How To Train Your Dog To Sit: The Basics of Teaching Your Dog How to Sit

Every dog has their own unique list of things they love to do. Some dogs will spend hours chasing a ball or chewing on a bone. Others enjoy lounging by the side of the house or running through fields. Still, others prefer cuddling up on the couch for a movie night. If you’ve got a dog, there’s a chance they like at least one of those activities too.

So what’s wrong with letting your dog enjoy some of its favorite things? Nothing at all! Giving your dog some freedom and is one of the best ways to strengthen your relationship with them. Why? Because after you train them to sit, they won’t be able to get up and walk away if you get upset with them later. Or if another animal gets too close for comfort, they can’t run off and find some new territory on their own anymore.

Instead, you’ll have to follow wherever they go so as not to scare them or get hurt in their escape attempt (which may include digging a hole through the yard from scratch). To help you know where to start, check out this guide that teaches you how to train your dog to sit:

Teach Your Dog to Sit With Treats

Dogs are naturally inclined to be more active than humans, so it can be tempting to reward them with a treat whenever they're lounging around instead of forcing them to get up and move around. However, while this can work temporarily, it won't give your dog the healthy dose of exercise they need to remain fit and healthy. When you reward your dog with a treat, you're essentially saying, “Sit! Good dog! Now, eat your treat!” And while this might work at first, it won't be long before your dog realizes they don't get a treat when they're lying around. And once this happens, your dog will become lazy and lazy dogs aren't very healthy ones.

Teach Your Dog to Sit With Words

If your dog is used to hearing the word “sit,” you can teach them to sit using words. In fact, using a command like “sit” instead of “down” might help to prevent your dog from learning bad habits like jumping on guests or chewing your furniture. It’s important to choose a command word that your dog understands and responds to well, or else you run the risk of getting the command wrong and inadvertently encouraging bad behavior. And while it might feel like you’re being controlling by choosing to use a word instead of a hand gesture, in the long run, it’s a far less complicated way to communicate with your dog.

Train Your Dog to Sit With Scary Things

There are few things that cause instant fear in a dog like thunder or fireworks. When your dog hears either of these things, you can use a few tricks to help them understand that it’s time to sit. Thunder can be intimidating to a dog if they’re used to the sound of a running vacuum or other loud appliance that they’re used to hearing. If your dog is used to hearing loud noises in the house and yard, you can try a few things to help him or her understand that it’s time to sit. One idea is to put a bucket on the floor so that when you hear thunder, your dog is right underneath the bucket. This will help your dog understand that thunder isn’t a bad thing, it’s just another sound that they need to be calm around.

Train Your Dog to Sit With Familiar People and Places

As your dog gets older, it’s important to stay flexible in your training methods. When your dog is young, it’s easy to get bogged down in dog training theory and faze out on the real goal of the training: having fun with your dog. As your dog gets older and is more familiar with the world around them, you can start to use training methods that are more tailored to their specific needs and traits. This is because as your dog gets older, they're less likely to respond well to the same training techniques you used when they were younger.

Stay Flexible and Adapt When Training Dogs

For many dog owners, the biggest challenge in training their dog is learning how to adapt to their dog’s behavior. This means that no matter how much you know about dog training, you can only truly know what your dog wants to do when they’re actively trying to do it. When training your dog, always remember that they are doing what they want to do, not what you want them to do. Let your dog eat when they’re hungry, play when they have the urge to wiggle and play, and go to their bed when they’re tired. If you do this, your dog will be much healthier and happier in the long run. Your dog is a living, breathing creature that prefers to eat, play, and sleep the way they want to do. That’s their choice, not yours. Your job is to make it easier for them to do those things with less hassle from you.

Conclusion

Dogs are fascinating creatures. And while they can be the most loving, loyal companions to humans, they can also be challenging to train. The good news is that once you have your dog trained to sit, it will be easier to train them to do new things. This article has provided an overview of the basics of how to train your dog to sit and how you can start with treats, words, and scaring your dog with scary things.