How to Teach a Labrador to Sit

If you want to train your Labrador to sit, all you need is a little time, a lot of patience and some consistency. Just about any dog can learn this trick--even yours. Once he does, you'll be amazed how quickly your dog learns more advanced behaviors. You'll also find it's a great way to bond with your canine and bring the two of you closer together. Read on to learn how to teach a Labrador to sit.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Leash
• Treats

1. Begin training in a quiet place where there are no distractions, like a room in your home or your backyard. Don't expect to take your lab to a dog park and then get his undivided attention with so much activity going on around him.

2. Put your dog on a leash so that you can control him while you train him. With the right body language and a gentle tug here and there, you can eventually convince your dog to follow your lead.

3. Stand in front of your dog and wave a small treat past his nose to ensure he knows you have a treat.

4. Raise the treat over your dog's head and move it toward his back while giving him the command to "Sit." His head will naturally follow the treat, and he may automatically sit. If not, gently push on his back end so he gets the idea.

5. Repeat the previous step until he sits. Then reward him with the treat and praise him for what a great job he did.

6. Continue the process several times until your dog has learned the behavior. You can then eliminate the treats, but don't forget to praise him when he sits on command.

Tips & Warnings

• When training dogs, the key to success is consistency. They learn by repetition, so it's important that you always talk, walk and react the same way.
• Dogs love to please, so it's important to continually praise them for good behavior. Positive reinforcement will not only help you get the behavior you want out of your dog but will make them feel good about it as well.
• Puppies tend to get annoyed easily, so when starting out it's best to train them for only a few minutes at a time.