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 A
quiet sit is the cornerstone of good dog behavior. Most dogs have a
rudimentary idea of what "sit" means, but your dog can learn to sit
not just when he feels like it, or when your voice is so shrill on
the third command that he thinks you must finally really mean it.
Here's how to teach the "sit" command so your dog performs it
reliably.
If Max has never been trained to sit at all, it's easy to start. Put
a very small, very good-tasting treat in your hand. Hold your closed
hand just above his nose. As he noses up, move your hand slightly up
and slightly back -- you'll see he starts to shift his weight back
towards his haunches. If you can find the right spot for your hand,
just above his nose, soon his back end will drop and he'll be
sitting. Now open your hand and let him have the treat from your
open hand and say "Good dog!" enthusiastically. Repeat this several
times. Once he's got the idea of following your hand into a sitting
position, start commanding "sit!" as you first put your hand above
his nose. With practice, you'll be able to stop moving your hand
around and he'll sit on the verbal command alone. Always reward with
a tiny, tasty treat and lots of enthusiastic verbal praise.
What should you do if he still doesn't sit?
Do nothing!
If Max vaguely knows about "sit", here's how to teach
him to do it promptly and on your first command. Have that very
tiny, very tasty treat in your hand. With Max somewhere in the
vicinity, say in a quiet yet confident voice "Max, sit!" If he does,
reward him immediately by slipping him that treat and saying "Good
dog!" in your happiest voice. But, what should you do if he still
doesn't sit? Do nothing! No second chances, no repeating the command
in case he didn't hear you (he heard you-- he just chose to ignore
you!), do nothing. Just begin to walk away. Now, being a dog, with a
sense of smell at least 400 times greater than your own, he knows
you have that itty bitty tasty treat, and he'll shortly come nosing
around to get it. When he does, repeat your quiet, confident command
"Max, sit!" If he sits, reward him as described above. If he
doesn't, once again do nothing. There is no punishment in this
training plan, but the only way he can get the reward of that treat
is to sit promptly on your first command. If he continues to ignore
you, stop this training session and try again 15 minutes later.
Do this 10-15 times a day. Most dogs get the idea
quickly, and you'll be surprised and pleased with how attentive Max
becomes when shouting is no longer part of the process. As he gets
better at sitting on command, you can begin "forgetting" to give the
food treat and concentrate on verbal praise. If he doesn't know
whether or not he's going to get the treat, his performance will
actually improve! As time goes on, you should be rewarding him with
treats less and less, and with your words (high-pitched and
enthusiastic) more and more.
There are a few dogs for which this training method
is not enough -- the really rowdy or really spoiled dogs may need
the help of a few other (equally humane) techniques. If you need
more help, using a Gentle Leader head collar is a terrific approach
for gaining control of your dog, and getting his attention.
Source: Pet Care Information
Centre
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