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“Sit” is considered one of the basic obedience commands. There are, however, several schools of thought on teaching a pointing dog to
sit. Some trainers subscribe to the theory that sitting should NOT be taught at all, as it can lead to problems when teaching your
dog to “Whoa.” Another group of trainers believes the command should not be taught until after the pup has mastered the “Here” and
“Whoa” commands. Then there is the final group of trainers that teach “Sit” as one of the first commands because:
- it is an easy command to teach, easy for the pup to learn, and you can begin teaching this to your pup at an early age
- Sitting can be convenient if you're working on a dog's collar, inspecting eyes/nose/mouth/ears, pulling burrs from ears, etc.
- it can be done indoors
- it begins establishing your role as the alpha male, which aides in teaching other commands
- if your gun dog doubles as a family pet and lives indoors, sitting makes them more manageable.
The first step involves introducing the word “Sit.” I do this by simply watching the pup. As he unknowingly begins to sit -- as
puppies are prone to do -- I look at the pup and say “Sit.” Don’t expect him to associate the word with the action right away; you
are merely trying to expose him to the word. I do this as often as possible. Remember, as was stated in the crate training tip, one
of the keys to training is repetition. TIP: A good time to work on this exercise is when your puppy is eating. Most puppies will sit
at some point while eating. Plus, being with him while he's eating is a form of socialization (see socialization tip).
Step two in the process involves showing the puppy what behavior is expected when it hears the “Sit” command. As the puppy is
standing, place your hand on his hind quarters and gentle push down. Place your other hand under his chin, so he learns to keep his
head up when sitting. As you are pushing down say “Sit.” Hold the puppy in the sitting position for a few seconds, repeating the
command. Remember to keep your voice calm, and praise your puppy with a “good boy" or "good girl.” When you remove your hand from
his hind quarters, he will in all probability stand up on all fours, which is fine at this point. In a few seconds repeat the process.
Repeat this cycle six to eight times, and then stop for the day. Repeat the entire process for the next 5 to 6 days. Around day 3 in
the cycle, begin giving the command without applying pressure to the hind quarters. If no reaction, then keep applying pressure to
the hindquarters. Continue this adaptation of the process for the remainder of the 6 days.
Step three is the introduction of treats. Remember, the shortest route to a puppy’s head is through his stomach. I do not introduce
treats until he begins to sit, even occasionally, on his own. TIP: I like to use a dog biscuit or liver treat -- anything but his normal
dog food usually does the trick. In the beginning, I hold the treat in my left hand, saying “Sit,” and gently push his hind quarters
down with my right hind. As he begins to sit, I offer the treat to the puppy, repeating the sit command. Always hold the treat in
such a way that the puppy must raise his head to get it. This helps reinforce a head-high position when sitting. For the next several
days of training I keep the treats coming, but as the days pass the treats become fewer and fewer and are only given when he sits on
command. Trust me, it won’t take him long to figure out how to get a treat. After he begins regularly sitting on command, I then
begin reducing the frequency of the treats; going from every time, to every other time, to every third time, then eventually to none.
Remember, don’t expect too much too soon. Make sure he understands the expected behavior, use repetition in the training cycle, and
keep the praise and treats coming. They won’t disappoint you. Lastly, when teaching any command, limit training sessions to no more
than 10-15 minutes ... Any more than that and you are wasting your time and the puppy will loose interest.
the following:
Taylorsville, GA
info@Quailpointkennels.com
Chris Kahlan 770-378-2407
Greg Bayer 678-773-5667