How to Teach Your Dog to Sit
Dogs bring so much joy into our lives. They are like new family members who happen to have fur. One of the best feelings in the world is being able to teach your pup a new trick. The sense of achievement that you would feel after seeing your dog follow his first command is simply priceless. You can start by training them to do something as simple as following the command: Sit!
A negative environment and punishment-based training may do more harm than good. Inversely, a positive and loving environment will help them be more inclined to take part in your training sessions. A negative and punishment-based training may do more harm than good. Here are steps on how to train your dog to sit:
01
Pick a treat or toy to motivate your pup. To get your pup interested in learning how to sit, you need to have a motivator. Find out what excites your dog, it can either be a delicious treat, your attention or a fun little toy. But most dogs cannot resist a snack, so you can begin with some treats for starters.
02
Lure them into training. Once you have chosen a treat, show them the reward, but do not give it to them just yet. Raise your hand holding the treat over and behind their head. Once they are seated, you can give them the treat. You should give them the reward as soon as their bottom touches the ground. That way, they can associate that action in getting a treat.
03
Combine a hand gesture with the command. Once your dog has mastered the second step, you can now add in a hand cue so that your dog can associate the hand gesture with the action of sitting and the reward. Do not give your pup the treat until he has successfully associated the hand gesture with the command. But remember to be patient with your dog.
04
Lastly, add a vocal cue. Once your dog is very familiar with the hand gesture, you can now add a vocal cue, which is the command: Sit! Incorporating a vocal cue to the command will help your dog know what you are expecting him to do. And that’s it! Now your dog knows how to sit on cue.
Training your dog to sit will only take these four easy steps. Just keep in mind that you should stay positive, enthusiastic and patient with your dog. Learn more about positive training from the best doggy daycare in Canberra today!