PURPOSE: Teaching a dog to sit is easy to do and prevents many other problems such as jumping on people and counter-surfing.
1. Conceal a food treat in your fist and place your fist close to your dog’s nose for him/her to smell.
2. Move your fist up and over your dog’s head.
3. Your dog will look up at your fist and likely sit. When your dog’s rump touches the ground, click a clicker and/or say “good” or “yes” and reward your dog with the food treat.
4. Feed your dog in position until you release your dog from the sit position by saying “ok” or other similar release cue.
5. If your dog starts to stand up as you offer the food treat, withdraw the treat until his/her rump touches the ground again and then reward.
6. When your dog is sitting reliably for the hand lure, put it on cue by saying “sit” just prior to luring your dog into a sit.
7. When it appears your dog has learned the word “sit”, hesitate a few seconds to perform the lure after saying “sit”. If your dog sits without the food lure, reward. If not, then say sit again and follow it immediately with the food lure.
8. Practice the sit in many different environments and amongst different distractions (from easiest to hardest) to proof the sit. Dogs don’t generalize commands well so a dog who knows sit at home with limited distractions may have trouble responding to a “sit” cue in a strange environment with numerous distractions without practicing in that environment.