Train for the Sit, Stay, commands, it's easy and FUN!!

Training can be fun and beneficial to your puppy or your adult dog!! Remember most dogs are bred to work with humans, so it is inherent in their personality to please their owners and work with you. Training your dog is a great way to bond and know that you have a well behaved pet.

Sit & Stay  are the two most common commands to teach your dog. Why train them to sit and stay? Because you NEED to be the pack leader and these two commands will let your dog know you are in control.

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The goal is for your dog to be able to Sit/Stay for a few minutes even in the presence of other people or dogs. Here are some quick pointers.

You will need a clicker and some training treats. Keep the treats in very small bite sized pieces since you will be giving a lot of them in the early training period and don't want to over treat and make your pup get a tummy ache. So SMALL kibble sized treats only!

  1. While your dog is standing entice him to move his head up and slightly backward with a food lure.
  2. As his bottom touches the floor, click and treat.
  3. Continue repeating this until your dog understands that when your hand is over his head you want him to Sit.
  4. Now try it without the lure. When his bottom touches the ground, click and treat.
  5. Put the treat on a table a distance away from where you are working with your dog. When his bottom touches the ground, click and run over to the table with your dog to give him a treat.
  6. Practice the above with distractions or in a different location. Be patient you might have to go all the way back to step one.
  7. Bring new variables into the practice session, such as: people greeting in a park, on the street, at the front door, in a store, with children or other dogs.
  8. The duration training should take place in a distraction free environment. After you have build up the time your dog will stay in the Sit/Stay position for at least thirty to forty seconds you are ready to practice in a real life situation. To increase the amount of time your dog will Stay, gradually add seconds in between the time you give the command and when you click and treat.

While at practice without distractions you might be able to get your dog to give you more than thirty seconds it would be unfair to expect him to perform the same in a real life situation. So act quickly to praise your dog for what he does right, prevent the bad behavior and set your dog up to succeed.