The “sit” command is not only one of the easiest and most enjoyable commands to begin teaching your pet but is essential for the safety of your puppy. This command saves dog’s lives everyday by preventing them from hurling themselves obliviously into traffic and certain death. Teaching the command is fun way for you and your new dog to get to know each other; please be sure to do it well.

There are two basic methods to reliably teach your dog to sit. If you have a puppy, start training at around 8 weeks. Be sure to set a training schedule and stick to it as well as you can. Always do your training routines the same, and be prepared to repeat the same routine again and again with patience and firm gentleness until your dog begins to understand. And, of course, give lots of praise followed by an occasional treat to reward proper behavior.When running your dog through training routines, try to keep everything the same and predictable. This is important to dogs as it makes them feel safe and secure. Again, never lose patience and be willing to repeat as many times as necessary until your dog catches on.Method 1First, get the dog’s attention by saying its name and showing it a treat. Hold the treat in front of your pet and just above the dog’s nose. Slowly move the treat up and over its head. You will actually be moving it backward over its head. Your dog will try to keep its eye on the treat and in doing so will drop his hind end on the floor in a “sit” position. As the dog sits, say “sit.” And then give the dog a tiny piece of the treat.It goes without saying that you will need to repeat often in order for your dog to “get it.” I suggest working in 10 minute units of time. Later, as your dog gets more training experience, you may want to increase this to 15 minutes, though I wouldn’t recommend going beyond 15 minute training sessions for this single command. As your puppy begins to catch on, you will be able to gradually replace treats with praise. Generally speaking, you do not want your dog’s obedience to be treat dependent. Expect to take approximately 2 weeks in order for your dog to start reliably obeying the command.Method 2This method is similar, but you will need to position your dog on your left, and you may want to have it on a leash. Here, you hold a treat in front of your dog, say “sit,” and then gently press down on its hind quarters. When the dog sits, give it praise and a tiny piece of the treat. If you have your puppy leashed, then a gentle tug up on the leash accompanied by gentle push on the dog’s rear will also cause it to sit. Be sure to give the “sit” command and reward with praise and a treat.