There are many ways plastered across the internet and also carried out in training classes which tell people how to master the ‘sit’ with their dog.

However, whilst some are perfectly adequate, others are not (ie, pushing your dog and holding him in the position). So, I am going to post a way to train the ‘sit’ using positive reinforcement.

Training Aids:

Clicker
Treats or pups favourite extra-special training toy

First you need to get the dog used to the clicker. To do this, simply click the clicker and then reward the dog with a treat. Repeat this and eventually you will notice that the dog will begin to look for the treat (or whatever reward you are using) after hearing the click.

Once you have reinforced what the click means (ie doggy learns that click = something good going to happen), you will be able to move on to training actions that you want the dog to carry out.

Ok, so to start with the ‘sit’:

Stand infront of your dog (hopefully you have his attention from all that click and treating!) and raise your arm out above his head.

As his head lifts to follow your hand, his bum should sit on the ground – as soon as this happens, click and then treat.

Obviously some dogs might not follow just your hand so you can lure them with a tasty treat or tennis ball / toy and so on.

Repeat this WITHOUT saying ‘sit’ for at least ten repetitions (and more until you are confident that the dog has understood what it is he is doing that is resulting in the click / treat).

You can then begin to add in the cue ‘sit’ as you raise your arm. Continue with repetitions and the dog will learn to associate the ‘sound’ you are making with the action and carry out the appropriate response – in this case, the ‘sit’.

Eventually you will be able to remove the clicker and use just the cue word to get a response from your dog.

However, don’t try too much too soon. You need to reinforce the behaviour properly before adding the cue and afterwards – continue to reinforce!!

Clicker training is brilliant for both you and the dog – your dog will most likely begin offering behaviours that he thinks will elicit the click as you progress through your training and it can be a source of great fun to see what your dog tries to do and how clever they can be!

Clickers are inexpensive and a great training aid that can be picked up from most good pet shops or online.

For further help with clicker training, please see Karen Pryor’s Clicker Training For Dogs.

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