One of the earliest and most common commands is teaching dogs sit. It is also one of the easiest to learn for both you and your dog.
Do not try to teach puppy anything when they are either sleepy or in an over active mood. Failure will lead to both of you feeling hopeless. Your puppy wants to please you above all else and failing to do so will have an effect on his self-esteem. Yes dogs have a self-esteem too.
Firstly arm yourself with their favourite treats. In the early days Ralph’s favourite was pedigree cheese bites. Just small enough and when training I would always split in half because I knew we would be using plenty and I didn’t want to over feed him. Make sure there are no other distractions. Children squealing or even talking will easily distract puppy. Even the TV could be a distraction for Ralph.
Get your puppy’s attention, usually be saying their name. Show him or her the treat and simply say the command “sit” and gently put your hand on their back and gently push them into the sit position. Once in sit position, give them the treat. Repeat this several times and then try saying “sit” without pushing him or her into position. Don’t worry if they don’t sit, just gently push into position and treat again.
Keep your training sessions short and do not expect puppy to get it, on the first session. Repeat again later in the day or the next day. Repetition is key when teaching dogs sit. After about three or four short sessions and you know they understand the command, wait and repeat “sit” if they do not follow command. If after three commands they do not respond go back to pressing into position and then treat.
Very soon you and puppy will have this command under your belt and they will follow the command without a treat being involved. To keep reinforcing the command make sure you ask puppy to sit when giving them any kind of treat food. You can also ask them to sit whilst you are filling his food bowl.
Ralph will sit before crossing the road so it is a really important command to learn for both you and puppy.
Thank you for reading. Please feel free to leave your comments or questions below. I am always happy to receive your photographs for my doggie rogues gallery. You can send them to karen@trainingmytoypoodle.com
Very helpful post! My wife and I are planning on getting a puppy soon and will definitely be using the tips you’ve provided in this post. It always surprises me how early you can train a puppy. And how fast the puppy can learn how to do different commands.
Thank you for your comments Weston and yes from 12 weeks puppy training should begin. Up until then leave it to their mother. Good luck with finding the right puppy for you and if you need any help, just ask
This is awesome. I remember when we were younger and we were training my border collie puppy. Coca was hard to train as she was extremely stubborn and did not want to do any tricks. We ended up staying consistent and she ended up learning many different tricks. We used cheese sticks for our treats and she went crazy for them!
ooh dogs just leave cheese don’t they !! Ralph is also a big fan,maybe cheese sticks should be purchased. I think persistence is always the key with dogs and the rewards you get are worth waiting for.
Love the post, and that will work over time.
I can teach the sit with no force, “without pushing the dogs back or butt” in 5 minutes.
Your comments on puppy distractions are well said. I also agree with your short but terribly important statement about having the pup’s attention on the matter at hand, “rule number 1″ of the 3 major aspects of obedience training.
In your 5th paragraph you speak of keeping it short. I will add short, intense and then it is over. I expect the pup, when the sit is presented correctly to, “Get it” in one short session. Then add consistent, correct repetition over the next week to turn it into a core move.
Hi and thank you for your comments. I think I must have put over the push badly in my post. A gentle nudge or stroke to the right position is more what I meant. You are right about the dog getting it after one short session. Ralph did and it is something that I have never had to repeat. It is one of his core moves as you say. However I know dog owners who’s dogs are just not that attentive to training and I don’t think it is right to say that all dogs will do this quickly.
With Grace and Gratitude
Karen
IMHO, A gentle nudge or stroke is not indicated. Touching the pup is a tactile experience that tends to distract from the proper thought process in the pup. If you stimulate him by touching, “a tactile input” you are doing it not the pup. He/she will learn the motor pathways faster if he/she causes the stimulation to the proper motor pathways. We call it the act of sitting. I reiterate if YOU stimulate through tactile input in-on the pup YOU did it not the pup. IF he /she finds the pathways themselves then the pup did it not you. I have found in my 37+ years of training pups and dogs that there should be no tactile input to the dogs back, butt etc. The proper behavior will become a proper core behavior faster IF the pup does it themselves as in,” find the correct motor pathway”.
I also agree with your statement that “I know dog owners whose dogs are just not that attentive to training.” However, I reply that, we know that if there is anything that a dog is quick to learn it is what is to his advantage, it is the therefore the handler’s responsibility to put the situation in front of the dog, so that, the dog can clearly see where their advantage lies. And then they must qualify for rule number 1,”focus”. having said that…..I stand by my statement that I can and very frequently do teach this move in five minutes!
Well I am not entirely sure I understood all of that, so I’m fairly certain I could not teach Ralph anything as technical as you make this sound. Ralph is now nearly one and understands and obeys the command sit and has done from about a two weeks after I got him. I used the technique I described and it took just one 5 minute session to do.
With Grace and Gratitude
Karen
Very helpful post! My wife and I are planning on getting a puppy soon and will definitely be using the tips you’ve provided in this post. It always surprises me how early you can train a puppy. And how fast the puppy can learn how to do different commands.
Thank you!
Weston
Thank you for your comments Weston and yes from 12 weeks puppy training should begin. Up until then leave it to their mother. Good luck with finding the right puppy for you and if you need any help, just ask
With Grace and Gratitude
Karen
This is awesome. I remember when we were younger and we were training my border collie puppy. Coca was hard to train as she was extremely stubborn and did not want to do any tricks. We ended up staying consistent and she ended up learning many different tricks. We used cheese sticks for our treats and she went crazy for them!
ooh dogs just leave cheese don’t they !! Ralph is also a big fan,maybe cheese sticks should be purchased. I think persistence is always the key with dogs and the rewards you get are worth waiting for.
Thank you for your comments
With Grace and Gratitude
Karen
Love the post, and that will work over time.
I can teach the sit with no force, “without pushing the dogs back or butt” in 5 minutes.
Your comments on puppy distractions are well said. I also agree with your short but terribly important statement about having the pup’s attention on the matter at hand, “rule number 1″ of the 3 major aspects of obedience training.
In your 5th paragraph you speak of keeping it short. I will add short, intense and then it is over. I expect the pup, when the sit is presented correctly to, “Get it” in one short session. Then add consistent, correct repetition over the next week to turn it into a core move.
Hi and thank you for your comments. I think I must have put over the push badly in my post. A gentle nudge or stroke to the right position is more what I meant. You are right about the dog getting it after one short session. Ralph did and it is something that I have never had to repeat. It is one of his core moves as you say. However I know dog owners who’s dogs are just not that attentive to training and I don’t think it is right to say that all dogs will do this quickly.
With Grace and Gratitude
Karen
IMHO, A gentle nudge or stroke is not indicated. Touching the pup is a tactile experience that tends to distract from the proper thought process in the pup. If you stimulate him by touching, “a tactile input” you are doing it not the pup. He/she will learn the motor pathways faster if he/she causes the stimulation to the proper motor pathways. We call it the act of sitting. I reiterate if YOU stimulate through tactile input in-on the pup YOU did it not the pup. IF he /she finds the pathways themselves then the pup did it not you. I have found in my 37+ years of training pups and dogs that there should be no tactile input to the dogs back, butt etc. The proper behavior will become a proper core behavior faster IF the pup does it themselves as in,” find the correct motor pathway”.
I also agree with your statement that “I know dog owners whose dogs are just not that attentive to training.” However, I reply that, we know that if there is anything that a dog is quick to learn it is what is to his advantage, it is the therefore the handler’s responsibility to put the situation in front of the dog, so that, the dog can clearly see where their advantage lies. And then they must qualify for rule number 1,”focus”. having said that…..I stand by my statement that I can and very frequently do teach this move in five minutes!
Your friend and fellow adventurer in dog training
Well I am not entirely sure I understood all of that, so I’m fairly certain I could not teach Ralph anything as technical as you make this sound. Ralph is now nearly one and understands and obeys the command sit and has done from about a two weeks after I got him. I used the technique I described and it took just one 5 minute session to do.
With Grace and Gratitude
Karen