Things You'll Need:
- treats (dog specific, or "human food" like cheese, deli meat, cooked scraps)
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Step 1
Don't train your puppy when he's in a very hyper mood or very sleepy. The best time is after some exercise and before a meal.
Set aside about 2-5 minutes. A young dog won't have the attention span for much longer, but you can do this several times a day. -
Step 2
get yourself a zip-loc baggie with some training treats. If you are using human food like meat or cheese, or larger doggie treats like pup-o-roni, tear them into very small pieces. It doesn't take much to motivate a dog! Try filling the bag with a mix of treats, and even some kibble. The kibble will pick up flavor and scents from the other treats. This baggie of treats should see you through several training sessions, just stash in the fridge after every session.
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Step 3
Take just one or two pieces out of the baggie, and put the bag out of sight (in a pocket, or on a table.) Keep one treat in your palm and grasp the other between thumb and forefinger. Show the puppy the treat, and let him sniff, but don't give him a chance to take from your hands.
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Step 4
Keep the treat right at your puppy's nose so he can see and smell it. In a sweeping motion move the treat above his head. The dog will naturally sit as he lowers his body to get his nose closer to the treat. As soon as he does say "Sit!" and give him the treat and lots of praise.
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Step 5
If you want to teach your dog hand signals as well, simply give the hand signal as he sits and you say "Sit!" The hand sign for "sit" is to put your outstretched hand in front of the dog with palm up and then lifting your hand and forearm. Make the motion more exaggerated in the beginning, so he can easily recognize the sign.
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Step 6
Do this several times with your pup using the treat and saying (and/or signing) "Sit." Once the pup is getting the hang of it, try simply showing him the treat and giving the command (without using the trick of moving the treat.)
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Step 7
In your next training session, try starting out with just the commands (still using a treat that the puppy can see as his reward). If he doesn't respond immediately, try using the trick of moving the treat, but just once or twice.
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Step 8
Once you know your puppy knows your commands, ask him to sit two or three times before receiving his treat. Reward him every time with praise and a big smile.
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Step 9
After a day or two of repeating this exercise, your puppy should be able to sit on command with only your praise and enthusiasm as his reward. Still, you should occasionally provide a food treat for successful execution, even of basic commands like sit. It keeps your puppy always wanting to perform if he thinks there is even a chance of receiving a food reward.
