One of the most useful commands you can teach your puppy, is how to sit. When sitting, a dog will give you their full attention, which makes it a great command to use before moving to another command. It's also great for safety- if your dog is about to cross the road unattended, then the sit command could even be a life saver! There are also some other commands (such as "stay", and "lie down"), which actually begin from the sitting position, and you won't be able to move onto them until your dog is sitting when you want.
Luckily, teaching a puppy to sit is quite simple. Dogs can't flex their spine, so if you tip their heads high enough, they will just sit naturally. All puppies know how to sit already- you just have to teach them to sit, when YOU want! You can start teaching a puppy to sit from the age of about 8 weeks and above.
There are 2 easy steps to teach your puppy to sit...
1. Call you dogs name, and make sure it is standing in front of you, and looking you in the eye. This will ensure you have the dogs complete attention.
2. Command you puppy to sit. Make sure you use the same command each time (Usually just "sit"), and in the same tone of voice. At the same time as giving the command, push down on the back legs, forcing the puppy into the sit position. Make sure you push down gently, but firmly.
You can also use food- just hold the food above the puppies nose, and move it back behind the dog's head. The puppy will follow the food, and sit down.
3. Congratulate your puppy for entering the sit position. Use praise even when you had to force the dog to sit, but give extra praise when the puppy sits on its own. You can use treats, but make sure not to use them every single time!
Repeat this training regularly, and be sure to phase out the use of treats, and you'll have your puppy sitting on command in no time!
Dan Fletcher is the owner of PuppiesSale.org, featuring puppies for sale and puppy articles. |
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