How to Train Your Dog to Sit

Teach Your Dog to Sit

What’s the best way to teach your dog to sit? Animal Behavior College, a leading dog training school, sets the bar for teaching positive principles of dog training. One of our best dog training tips is teaching your dog to sit on cue in the early stages of training.

Teaching and positively reinforcing the sit cue early in the dog training process will often result in this behavior becoming the default or presented behavior when your dog is seeking attention.

Why? The simple answer is that it has worked in the past. Let’s break this down. There are four major components that make up the learning process for you and your pup.

1. Positive Reinforcement
2. Management
3. Consequences
4. Consistency (Practice, Practice, Practice)

Since Animal Behavior College has trained thousands of professional dog trainers, this remains one of the best dog training tips you can rely on. When teaching your dog to sit, you simply offer positive reinforcement in the form of a treat each and every time your dog is successfully lured into the sitting position.

Make sure to ignore inappropriate behaviors like jumping because being ignored is a negative consequence to most dogs and a very powerful dog training technique. Above all, be consistent in your message.

4 Simple Steps to Train Your Dog to Sit

1. Start by putting a small treat in your hand and make a fist.
2. Place your hand in front of your dog’s nose, then slowly move your hand over your dog’s head (no more than 3-4 inches above the head) toward his back.
3. As he shifts his body toward the direction of your hand in motion, he will sit.
4. Once your dog has accomplished the “butt down” position, reinforce his behavior immediately with the treat, accolades like “good boy” or a pat on the head.

Soon, you and your dog will be on the road to compassionate and rewarding behavior from this fundamental training strategy.

Final Words

Be consistent when training your dog. Taking this approach to teach your dog to sit is the basic process by which all learning will occur. Dogs learn best when the process is consistent, and it’s rewarding for them.

Interested in becoming a dog trainer? Check out our dog trainer certification program.