Why train your dog to sit?
Teaching your dog to sit is one of the most fundamental and valuable behaviours you can instil early on. It’s not just about obedience—it’s a key tool for helping your dog stay focused and manage their impulses, especially as they grow. Starting early—around 8-12 weeks old—sets a solid foundation that will make future training easier and more effective.
Functional Benefits of Training a Sit: A Real-Life Example
Take our Australian Shepherd, Storm, as an example. As a herding breed, his natural instincts began to emerge around 6 to 8 months. With his 20kg frame and boundless energy, his excitement could sometimes be difficult to manage. When he’d get caught up in his herding drive—barking, nipping, and charging around—a simple “sit” cue quickly redirected his focus and helped him calm down.
By teaching Storm to sit early, we gave him a reliable way to pause and reset during those high-energy moments. This not only helped manage his impulses but also made it easier for us to handle him as he grew. The sit cue may seem simple, but it’s an incredibly helpful tool for managing your dog’s behaviour and ensuring a more relaxed and controlled environment.
Ready to train a sit?
Whether you have a playful puppy or a larger, strong dog like Storm, teaching the sit behaviour early on is a practical skill that promotes better focus, self-control, and safety in everyday situations.
No time to train? Send them over to our dog training school, where we’ll work with your dog to reinforce positive behaviours and set them up for success!
If you’re the type who loves a good DIY challenge, this article is for you. For a deeper dive on how to shape, reinforce, and train specific behaviours, check out our detailed guide on obedience training basics.
How to train dog to sit
Training your dog to sit combines focus, consistency, and positive rewards. Keep the exercise fun, especially for puppies, while ensuring they stay engaged and attentive. With patience and the right approach, your dog will quickly learn to sit on cue. Read on for the step-by-step guide!
Step 1: Wait for the sit and capture the behaviour
Start by observing your dog and waiting for them to sit naturally. When they do, mark the behaviour with a click (using a clicker or a tongue click) immediately as the action occurs, and then follow it up with a treat and praise. This method uses operant conditioning to reinforce the behaviour. The timing of the click is crucial—ensure it happens almost simultaneously with the action so your dog associates the behaviour with the reward.
Step 2: Lure and Shape the sit
If your dog doesn’t sit on their own, guide them into the position using a treat. Hold the treat close to their nose and slowly move it upwards and back over their head. As their head follows the treat, their bottom will naturally lower into a sitting position. The moment their bottom touches the ground, mark the behaviour with a click (simultaneously with the action) and then reward with a treat and praise. This technique, known as luring, helps shape the desired behaviour. Remember, the click should be timed with the bottom touching the ground, and the treat follows after the click.
Step 3: Cue the sit
Once your dog sits reliably with the lure, it’s time to introduce a verbal or visual cue. Say “sit” or use a hand signal just before they perform the action. If your dog doesn’t respond to the cue and doesn’t sit, you can gently lure them into position after the cue has been given. Once their bottom touches the ground, mark the behaviour with a click (timed with the action), and reward them with a treat. Repeat this process, ensuring the click happens at the same time as their bottom touches the ground, followed by the treat.
Over time, as your dog becomes more familiar with the process, they should start sitting when they hear the cue. Consistency is key during the learning phase: the dog should learn that sitting in response to the cue will always be followed by a treat.
Don’t worry, you won’t always need to bribe your dog with treats for a sit. As your dog becomes more proficient, we will gradually wean off the treats and introduce intermittent reinforcement. But in the early stages of training, it’s crucial to be consistent with the reinforcement to help your dog make the connection between the cue and the desired behaviour.
Step 4: Remove the Lure
Notice that in the previous step, the lure is still being used to guide your dog into the sitting position. However, once you observe that your dog is starting to respond to the cue without needing the lure, you can gradually reduce its use. At this point, you should only use the lure sparingly, focusing on reinforcing the behaviour with the cue alone.
Continue to click the moment your dog’s bottom touches the ground, and then immediately follow up with a reward after the click. This helps your dog perform the behaviour independently of the lure while still reinforcing the connection between the cue and the reward.
Step 5: Be Generous and Strict with the Reward
Consistency in rewarding your dog is key. Initially, reward every successful sit to reinforce the behaviour. As your dog becomes more reliable, you can start being more selective, rewarding sits that meet certain criteria—such as quicker responses, sitting with a specific posture, or sitting in different environments. Tightening the rules of the game helps your dog understand your expectations and provides a clear path to earning the reward.
However, be mindful not to make the criteria too difficult, as this may lead to frustration. Always keep the training sessions positive and fun, so your dog stays motivated and engaged while learning.
Timing of the Reward is Key
Precise timing is essential for effective training. The click should occur the moment your dog’s bottom touches the ground, signalling that the behaviour is correct. The reward, however, must come immediately after the click. This timing is crucial because the click marks the correct behaviour, while the treat reinforces it, solidifying the association in your dog’s mind. This is the foundation of operant conditioning, where the click and reward work together to strengthen the desired behaviour.
Intermittent Reinforcement
Once your dog has consistently learned the behaviour, you can introduce intermittent reinforcement. This means rewarding your dog only occasionally, rather than every time they perform the behaviour. Intermittent reinforcement is a powerful tool because it taps into the dog’s dopamine system, making the reward even more motivating.
For example, consider a gambling addict: they don’t win the jackpot every time, but they keep trying, driven by the possibility of a reward. Similarly, think of a brand-new car versus an old, clunky one. If you expect the new car to start perfectly every time, you stop trying when it doesn’t. But with the old car, you expect it to take a few tries before it starts, so you persist longer.
This concept can be applied to your dog’s training—by giving rewards intermittently, you keep your dog engaged and motivated, reinforcing the behaviour even more effectively over time.
Step 6: Review and Iterate
As you progress with your dog’s training, it’s important to regularly assess their behaviour to ensure they are staying on track. For example, with Storm, we noticed he began testing the boundaries of the sit behaviour by offering different actions—such as going straight into a down or displaying other unwanted behaviours. To maintain consistency, we only reward the “Sit” that meets our criteria. In fact, there are times when we choose not to reward a good “Sit” if it follows a bad “Sit.” This helps prevent “chaining,” the process where a dog links a series of behaviours together, often resulting in the reinforcement of undesirable actions that occur before the correct behaviour.
It’s perfectly fine to withhold rewards for behaviour that doesn’t meet your standard, as the goal is to intermittently reinforce only the clean, correct “Sit.” The key is to ensure that the dog is only rewarded for the behaviour you want to encourage. Never reward an incorrect “Sit,” as doing so will intermittently reinforce the wrong behaviour, making it harder to correct later. Consistency is vital—clear expectations and rewards will keep your dog on the right path.
Step 7: Wean off the Treats
Once your dog reliably responds to the sit cue, gradually reduce the frequency of treats. Start by rewarding every other sit, then every third, and so on. This intermittent reinforcement helps maintain the behaviour without relying solely on treats. Praise and affection can continue to be given freely as alternative rewards.
Step 8: Increase the Difficulty
To solidify the behaviour, gradually increase the training difficulty by practising in different environments and introducing distractions. For example, with Storm, we started asking him to sit when there are other dogs around, which required him to stay focused despite the distractions. We also practised having him sit before we give him his meals, which added another layer of challenge, as he had to remain calm and focused while anticipating food. These types of variations help ensure that your dog can perform the sit reliably in various situations, reinforcing their ability to follow cues even in more challenging or exciting environments.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Not Sitting on Cue
Ensure to reduce the difficulty. We do not want the dog to feel frustrated or overwhelmed. Each dog has its own pace, and we should set up the dog for success.
Losing Interest
Ensure you have breaks in between. Training sessions are mentally stimulating and very tiring for the dog. Have breaks, and if the dog is tired, continue another time. We do not want any negative associations to form between training sessions and breaks.
Inconsistent Behaviour
Ensure all handlers are using the same cue. For the desired behaviour, keep reinforcing it using the agreed reinforcer. If the handlers are consistent and clear, the desired behaviour frequency will increase, and the undesired (inconsistent) behaviour will become extinct on cue.
Conclusion
By following these steps, you’ll not only teach your dog to sit but also foster a stronger, more trusting relationship. For additional support, check out our dog training school. Remember, patience and consistency are key to successful training. Enjoy the journey of learning and bonding with your pet!
