Friday, August 27, 2010
How to Train Your Puppy to Sit

When we first got our black labrador puppies home, at seven weeks of age, we started teaching them some basic manners.

I strongly recommend training litter mates separately until they have learned the command you are teaching. Teaching litter mates separately strengthens the bond between owner and EACH puppy, as well as reducing any confusion with the command being taught. This in itself will help the puppy learn quicker and build confidence each time he/she performs the command. You are also building trust with each one of your puppies during this time, which is extremely important in order to establish and maintain a healthy relationship with your litter mates.

How To Teach Your Puppy to Sit

Training tools you will need:

Tasty treats/kibble
Patience
Leash (optional)

When I started to train our labrador puppies I wanted to use something very tasty to positively reinforce the wanted behavior. My choice of treat is baked chicken breasts (cut into cubes). The chicken is low in fat, high in protein and your puppies will find it quite tasty!

Step One

With your puppy close to you, call his/her name and establish eye contact.

Step Two

Once eye contact is established, hold the tasty treat slightly above your puppies nose and say "sit".

Step Three

Raise the treat slightly until your puppy sits. Immediately praise the puppy
by saying "good sit" and give him/her the bite size treat. Repeat.


It is important to remember that a young puppy has a short attention span. As I was training my puppies individually, I found that practicing for a couple minutes several times a day was more rewarding and successful than training for longer periods of time a couple times a day - especially at seven weeks of age. Always use an enthusiastic tone when praising your puppies, be happy and make training fun.


Once your puppies have learned how to sit on command in the house, you can begin to reinforce the command by introducing distractions. Begin to use the same training technique outside the house, such as the backyard, out on walks, in the parks, around other dogs/puppies and even around other members of the family. Each time the command is performed it is imperative to praise your puppy (verbal or treats) immediately to reinforce the wanted behaviour.

Always keep your litter mates wanting more! Don't let them become bored with what you are teaching them. Remember that your new puppies are eager to please you, be patient and consistent, and your puppies will surprise you with their intelligence!

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