Wouldn’t it be nice if your dog chose to sit instead of jumping or running around? But how do you influence your dog’s decision-making? Well, the more you work on sit in your training, the more your dog will be likely to sit in the future. Make Sitting a Default Behaviorĭefault behaviors are those behaviors a dog chooses to do in absence of a cue from their owner or other handler. When that happens, you can add your verbal cue right before your dog is about to sit. After a while, your dog will start offering you sits just to earn a treat. That means whenever your dog sits on their own, you click and/or praise, then reward the behavior. Continue to raise the treat higher and higher with each repetition until they are lifting themselves into a sitting position.įinally, you can capture a sit. Next, raise the treat a bit more until they lift their chest off the ground. Click and/or praise and treat that movement. Hold a treat at their nose, then slowly raise the treat up until they lift their head. Start with them lying on the ground, then shape their behavior to work towards a sit, a bit at a time.
![military dog hand signals military dog hand signals](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ca/66/6a/ca666a54ebea072497b24231a2aa1e5d.jpg)
If your dog is struggling to understand what you’re asking for, you can also lure them from a down position. If you wait until your dog is standing again, or even lure them inadvertently back to a stand as you search for a treat, you will encourage your dog to pop out of their sit right after their rear hits the ground. Also, be sure to present the treat while your dog is sitting to reinforce that position. In time, your dog should respond to the verbal cue alone.Īvoid pushing down your dog’s hind end. When your dog reliably sits for your empty hand, you can add your verbal cue (“sit”) right before you give the hand signal.The movement of your empty hand will become your hand signal. Use an empty hand to lure the dog and reward the sit with a treat from your other hand. Once your dog reliably follows the treat into a sitting position, it’s time to fade the lure.To get your dog standing again, either walk away and call them over or toss another treat a few feet away.As soon as your dog is in a sitting position, click your clicker and/or praise them and offer the treat as a reward.As your dog lifts their head to follow the treat with their nose, their back end should drop to the ground. Slowly lift the treat over their head and towards their rear.
![military dog hand signals military dog hand signals](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7e/b6/84/7eb684fdaf080b82476d0128dcf3e1ab.jpg)