Obedience Training 101: Three Ways to Teach Your Dog to Sit

Part 3: For Calm, Low Energy Dogs Teaching your pooch to sit on command is one of the cornerstones of any obedience regimen. There are traditionally three different ways to teach your dog this important command, each tailored to different canine personalities. Today, we will go over the method most effective for older dogs or calm dogs with relatively low energy. Before beginning any of these methods, keep these three quick guidelines in mind:

1. Be indoors. Teaching your dog anything outside is difficult – there are too many distractions.
2. Limit your speech. The only word your dog should hear during training is “sit” and the release word. Using too many words will confuse her.
3. Stay focused. If your pooch starts to look listless or distracted, take a break and try again later. Five to ten minute training sessions are ideal.

[block id="content-best-product-links"] Step By Step Guide:   This method is designed to keep the focus and attention of dogs that are rather young, have exceptionally high energy, or are generally easily distracted. Part 1 of this series discussed a common method used to train a broad range of dogs, and part 2 addressed a method for active, high energy dogs.  

1. This method requires positive reinforcement – if your dog appreciates attention, praise should suffice. But if your dog needs extra incentive, prepare a collection of small treats as well.
2. Bring your dog into a small room or clear area and observe her, there is no need to constrain her or inhibit her movement.
3. Watch her until she sits on her own. As soon as her rear end touches the ground, say “sit” clearly and firmly, and then offer her a reward.
4. Try staying close to her for between ten and thirty minutes, allowing her to behave naturally and doing nothing to inhibit her movement.
5. Every time she sits on her own, repeat the word “sit” clearly and firmly, and then reward her.
6. Note that this method may require more of your time than either of the other two methods, but this is often the easiest way to teach older dogs with more established behaviors to sit.

Using these simple steps, your dog should learn to sit on command. Be aware that this may take several weeks of consistent training.