Dog Commands - Sit
Sit is one of the most useful commands and also one of the easiest to teach. Three reasons for it being useful are:
- if your dog is in the sitting position, it takes just slightly longer for it to move to another activity and that moment’s delay can be useful, e.g. prior to crossing a road,
- the sitting position usually means that your dog is focusing on you, ready for the next signal,
- in a crude form, the sitting position signifies an aspect of submission from your dog, reinforcing that you are the leader.
First get your dog close to you, perhaps initially using a fixed leash if necessary. Then tell him to Sit and apply gentle pressure downwards on the top of his hindquarters, just in front of the tail, at the same time as giving the command. Do not push excessively. If carried out before meals - he’ll start to do this naturally pretty quickly!
Using a small food reward which you move above his head will also usually result your dog naturally sitting down as he lifts his head up. If using rewards for the Sit training, delaying the giving of the reward, though not for too long, will encourage your dog to learn to Sit and Stay until released, which will prove useful.
In addition, telling him to Sit when he is starting to do it anyway, then holding him gently in the Sit position and praising is excellent reinforcement for a young dog.
