There are many basic obedience commands that your dog can learn and Sit is probably the most common and is often the first taught, due to the fact that it is one of the easiest to learn. You can teach any canine how to sit, regardless of their breed or their age. You will discover that it is a quick and simple process, which can be completed by following these straightforward steps:
Step 1 – Take your pooch to a quiet room with minimal distractions and bring along a few food treats.
Step 2 - Hold the treat in your hand and place it slightly over and above your pet’s nose. Begin to move the food straight up. This should cause him to follow the morsel with his nose and eventually result in him sitting, as he will want to keep the food in sight.
Step 3 - Quickly praise him when he is seated and reward him with the treat. Repeat this process until he is sitting as soon as he sees the cookie move. End the first training session and take a break.
Step 4 – At the beginning of the second session, you will still use the treat for assistance, but this time you will give the command “Sit” and immediately lure him into the position, praise and reward him. Keep up this session until he is sitting when you give the command and then break.
Step 5 – The third session is all about getting your pooch to sit as soon as you give the instruction. This time you won’t use the food as a lure. When he sits, praise but only give treat rewards randomly so it doesn’t become an expectation.
Step 6 – Once he sits on command in your initial training room, it’s time to see how he does in different environments with moderate and high distractions. Remember to only reward using treats at random.
Remember that when you train you need to take it slow and work at your dog’s pace. Only move forward when he is ready. Likewise, keep lessons short, no longer than 10 minutes at a time because he won’t learn if he becomes bored or restless. Lastly, repetition and consistency are key for effective learning.
Information provided by Larry Swantek of Oh My Dog Supplies, check out our cool variety of car seat covers for dogs online.