The sit command is the first step in dog training. It is the foundation of a behavior training program that is successful and rewarding for you and your dog.

Besides being a very non-threatening pose, sit is a ready stance. From sit, your dog is ready to follow other commands and keeps her attention focused on you. To teach sit, you will need a collar, leash and soft training treats broken into bite-sized chunks.

To make the training session both fun and rewarding, it needs to happen away from frustrating distractions. Exercise your dog to get rid of nervous energy before you start. Pick a training spot away from people and other pets that could catch her attention. It should be a familiar spot with good footing, preferably on carpet or grass.

Keeping the leash on her, stand together in an assertive yet non-threatening way. Hold the leash with the hand away from your dog. Place a treat in the closer hand and let her see it.

If your dog becomes excited at the sight of the training treat, wait her out. You want her calmly attentive. Maintaining a slight pressure on the leash will help her keep her attention focused on you, and prevent premature sitting or lying.

To give the sit command you have to do three things simultaneously. Release the leash pressure, say, "sit," and gesture over her head with the training treat. Move that hand in the air right above her nose to a point behind her ears. To keep sight of the treat, she will either back up or sit.

Stay calm if she moves back. Just reset and try it again. After a few repetitions, she will get lazy and sit instead of backing up. Then, you get to reward her just for being lazy!

Be consistent in rewarding her. Only reward her if she fully sits on your command. Give her the treat and a verbal reward like "good girl!" or "yes!". Be careful not to jump the gun with the reward; wait until her butt hits the ground.

You will have to repeat this training exercise many times before your dog will connect the behavior with the reward. To her, the reward will seem random at first and not connected to any action on her part.

You can't teach your dog to sit reliably in one day; they don't have long enough attention spans. Limit training sessions to five minutes or so and then take a play break or quit for the day. You want her to see training as fun, not work.

Sit is an easy command to teach and an easy one to learn. It's also the foundation of all other training. With the right technique and attitude, training the sit command can be a fun, bonding experience.

About the Author

Brock Lorber, dog lover and co-author of the Pampered Pooch newsletter provides dog health care and training advice to concerned owners.

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