Training Your Dog To Sit
Lee Dobbins
A poorly trained dog is a nuisance and can even be a danger to
himself and others. A properly trained dog, on the other had, is
a wonderful and pleasant companion. In addition to helping you
bond, it can even protect your pet from being hurt if he listens
and will come when called.
When training always remember that dogs respond best to positive
reinforcement – yelling at your dog and hitting him will not
accomplish the task, instead use rewards such as treats and your
approval – this will make the task much more pleasant for both of
you!
There is a common “process” to training, no matter what you want
the dog to do. They key is to get the dog to perform the action
and at that exact moment give the command for the action, then
praise the dog and reward him with a treat. After a while, he
will catch on and associate the action with the command.
Here’s some steps you can use to train your dog with the most
basic command – Sit.
1. The first thing you need to do is to get your puppy or dog to
associate the act of sitting with the command. To do this, simply
hang around with your dog and when he sits give the “sit”
command.
2. Getting down to your dogs level will allow you to present his
reward (treats) quicker so grab a handful of bite sized treats
and get down on the floor.
3. Bring the treat up over the dogs head. He will smell the food
and follow it with his nose. This action will cause him to sit
(or backup, but obviously we are hoping for the sitting action).
4. The key to the training is to present the reward at the exact
moment the dog sits, but you must also give the command at that
moment as well so that he associates command with action. So as
the dog sits, say “sit” and then immediately give him the treat.
5. Give the dog praise – show joy in your voice and he will
really respond.
6. Repeat three to five times at each session but no more than
that. Training should be fun and not a boring chore so don’t
overdo it in one sitting. You may have several sessions
throughout the day.
When you spend the time to train your dog, you get much more than
just a dog that does some tricks. He loves to do things with you.
He learns to listen when you say his name. He gets used to being
with you and doing things on your initiative. Through good
training your position as leader is strengthened. You should plan
to spend a couple of minutes every day on practicing his
“tricks”. This type of repetitive reinforcement will help him to
remember and also create the bond between you.
Lee Dobbins is a pet owner and writer for train the dog.com where
you can learn more about training your dog and which breeds are
easier to train.
http://www.train-the-dog.com/
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