Dog Training - The Sit Command
Probably on of the most important commands your dog needs to learn is the 'sit'. Beyond the basic need to establish that the human of the pair is the alpha (leader), it has a number of practical benefits.
When a dog sits he's more focused on you, making it easier to follow further commands. His eyes will be looking at you, the alpha.
As important as what the dog is doing, is what he is not. In a sit, he's more or less stationary if you don't include the wagging tails, after all. That means he's not chasing cats, knocking over the furniture, running round the garden or chasing his tail.
When you get to this stage depends on breed, individual temprement and training style. Fortunately, almost every dog can be trained in this basic move after only a short time.
The best first step is to observe your dog's behaviour to catch him in the middle of doing a spontaneous sit. At this point say 'sit' and gesture. That way a dog associates the behaviour with the command. To begin with always associate a unique hand signal and tone with the command. Praise the dog lavishly. Don't rush in with food treats. Save these bribes until you really need them.
At first the dog will have no idea why you're so happy. But he'll be happy that your happy. With repetition comes understanding and eventually he'll realise that it's what he's doing that's making you happy and dogs love to please.
At some point you'll want to initiate a sit, so stand and face the dog then issue the command, then wait for the desired response. Some dogs will get it after the first couple of tries, others will take ten or more tries before you get the response you want. Some dogs, however, won't get it without further prompting. Now's the time to use other techniques.
With a treat or a favourite toy, face the dog and place it above his head and slightly behind the forehead, where it's still just visible to him. The dog will tend to look up and stretch its chin slightly backward. Once you have his attention move the treat slowly back toward the tail.
Some dogs will respond by shuffling backwards. If this happens, try the technique near a sofa or a fence where he has nowhere to go. When the dog starts to sit, give the command and hand signal. When a sit is achieved praise lavishly and give the reward.
Voice commands aren't the only sound that will work. Many trainers now use a 'clicker' - a small plastic and metal device that makes a 'click-clack' sound when pressed and released. It's advantage over voice commands is that it's consistant and dogs can distinguish the sound over surprisingly long distances even amidst moderate background noise.
As a last resort, for the stubborn or dog that's on the slow side, give the command and at the same time push gently on the back near the tail as you lift his chin. Remember to praise and reward, even though you had to 'force' the sit. Be careful and take care with young hips - don't force a completely uncooperative dog this way.
Repetition, consistency (reward only for the proper action), and enthusiasm will quickly lead to learning the 'sit'. Don't be harsh, but don't give up easily either if the training doesn't go a smoothly as you'd hoped.