Obedience Training: Teaching Your Dog to Sit on Command

If you are going to teach your dog anything, it might as well be the sit command. The command is very important to opening the doors on communication between you and your dog. It doesn't matter how old you dog is, he can learn how to sit, and you can teach him. Teaching this command can actually improve the relationship you have with your dog. Training curbs behavior problems as the dog ages, especially dominance issues. Every time you give your dog a command, you quietly and humanely establish leadership, and therefore dominance, over him. Not much is needed to do this; just repetition of a few commands, beginning with the "sit."

For small puppies, training can be fun and easy. Use the puppy's natural curiosity to your advantage. Keep sessions extremely short (5 minutes at a time) and very happy. To start, stand in front of your puppy; if you kneel you could have the puppy all over you, defeating the purpose of the training session since you have too much of his attention. Put your hand over his head, call the dog's name and "sit." As you give the command, move your hand behind the puppy's head. His natural inclination will be to watch the movement of your hand, forcing his rear down or him to step back. Once his rear begins to dip, praise him. Even if he hasn't properly sat yet, it's still a good start at this beginning stage. Repeat as many times as you can hold his attention, then let him go do something else. The great thing about puppies is that you can repeat these tiny sessions a few times a day, getting sitting properly in no time.

Teaching an older dog can be just as easy, but they might need more incentive than just your hand. Try using a treat in place of your hand; if you can get the dog to sit simply by moving the treat behind his head so he watches that, all the easier for you. Give him the treat and say "good sit." If not, leash your dog. When you give the command, pull gently up on the leash, and push gently on your dog's rump to give him the hint. Do not push too hard or too suddenly. Some dogs do react badly to being pushed on like that you don't want any negativity surrounding the command or your training sessions. When the dog sits, praise him, give him a treat, pet him. After a few seconds of sitting say "okay." Releasing your dog from a command is almost as important as the command itself.

In 5 minutes every day, you can easily teach your dog to sit. Increase the duration of the sit, each time only letting him do something else after you have released him. He needs to know that by giving the command, you mean him to sit there until he is released, not before and not when he wants to get up. By teaching this simple yet important command, you gain greater control over your dog and nicely express dominance.