If your dog is motivated by food, it makes it much easier to get the repetitive motions necessary for muscle memory. Never forget that the dog follows it's nose- this means that where your food is, the dog is.
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| If the lure is too high the dog will rise up to meet your hand. |
To clarify, a common problem is a dog jumping up when the handler is asking for a sit. Look carefully at where the hand is. If the hand is holding the treat too high, the dog thinks it should hop up and get higher to get the reward.
If the dog is too far away from you, check to see how far away your hand is from your body. If you see you are extending it out to the dog, you are working too hard! Bring your hand closer to your body, this brings the dog closer to you.
The lure needs to be almost directly above smaller dog's heads to get the head facing straight up. When the nose goes straight up perpendicular to the floor, the bottom has to lower to accommodate the position. The label "Sit" needs to be stated clearly, one time, when the dog is IN THE CORRECT POSITION. After you have labeled and fed a treat for the position, move a few paces in any direction to begin again.
You will need to repeat this exercise several times before you begin asking your dog to do it on command. As tempting as it may be, do not verbally encourage your dog to perform. If too many words are used, the dog will not associate the correct word with the command.
The reward needs to be given in a timely fashion, along with plenty of verbal praise! Keep your practice sessions short and sweet, and always end on a good note.
Happy training!
*More training tips will be available through our new website soon at www.pawsthenplay.com
I have trained my new Chihuahua puppy to sit! Thanks for the tips!
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