One of the first obedience commands for the dogs you teach is training your dog to sit down and stay. This is an important command that you and your dog have to master. It will certainly define you as the dominant in the relationship between the owner and the dog and provide you with a solid foundation for subsequent training.
You can train your dog to sit down and stay about three months old. Some general points to remember at the beginning:
- Keep the workouts short, ten minutes is enough to get started.
- Make the training fun, do not make it a chore for you and your dog.
- The sessions should be full of praise and positive reinforcement (more on that later).
- Repeat, keep practicing until you click with your dog.
Train your dog to sit
The first step is to give your dog the feeling of being in control. There are three training techniques that I use depending on my age and temperament in my dogs.
1. For young puppies I like this method. If you see your puppy sitting down or sitting down, just say "sit down" in a steady tone. When your puppy is sitting to congratulate him. In the eyes of his dogs, this technique creates an association with his verbal command "sit down" and the act of sitting down. Most puppies make this connection very fast.
2. In puppies or older dogs, this method still works. Take a treat with your dog in front of you, run it through your nose and then drive over your head. Keep the treatment a few inches above your dog while doing this exercise. So your puppy can follow the treatment with the nose and at the same time lay the back on the ground. You must say the "sit down" command when your dog is sitting. Rent and reward your dog as soon as he feels it. After a while you only need the oral instruction, not the treatment.
3. For this next technique, which is best for larger dog breeds, you will need a collar and a leash. Imagine the same way next to your dog. Hold the strap directly over the collar of your dog. Simultaneously press your dogs and say "sit down." Reward your dog and congratulate him as soon as he feels. In a short time, you can stop pushing it, and then you can not hold the belt. All your dog needs is his verbal command to sit down.
The "Stay" part of Sit and Stay is our next step. Since we've already trained our dog to take command, I prefer to use a "loose" or "missing" command instead of "stay". Because when I tell my dog how he feels, I really want to sit and stay until I tell him to do something else. The release command I'm using is "ready".
The process is like this. Tell your dog to sit down, he will sit down and then interrupt or release this order to sit down and say "done". You must first enter your dog's name and then the release order to get closer to your dog. If you come to praise and reward him. After a while you just have to use the unlock command, your dog will understand that he is free to leave. If your dog breaks the seat command before giving the release command, say "No!" and put it back in a sitting position and start over.
Over time, you can increase the time and distance between feeling your dog and releasing it. You can add distractions or practice in different places. If your dog retains its seating position, even if a cat passes by, you know you're ready to take more advanced obedience training commands. If you understand and apply these methods, you must achieve the desired result. It may take a bit of patience and repetition, but you will succeed.
References:
https://www.freedogtrainingclasses.com/learn-how-to-train-your-dog-to-sit-and-stay/
https://getfreedogtraining.com/useful-dog-obedience-training-tips/
