Sitting?

[Guest Lgyure85]

I've never seen our greyhound, Maddie, sit. She either stands or lies down. Is this normal?

[Guest TeddysMom]

Teddy sits for his meals and finally for a treat but he was raised in a pet environment. My other three won't sit and I really haven't tried hard to teach them. I know they can sit if you can figure a way to get it across to them what you want.

[kamsmom]

Very normal. Yes, greyhounds can sit, some just don't see the need to.

[Guest TheUnrulyHound]

Streamer says, "we can sit, we just prefer not to"

 

 

 

Streamer is my only consistant sitter, Bully and Nelson will sit too though, just not for long, the rest lay or stand

Edited May 12, 2010 by TheUnrulyHound

[sobesmom]

I've never seen our greyhound, Maddie, sit. She either stands or lies down. Is this normal?

 

Yep - PERFECTLY normal. Most greys generally choose to stand or lie down. I've never had a grey that just hanging around decided to sit, unless it was about to scratch it's ear.

 

Greyhounds CAN sit. Many people have taught their greys to sit on command. IMHO - for many grey's a "sit" is more of a squat-hover ... than a comfortable sit. Many other breeds of dogs just sit down whenever they're hanging out. A lot of greyhounds don't. Most greys I know either stand, or lie down. You don't often see many greys just hanging around decide to sit.

 

When I do training with my greys, I don't bother with "sit". I use "down" instead. Quite frankly, my greys just look uncmfortable in a sit - and it's not something they do in their every day life.

 

It's the whole boney-butt thing.

[Guest Jubilee251]

Mine will sit on command, but she never sits naturally of her own choosing. Before we went to obedience class, I thought she would never sit because I had never seen her do it.

[Guest dfriedri]

Star never used to sit. On command, in the car, just for fun, never! Ever since her amputation though, she will sit on the couch or in the back seat while leaning on something. Not sure how losing a leg made sitting more comfortable but it seemed to! Strange!

[Guest GreyFan09]

Mine will sit on command, but she never sits naturally of her own choosing. Before we went to obedience class, I thought she would never sit because I had never seen her do it.

 

 

Can you tell me how you trained her to sit on command? No matter what I do, I can't get Comet to sit. I've only seen him do it once, and when he saw me looking at him, he stood up!

[Hubcitypam]

Very normal. Yes, greyhounds can sit, some just don't see the need to.

Yes they can all sit in some fashion. Some sit like doxies on one hip with the legs thrown to the side and Buck used to sit way back with his back legs wayyy up to his shoulders, sort of like an egg but I can't describe it very well. I had a therapy dog book at one time which had a picture of about 20 greyhounds sitting.

[Guest Sunset123]

From what I understand it's not physically comfortable for some greys. Mine sits readily and learned just like any other dog.

[Guest TheUnrulyHound]

Just wanted to throw in there that I did not teach my Streamer to sit, he does it cause he is a suckup and knows it will get him attention. (see suckuppish pictures above-he wants the treat I am holding above the camera ) I agree with Sunset 123, some hounds seem to be uncomfortable sitting so I have never made it something that I try to get them to do on command.

[Guest Whippet]

My Whippet sits naturally and Astro will sit on the couch or in... water like at the lake! But Astro's strange to start with... hihihi!

 

And I had the "shock" of my life... I had had Billy for7-8 months and I was making my whippet do his tricks to deserve a cookie and bam! Billy sits too!!! BUT... Only on a doggie bed! Greys are so strange!!! I guess he was taught how to sit at some point, I don't know! I sure didn't teach him!

 

And I have recently discovered he also lies down on command...

 

So yes, Greys do sit. And Billy looks quite comfortable when sitting actually!

[Guest Samantha]

Maddison rarely sits, and if she does its usually to scratch her ears, she doesn't really sit because he butt doesn't touch the ground, its like a hover

[winnie]

Bonny and Darcy both sit - Celeste does not. Bonny came already trained to sit and shake. We "trained" Darcy. We make all of our greys either sit or lay for treats. Darcy is arthritic, so when she got about 1/2 way down we gave her a treat. She now sits all the time for cookies and other random times.

[sarabz]

Bella learned to sit pretty quickly, but will only sit on a soft surface

She'll now sit if she wants a treat

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

I have three greyhounds, all sit. One sits all the time when she is out in the yard. She prefers to sit over laying down. My other two were taught to sit. To teach a sit (hug and fold method):

 

1) be sure your hound trusts you, this is the most important part of the training.

2) with your hound standing, kneel down on the left side of your hound.

3) take your left arm and put around the chest of your hound.

4) take your right arm and put around the "knee" of your hounds rear.

5) this is where the trust comes in.

6) you gently push back with your left arm, while not allowing your right arm to move (hold the hound from moving backwards)

7) the placement of your right arm will fold the rear legs.

8) gently guide your hound into a sit position.

9) as soon as the butt hits the ground "sit", praise and give treats.

10) repeat, repeat, repeat

 

This is not the only method, but one that I have had success with.

 

Chad

[Guest jaws4evr]

Ours CAN, but she doesn't... we've started to teach her by baiting her up from a "down" with a treat. She seems to have to put a lot of pressure on her front legs and push herself backwards, since she's too muscley to "tuck" her bum under enough to support her weight on her haunches. I'm hoping to stretch out her muscles slowly with this practice.

 

When she lays down she rolls on one hip before lowering herself down, she never never sits voluntarily!

[Guest ShanYu]

Nike sits beautifully but only on a carpeted surface or on his bed and only if I have a banana,kong or treat in my hand! Never the rest of the time!

[Guest jaws4evr]

er never sits voluntarily!

Edited May 12, 2010 by jaws4evr

[Guest Jubilee251]

I have three greyhounds, all sit. One sits all the time when she is out in the yard. She prefers to sit over laying down. My other two were taught to sit. To teach a sit (hug and fold method):

 

1) be sure your hound trusts you, this is the most important part of the training.

2) with your hound standing, kneel down on the left side of your hound.

3) take your left arm and put around the chest of your hound.

4) take your right arm and put around the "knee" of your hounds rear.

5) this is where the trust comes in.

6) you gently push back with your left arm, while not allowing your right arm to move (hold the hound from moving backwards)

7) the placement of your right arm will fold the rear legs.

8) gently guide your hound into a sit position.

9) as soon as the butt hits the ground "sit", praise and give treats.

10) repeat, repeat, repeat

 

This is not the only method, but one that I have had success with.

 

Chad

 

This is the method I used. But we couldn't get her to sit without the hug-and-fold until our instructor backed her butt into a corner with a treat above her nose. After that, it slowwwwwwly clicked that "sit" = the action of her butt hitting the ground, and when I stood over her with a treat above her nose, it meant SIT. Honestly, I just give the credit to Molly being smart and the instructor being good. We're incredibly clueless newbie dog/greyhound owners.

 

Now we're working on "sit" without the treat, "sit" with me in different positions around her, etc. She used to only sit on soft surfaces like grass and carpet, but now she'll sit on tile, concrete, hardwood...anything for a treat!

Edited May 12, 2010 by Jubilee251

[Guest Lgyure85]

Thank you, everyone! I don't really need her to sit, it just seemed really odd to me that she would prefer to lie (even on asphalt) than to sit. I guess it isn't uncommon!

[Guest Bang_o_rama]

Bang can, but doesn't do it readily yet. Not on command at any rate.

 

We are currently taking her to obedience classes, and sitting is one of the lessons. So, last week, the day after the lesson for "sit" I was walking her, and stopped to chat with a neighbor. After a few minutes I looked down and there she was, unbidden, just calmly sitting and looking up at me.

 

In fact, she did it twice during that walk. But still won't do it when we ask....

 

~D~

[Guest dragontearz]

Guinness used to sit on command, but the older he has gotten it started to get uncomfortable for him so now his sit is a really deep bow..works for me, and he still gets his biscuit.

[MP_the4pack]

Brindle, Onyx and Pearl learned how to sit on command but didn't do it willingly.

 

Topaz, Diamond, Opal and Jade all sit just because they want to. I'm trying to get a pix of my two white/black girls sitting on the mound out back surveying their kingdom.

[Pennymom]

I taught Penny to sit on command, but it took a while because the usual luring and hug-and-fold methods did not work. I started rewarding her (click + treat) whenever she sat on her own, which was at first only outside on a slope. It took at lot of patient waiting sometimes! She eventually "got it" and started sitting on her bed, and eventually I was able to add in the command word. The funny thing is, once she learned to do it on command, I catch her sitting a lot more often (even in situations where no reward is forthcoming!) than she did before she learned it. It was like she needed to develop the muscle memory.