Sit is It: When in Doubt - Sit

“Sit is It” teaches your dog that when in doubt, sit! A sitting dog is not a guest-assaulting, arm-mouthing, food-grabbing or crotch-sniffing dog. A sitting dog is a pretty good dog.

This is easy to teach, and if you practice a few minutes a day for about a week or so, you’ll have a dog who does this for the rest of his life (or be well on the way to having that dog).

Whenever you have something he wants or are about to do something he wants, have him “sit.” This includes but is not limited to:

• treats
• toys
• petting him
• opening a door
• putting down his food bowl
• inviting him up on the couch
• taking off his leash in the dog park

Absolutely any moment you have something your dog wants is a teachable moment. And, it is a moment that he will learn something in anyway. So is he learning that leaping and spinning gets him what he wants in this world or is he learning that listening to you gets him what he wants?

Using a tether is a great way to start teaching your dog that Sit is the way to get something good and that jumping causes what he wants to disappear.

• With your dog on a flat, non-tightening collar, tether him to something he can’t move
• Approach him calmly. If he sits, praise and pet calmly
• If he jumps or stands up, back away – out of reach.
• If he sits, step back to him – smile, praise and treat.
• If he needs help, lure him into a sit, then praise and pet him calmly
• Anytime he gets up, step back immediately
• Soon your dog will learn to automatically sit when someone approaches him or when he wants something.

Use the tether for greetings, for learning to sit for his meal, for leashing up for a walk, and many other situations where your dog wants something. This is also helpful for teaching your dog to sit when your children approach him without the kids being worried about being jumped on or bumped.

Homework:

Make a quick list of the top 10 things your dog loves. Here is the list Sarah's Pip might draw up::

• Chasing toys
• Getting fed
• Being allowed into her crate (yes, you read that right, Pip’s a quirky little dog)
• Getting into the car for a ride
• Having training equipment put on (she does a dance of joy when she sees the training tools come out – means special time with Sarah and inevitable fun)
• Playing tug
• Treats – all shapes, sizes and sorts. She is not a picky palate.
• Being invited up on the bed for a cuddle
• Being let off leash in the woods for a run
• Having her neck and head massaged

Take the few seconds to create a sit as often as you can.

Make it as “Red Light, Green Light” as possible, meaning, hold as still as possible, have your dog sit, then as soon as he sits SMILE, praise and deliver what he wants. By creating a significant contrast between before he sits and after he sits you make it very easy for him to recognize what you want.

Do NOT repeat —create it when he does not give it.

“Sit is It” is pretty easy, it works, and it will make your dog easier to live with. What could be better?

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By Sarah Wilson, author of the two handbooks of MySmartPuppy.com: My Smart Puppy (Kindle Version here) and Childproofing Your Dog (Kindle Version here)