Teaching your dog the “sit” command is one of the best ways to have a well trained dog. Training your dog is an excellent way to develop a bond with your pet, which benefits both the dog and the owner.

Teaching your dog the “sit” command is not difficult, so if you’ve been putting it off now is a great time to get started on the training.

Use some of these tips to teach your dog to sit:

You will need either some treats or their favorite toy; this is the best way to get a dog to do something you want because they enjoy the reward!

The main goal is to get your dog to recognize the sit command and then perform the action when you use the word. One way you can gradually get your dog used to the word is by saying the word when the dog is sitting anyway. When your dog sits down – you say “sit” and praise them.

You will also need to practice this every day by doing the following:

- Call your dog and offer them the treat. Let them sniff the treat and get excited first!

- Slowly move the treat until it’s over the dogs head. The dog will naturally move into the sitting position. If they don’t automatically sit down, you can gently push their rear end to show them what you want them to do.

- It’s important that the dog associates the activity of sitting with the treat, the praise and the action of sitting. Try to get your timing right.

- Keep enthusiastically praising the dog when they perform the command. Positive reinforcement is the best way for your pet to learn.

- Repeat this exercise a few times a day. Don’t overdo it – you want your pet to think of it as fun.

- Try to practice around mealtimes when your dog is hungry; this will make him keener for the treats.

- Have the treats easily accessible, don’t fumble around – the treat needs to happen as the dog is sitting.

- End each training session on a positive note.

Teaching your dog to sit using these positive reinforcement techniques will strengthen the bond between you and your pet. Consider it time well spent.

Make use of every new situation to train or put your training into practice. The most important part about learning how to sit – is that the dog sits under a variety of conditions such as around other dogs, when someone comes to your door, while your walking in the park, etc.

Once you have finished teaching your dog the “sit” command, you can also use these same training principles for other basic commands. Training your dog is an ongoing process but will be worth the effort because you will have a well behaved dog and friend for life.