Maggie knows the sit command really good!
My Lady says there are some basic things all puppies should know. Teaching your dog to sit is just one of ’em. Round here, my Lady talks to us all the time and we learn a lot just from that. We have gotten to where we can understand what she’s sayin’! Then her and my Man tried to get slick on us and start spellin’ things out. Well, we just up and learned how to spell too! Yep! They can spell it out all day long if they want to, but when we hear T-R-E-A-T, we know what that is! They ain’t foolin’ us none!
But, back to what I was talkin’ about. I wanted to go through a few of the basic behavior commands that you can teach your new best friend. Today, we are gonna start with the easiest – teaching your dog to sit .
5 Easy Steps to Teaching Your Dog to Sit
- Gather a few tasty treats and find a quite area in the house to start your trainin’. If your furbaby is very hyper, you may want a short leash to help keep him with you and make him focus.
- Put a treat in your hand and let your puppy see it. Close your hand. Now, at this point my Lady uses hand signals too. So when she closes her hand, she points her thumb up. Then move your hand towards your puppy’s nose and backwards over his head. This will cause him to automatically go into a sitting position. Say the word “sit”. Keep your hand close to the puppy. If you hold your hand to high, it will cause the puppy to jump for it rather than sit.
- As soon as your puppy’s rump hit the floor, praise him and give the treat! Repeat the exercise several times, but do not overtire the puppy. Short intervals of 10-15 minutes are usually about right dependin’ on the age of the dog. Younger dogs won’t have a long attention span. Do this same thing for a few days or a week.
- Stick with this one command until he has mastered it. Too many new things at once will only confuse him. Once he has gotten this part down, you can try it without the treat. Try alternatin’ with and without the treat. After he has learned the command well, you can try it outside and in other areas.
- ALWAYS end the training session on a positive note! You want your furbaby to look forward to the his trainin’ sessions.
Usin’ a hand signal and a voice command, gives them a verbal and visual command. Your furbaby will learn quicker this way. My sisters, brother, and I can even do it by just watchin’ my Lady’s hand signals now. She don’t even have to say it! When we see her hand and her thumb pointed up, we know we are suppose to sit!
Even Little Girl Mary (the stray dog) has learned to sit on command!
By keeping a positive attitude, and a lot of patience, they will get the hang of it. IMPORTANT! Never hit or spank your dog for doing it wrong or not doing it at all! This will only send a bad message. Your pet loves you and only wants to make you happy. You want them to do it because of their love for you, not out of fear! It may take several trainin’ sessions. Believe me! But, if this redneck girl can do it, your furbaby will catch on too!
Oh, and one more thing! Puppies can start learnin’ at about 8-12 weeks. At this age, they are like a sponge takin’ in every thing. BUT, remember their attention span will be VERY short! So, only a few minutes at a time! Give ’em lots of love and they will do their best to make you happy!
Y’all stay tuned for the next trainin’ lesson on teachin’ your dog to lay down! Comin’ soon!