Teaching your dog to sit down when ordered is one of the simplest behaviors you can teach him and this is usually the first order of basic dressage. Whether your dog sits can be helpful in many situations, but dressage also serves to establish roles within your relationship with him. Once he has learned to sit down on command, you will have his attention and you will be able to train him more. Some methods work best on puppies, while others work best for less energetic adult dogs.
Create an enabling environment for dressage
1.Take your time. Dogs, especially puppies, have a limited duration of concentration and are easily distracted. Keep this in mind as you prepare yours and know that you will have to go slowly at first. Offer him breaks so he can completely concentrate on the dressage sessions.
2. Create an appropriate environment. The environment in which you erect it must be a place where it feels comfortable and offers little distraction.
- An indoor room can be ideal: you will have more control over the level of activity of your dog and you will be able to confine it to better concentrate its attention.
- Make sure to inform other people who are in the house that you are in the middle of dressage so they avoid distracting the dog and interfere with the dressage session.
3. Avoid doing it outdoors. The outside training sessions give much less control and offer far too many distractions. This also limits your ability to confine your dog, which will make it less concentrated.
- If you have no choice, you will need a secure place to prevent it from escaping or you will need to use a leash to control it. This can greatly limit the effectiveness of dressage techniques and can complicate things.
4. Observe your dog’s mood. If he begins the session by giving you attention, responding to your orders and participating in the dressage, then he begins to be distracted, take a break. Maybe it’s turned upside down. You may need to find a less distracting environment or shorten the dressage sessions early. For example, start with 5 minutes instead of 10 minutes.
Using the Reward Method
1.Get yourself a whole bunch of little treats. You will give a lot to your dog while training, so you should choose very small ones. You can also use healthy human foods that are suitable for dogs, such as apples, carrots, green beans or chicken. [3] If your dog is overweight, you should find treats reduced calorie or reduced.
- Always check that human foods are safe for dogs. There are many that are dangerous for them: fresh and dried grapes, chocolate, onions, avocado, and so on.
2. Get his attention. When you teach him to behave well, the first step is to capture all his attention. It will be easier if you put yourself directly in front of him so that he is completely focused on you and he can see and hear you clearly.
3. Show him a treat. Keep it by hand so that he knows you have it, but also so that he can not get it from you. He will wonder how to get it for you. At this point, you should have all of his attention.
4. Put the snack under her nose, then move it to the back of her head. Keep the treats very close to her nose, then slowly lift her over her head. He will follow the treat of the eyes and his nose, looking up while automatically placing his behind ashore.
- You must keep the treat near his head so that he does not try to jump to catch it. Keep it close enough to the surface on which it will sit.
- If the back of your dog does not come into contact with the ground completely, you can help him by gently taking him to the sitting position, keeping the snack in the same position.
- If your dog tries to retreat to follow the treat rather than raise his head and sit down, try the method of indulgence inside a corner to begin. This will reduce its ability to roll back and facilitate the session.
5. Say “sit” when he sits down and reward him with a treat. When his back comes into contact with the floor, say “seated” in a firm voice, then immediately offer him the treat to reward him for sitting down.
- Try to talk as little as possible. If he does not sit right away, do not say “no, sit” and do not give any other orders. If you limit your words to an order and encouragement, the word that serves as an order will appear more clearly to your dog.
6.Praise him for his behavior. Strengthen the reward with encouragement: rub his head and use words like “good dog.” This reinforces the fact that he did something you liked. Do this every time he sits down during a dressage session.
7.Release it from the sitting position. You can do this by using an order as “go” while taking a step back and encouraging it to come towards you.
8. Repeat the exercise for 10 minutes. After a while, he will probably be bored, so take a break and start another time. Try to do 2-3 short sessions everyday. This should take 1 to 2 weeks of intensive sessions so he understands.
9. Sew it from the treats. At first, when you train your dog with the reward method, give him a treat every time he sits down. Be sure to always congratulate him with enthusiasm. After a week or two, when he sits down reliably, give him a treat from time to time while continuing to congratulate him. You will try (slowly) to make it sit with a signal of your hand and the order “seated”, without candy, then only with the order “seated”.
Guide it physically
1. Use this method with turbulent dogs. It is used to have a better control on the dog with which one works and it is better adapted to the very active dogs.
- When working with disobedient dogs, the trick is to control them with a leash and a harness and reinforce positive behavior. Negative attitudes during training should be ignored: if you respond, you reinforce them.
2. Put a leash on your dog. You will need his attention and stay in his place during the session. Using a leash will help you accomplish all this and keep it close to you. If you really do not want to work with a leash, you can still use this method as long as it stays with you.
- Keep the leash tight so that your dog is close to you, but not tight to the point of making it uncomfortable.
- You may need to try different types of harness or collar to find what suits your dog. A harness that attaches to your dog’s chest rather than to his back offers more control over his movements.
3. Stand close to him and encourage him to sit down. You will help him to bend down in a sitting position by gently pressing the area just above his hind legs. He may be a little disoriented at first, but he will eventually understand and sit down.
- Do not force him to sit down. Pushing it too hard can frighten or hurt it.
- Never hit him and never spank him. You will teach him nothing in this way: you will only teach him to be afraid of you.
- If he challenges you and he refuses to sit down, try walking him a bit with the leash to “reset” the session, then try to bend it down again.
4. Say “sitting” when his behind touches the ground. Keep your hand in the same place for about 30 seconds so that it associates the sitting position with your order.
5. Repeat. You have to repeat the process several times by rewarding it and congratulating it on every successful test. Continue to guide him to the sitting position with your hand as long as necessary until he learns to sit only at the sound of your voice.
6. Change the environment. If it resists all the time, you should move it to a different surface that may be more comfortable for it. You can also try to take breaks and try later after leaving her a little rest.
7. Be persistent. With a particularly energetic dog, this may require weeks of training before he understands the order to sit. To help calm him down, do not forget to remain calm and speak in a peaceful voice. You can also try to schedule your training sessions at a time when there are few distractions and after your dog has spent a lot of energy hoping that it is less restless.
8.Try to have him sit down without help. Once he sits down regularly with your help, it will be time to try it out. Your dog always on a leash, try to say “sit” when standing without using your hand. At first, keep rewarding him whenever he sits on command, while gradually trying to make him sit down without tidbits. [15]
Praise your dog for its natural behavior
1. Use this method with older and quieter dogs. This method will probably be less effective with a puppy, but it works well with older dogs that are relatively calm.
2.Sit in a comfortable place with your dog. It is better to begin to train him in the house without distractions. Work in a small room, but still allow your dog to move freely.
- Do not forget that it is a time reserved for dressage and that observing it is not enough. You should stay calm and not try to alter the natural behavior of your dog.
3.Observe it until it sits. Do not do anything to make him sit, but let him move freely until he sits alone.
4. Say “sit down!” “And congratulate him immediately. Make sure to say “sit” and give him the reward at the same time his behind touches the ground. Speak clearly and tone. Reward him by caressing his head and saying, “good dog!” Or by giving her a little treat.
- Avoid yelling at him with a strict voice. Dogs do not respond well to negative reinforcement.
5 Repeat the exercise as often as possible. For your dog to learn to associate the act of sitting with the word “sitting”, you will have to train often. Try to stay close to him for half an hour / hour using the above technique to train him every time he sits.
6 Tell him to sit when he is standing. Once you have successfully taught him to understand what the word “sit” means, try to sit it down when you ask him to do so. When he obeys, reward him immediately. Keep practicing until he is able to sit down on command, without tidbits.
Advice
- This is not one thing that all dogs understand immediately. You will have to train every day until he learns and for several days to remember.
- Praise him every time he obeys.
- If he does not understand, do not force him. Stop before you frustrate each other and try again tomorrow.
- Love your dog and be patient. You will have to do it full of times before it understands.
- From time to time, let another member of the household try to get him to sit down
