at Take Care of Your Dog.com

"Heads Up....Tails Down."

Teaching your puppy to sit.

The next four lessons are where the multi-tasking I mentioned will begin. Many people teach their puppies to sit right away.... it is an easy, fun, and cute first trick to teach.... and if you have done this already, it is fine. I like to teach "sit'" with the "heeling" command because they are used together most of the time. When you are walking with your dog in the heel position, and you stop for some reason, your dog should stop also and immediately sit without being told. So if you have been working with your dog on "heeling" all last week, he should be making some progress. We are now going to incorporate "sit" with "heeling".

Training your dog to sit is one of the easiest commands. Start with your dog on a leash and in the "heel" position. Start walking forward for a ways, and then stop. Say your dog's name to get his attention, and then use your right hand to pull upward on the leash while at the same time using your left hand to gently push down on his behind. As you do this, in a clear voice say "sit". Pulling up on the leash and pushing down on his behind pretty much gives him no choice except to sit, but some dogs will struggle a little not knowing exactly what is going on.

If your dog does struggle some, just get him back in position and try it again. He will understand after a few tries. As soon as he sits all the way down, give him a treat and some praise.

Use the "heel" command again and start walking. Stop periodically and give the "sit" command while pulling up the leash and pushing down his behind. After a few times if your dog is starting to sit easier, when you stop, try just pulling up on the leash, and saying "sit". Only give the treats and praises when he sits.

Don't be concerned if this takes a few days. Different dogs learn at different paces. Gradually stop using the "sit" command when you stop, and just pull up on the leash. If your dog sits well with this, give him a treat and praise him. Then, after a bit, just stop, and see if he sits..... give him about ten seconds to respond. If he sits when you stop without the command or pulling up on the leash, give him treats and great praise. This is the goal we are aiming for. If your dog doesn't sit right away, just pull up on the leash to remind him to sit. It may take a little while for him to grasp exactly what you are wanting, but he will get it..... just have patience and give him time. Be consistent. This is now the rule while "heeling"..... when you stop, your dog stops and "sits"..... no questions ask.

After I have a dog working well on leash, "heeling", and always "sitting" on his own when I stop, I cut down significantly on the treats and use more praise for jobs well done. My rule of thumb here is three treats for a good thirty minute to one hour walk. I give one at the beginning when I call the dog and he comes to me, one about half way through the walk, and one at the end. Petting and praise from you is usually more rewarding to a healthy, well fed dog than the treats.

Later on when the "heeling" and "sitting" is pretty well under your dog's belt, then you can use the "sit" command for other times. I keep special treats, like doggie biscuits, vitamins, and other little tid bits in a tin can on top of my refrigerator, and I call them "cookies" to my dog, Katy. For a "cookie", Katy knows she has to sit. I rattle the can and say "What does a good dog do for a cookie?" She immediately sits down in front of me wagging her tail. The more you work with your dog, the more little tricks you can teach them to amaze and entertain your friends. They will think you have the smartest dog ever....... and you know what..... YOU DO !!!!!!!

Another good reason to teach your dog the "sit" command, is if you have a dog that is a little hyper and jumps up on you and other people when he is excited. My Katy had this problem for a long time, and I was having a hard time breaking her from it. She only did it when she first saw me after I had been gone for a little while, or when there was someone new here.

If your dog does this, especially if he is a larger type dog, it can be quite a problem. Most dogs learn early and quickly not to jump up on you with just a "no" and using your knee to push them back. Others, like Katy, get excited and are a little harder to teach. If this is the case, the "sit" command comes in very handy. When your dog starts jumping on you, don't say "no", just turn your back for a few seconds to let him know you are not paying attention to him, then turn around to face him and say his name and the command "sit". If he sits, give him a treat and praise.... if he doesn't, turn your back again for a few seconds and then turn back around and repeat the "sit" command. Do this each time your dog tries to jump up on you and he should soon start to sit when he sees you instead of jumping up. Katy is now one year old. She is a Pit Bull dog and weighs about seventy pounds. She still gets excited, but does not jump up on me or our guest anymore. She is wiggling all over, but now sits down instead.

Just three more weeks gang !!!! I hope your dogs are doing well, showing some good obedience skills, and you are having as much fun as I am. This is actually the first time I have done these lessons totally by correspondence, without live demonstrations. I have enjoyed it very much, and hope I have been able to clearly and effectively express in words the concepts of each lesson.

TakeCareOfYourDog.com. has some beautiful stories and poems here for you to read, so take your shoes off and stay awhile. Say hello to Jeanette, our web site host, and share one of your dog stories with us. We would love to hear from you.

Until next time, Have a Glorious Day..... and remember, pet therapy is wonderful stress relief ... and its free, so spend some extra time with your dog today and get DE-stressed !!!!!!!!

Rhonda Erickson _easttxnurse320@aol.com_ (mailto:easttxnurse320@aol.com)