will no longer need to use your hands.
Remembering that to teach Pretty Sit to your dog, he must first learn to sit. Don’t skip any steps.
Read more: How to Stop your Dog from Jumping on People
Did you Enjoy Learning how to Teach your Dog to Sit?
This is just one of the many behaviors you can teach your dog. Start with Sit and then teach other types of essential behaviors. It will definitely be very positive for your puppy.
And don’t forget to check out our content about dog training games. You can reinforce training with some of these really fun games.
Hope you enjoyed the content! See you next time!
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