Dog Training Lesson 5 : Teaching your dog to SIT

                            Proper practice in dog training to get your dog sitting down

Training your dog to sit down is most probably the simplest among all the dog training lessons. There are several ways to train your dog to sit; however, I would share with all of you the method which I think is the easiest to master in a short time. In this dog training lesson, there is one important thing to prepare, which is a treat for your dog.

Let’s get started with the dog training and you might consider teaching your dog during when he is between 4 months to 1-year-old as these are time when he is a good-learner.

First, look for a place which is QUITE with minimal if not zero distractions, because since your dog is still young, he would be easily distracted should there be any cars, passers-by or even any sounds. The place could simply be your backyard or you could try the park during night time when there are less people around.

The next step in this dog training would involve the use of treat. You start by calling out the name of your dog in order to attract his attention, and then hold the treat about two inches away from him. At the same time, use the command “SIT”.

ATTENTION: Make sure that the treat is a bit high above but remember that if the treat is put too high above, your dog would jump to get the treat. If the treat is put too low, then your dog would just come and nibble your hand.

Remember that the purpose of this dog training is to make your dog look up and at the same time he would sit down. If your dog refuses to sit down, you could repeat the same step and at the same when you use the command “SIT”, you touch his back and push gently downward. As soon as he has succeeded, remember to give him the treat and at the same time praise him by saying “Good Boy” or “Clever Boy”. Be ENTHUSIASTIC!

Also, during this dog training lesson, observe that your dog should be sitting in a proper way. If he did not sit in a proper way (such as leaning to the side), make sure you do not give him the treat and at the same time say “NO”. Then repeat the training again. Make sure that this dog training lesson is repeated 4-6 times during each lesson, and you might want to do it 3-4 times a week. During each lesson, you should try not to give him any treat while still getting him to sit by just holding your hand up. When you are 80% sure that he would sit on command, you could consider doing it in a place where there are some distractions. The method is the same but remember to GRADUALLY increase the distractions.