Wednesday, January 15 2020
It may seem silly that I am writing an entire article on one command, but I promise “sit” will become your best friend. Training a puppy is crucial. Dogs go through an impression period that lasts until about sixteen weeks old. During this time, your puppy will be learning and absorbing everything at a faster rate; therefore, your training will go farther during the impression period. This is when I suggest starting the command “sit.” Sit is to training like water is to life: it is the foundation of everything.
If you teach your puppy sit when they first come home, your pup likely will pick it up that day. Yet, with all training, repetition is everything. There are a million ways to use sit in your everyday life with your puppy. You can use sit before you give them meals. You can use sit before you go into their playpens. You can use sit before you open the door to go potty. You can use sit before you give a treat. Sit is the foundation of learning. It is important to note that every time your puppy sits for you, you must reward them. A reward can come via their food, treats or praise; but, you need to acknowledge the correct behavior. Over time, your puppy will learn that if they sit good things will happen. So, why is it so important that puppies sit on command?
Teaching your puppy sit and utilizing the command frequently will establish your leadership to the dog. Thereby, it will increase the respect that your dog has for you. This is vital because as the puppy ages, they will try to challenge your leading role (similar to a teenager). Many trainers agree that the “teenage” period for a dog is the hardest point of training (about 5 months to a year). This is because your dog will not follow blindly. Instead, they will test boundaries. If you lay a foundation of respect early on, it will benefit you when your dog begins to push back. For example, as Bee entered his teenage months, he would nip at my ankles for attention. This behavior never occurred when he was a puppy. As mentioned before, I do not punish Bee. We use positive reinforcement and redirection as our means to train, and this approach has enabled our relationship to have a lot of respect and love. But, if Bee is nipping at my feet, how do I correct the behavior without punishing? Redirection with the use of sit. If Bee nipped at my feet, I would turn around and say “sit Bee.” He would sit because of the prior training, and I would reward him with praise. He still nips at my feet occasionally, but the more I use redirection the less he nips. If I had not laid such a solid foundation of sit and of respect for the command, Bee likely would not listen to me in the heat of his teenage angst. Utilizing sit as a means to establish a hierarchy is a great way to teach your puppy to respect you.