Basic Commands

Sit on command

In Chapter 10, you introduced “Sit” as a basic handling and grooming position by placing your dog into a sitting position with your hands. Now you’re going to teach him to sit when you tell him to.

Your dog will learn to “Sit” before he gets his biscuit.

Think of it as his way of saying please.

! Your dog gives you something (a polite sit).

! Your dog gets something in return (a biscuit).

Here’s how to teach “Sit”

1. With your dog standing (or dancing around!) in front of you, hold the biscuit so that it gets his attention.

2. When he’s looking at the biscuit, say “Sit.” Say it only once.

Say it crisply. Pronounce that “t” at the end: “siTT.” Your voice shouldn’t go UP at the end – in other words, don’t say “Sit?” as though you’re begging him.

3. Move the treat away from your body and up to a level just above your dog’s head. Because he has to bend his neck back to see the biscuit when it moves over his head, and because his neck can’t bend very far while he’s in a standing position, he may automatically drop his hindquarters into a sitting position.

Don’t hold the biscuit too high or else he’ll jump for it!

If the movement of the biscuit doesn’t encourage him to drop into a sit on his own, use your hands to place him into a sit.

You already know how to do this from your grooming practice, but let’s review:

One method is Pull Up and Push Down. With your right hand, pull up on his collar. With your left palm, push down on his hindquarters (just behind his two hipbones, or at the base of his tail). Be sure you’re not pushing on his back – his spine and vertebrae are too sensitive for heavy pressure.

Another method is The Fold. Place your right palm on his chest. Place your left hand (if he’s small) or your left forearm (if he’s larger) across his rump (below his tail and above his knees). In one smooth motion, push his chest toward his rump, while tucking his back knees forward to fold him into a sit over your hand or forearm.

4. However you accomplish it, the moment your dog is sitting, tell him “GOOD sit.” This is one time when you should keep your praise quiet and calm. If you praise too enthusiastically, he will get excited and start jumping around.

5. Take your hands off him.

If he holds his sit for even a couple of seconds, give him the treat.

If he doesn’t hold the sit, don’t give him the treat. Use your hands to replace him in the sitting position. If he gets up again, reposition him again, but be firmer. If he

continues to stand up, use one hand to hold him in position.

In the beginning, you want him to succeed, even if he needs help. After a couple of seconds holding him in position, give him the treat.

6. When you give him the treat, raise your voice into a cheerful

“Okay!” This is the same release word (Word #12) you used to let him out of his crate. “Okay!” means that he no longer needs to hold his sitting position. At first you may have to encourage

him to move, but he’ll quickly learn what “Okay” means. In fact, it will become one of his favorite words!

7. Pick up a second biscuit and repeat the exercise. Then repeat one more time, for a total of three times. And that’s enough for one session.

For training ANY word, three to five times is always enough repetition. Don’t bore your dog.

Within a few days, your dog should catch on and begin sitting when you say “Sit” – or at the very least, he should begin holding the sit once you guide him into it with your hands.

If after a few days he’s still not getting it, you’ll need to become more insistent. Use a sharper tug on his collar and a firmer push on his hindquarters. You want to send the message that he would be much more comfortable if he sat himself rather than waiting for your “guidance”!

If he is sitting properly on command, but he keeps breaking the sitting position before you tell him “Okay”, start saying, “Ah-ah” AS he breaks position.

Timing is very important here – he must hear the “Ah-ah” AS he is getting up, so that he’ll associate the corrective word with the action of breaking the sit.

Also, when you replace him in the sitting position after he has broken it, be firmer with your hands and voice. Again, the message should be that you’re not going to keep helping him forever – that he needs to start doing it right or face a

correction.

In other words, you’re switching from gentle guidance to firmer correction.

Lie down

WORD #28: “LIE DOWN” (or “DOWN”)

“Down” means your dog should lie down. Try to use “Down” only for that specific purpose – to tell your dog to assume a lying down position.

I don’t recommend using “Down” to mean “Get off the

furniture” or “Stop jumping on people.” “Off” is a better word in those cases. (We’ll learn “Off” later in this chapter.) For jumping on people, you can also use “No” or “Stop that”

reinforced with a physical back-up, just as with any other unacceptable behavior.