Training Your Dog To Sit Through Repetition
I’m sure we’ve all heard the expression that you “can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. However sometimes it can be difficult to teach a little puppy a trick that has been around for centuries. A simple, “sit” or “stay” can be quite the job for a puppy with no focus or motivation, or a puppy without the right training. But there isn’t a need to go employ a professional puppy trainer just yet. There’s a few simple instructions you can follow to teach your puppy major commands such as “sit”, “come”, “stay” and “down” all by yourself. In this tutorial, we’ll go over the “sit” command.
There are two major factors that are involved with teaching a puppy any trick - repetition and uniformity. Repetition is needed so the puppy can learn the behavior you are attempting to teach it, while consistency is necessary so the dog will learn to always perform the command every time it is said. If you aren’t serious about having the dog carry out what you ask, no amount of training will help you.
You’ll want a few plain tools at the time you start training. First, have your dog in an area with no distractions. It should be silent and relaxed, without extra pets or people. You want the puppy to be able to focus it’s total attention on you. Another thing you should bring is dog treats. Try to use the moist treats as opposed to dry dog food or bones. The moist treat is more of an immediate prize, whereas the dry food they have to chew it to fully gain the reward. One thing that may help with treats is a fanny pack or a treat pouch, so you can have your hands free and treat easily. Clickers, leashes, collars and harnesses are other aids that you may use depending on what you’re teaching the dog to do.
Here are the five steps to teaching your dog to sit.
1: With your dog in a silent place, grab his or her attention by holding a treat up in your hand.
2: Gradually move the treat above their head. Your hand should be about six inches higher than their head. Just low down enough that they may see the treat, but not so high that they feel the desire to hop up and grab it. Remain moving your hand until your dog moves his or her head back. As their head draws back, you’ll see their hind end drop to enable their eyes to continue watching. A dog can’t look at an object above them without sitting down. Move the treat all the way back until your dogs hind end touches the floor.
3: Instantly give the treat and praise, whether it be verbal or physical in the form of a few pats.
4: Repeat the above steps until your dog dependably sits when you move the treat above their head.
5: Once you have hit this mark, you can start to put the command to it. You’ll want to say, “sit” right as you notice their legs starting to bend. The timing is crucial and you don’t want to treat too early or too late.
Voi’la! You now have a puppy that can sit! Keep training twice daily, and keep the lessons small. You don’t want the puppy to get bored. After a time, you’ll be able to take away the use of treats and have your dog complete the command on it’s own with only your praise as a reward.
About the author: Aubrey Moulton enjoys writing about pets, pet care and dog training.
Find realistic info about house train dog - please make sure to study this web site. The times have come when concise info is truly only one click away, use this chance.
