Sit is an easy command — and a useful one for your dog to know. There’s more than one way to teach your dog how to sit.
Method One:
- Face your dog with a treat or toy in your hand.
- Show him the treat. Chances are, he’ll come to get it.
- As he approaches, raise the treat up and over his head.
- Chances are, he’ll sit down in order to keep his eyes on the food.
- Say SIT as soon as he starts to sit.
- Reward him with the treat!
Method Two:
- Face your dog with a treat or toy in hand.
- Show him the treat.
- Place your hand under his chin and gently lift his head up.
- Chances are, he’ll start to sit down. Don’t be harsh or fast or jerk his head around.
- Say SIT as soon as he starts to sit.
- Reward him with the treat!
Method Three:
- Kneel down next to your dog and hold his collar in one hand.
- Push down gently but firmly on his rump.
- Say SIT as soon as he starts to sit.
- Reward him with a treat/praise/petting.
Method Four:
- Every time you see that your dog is going to sit, say SIT.
- Reward him with a treat/praise/petting.
This last method takes longer but can be just as effective!
Whichever method you choose, you’ll need to repeat and practice a few times a day. If you want to add a hand signal to the verbal command, always make the same hand signal while you are commanding the dog to sit. For my dogs, the hand signal is hand out with palm up, like a crossing guard stopping traffic.
Eventually, you can ask for the trick without the treat — just be sure to praise your dog verbally and/or with petting for reinforcement.