Learning To Sit

[OwnedBySummer]

i teach sit from a down position. have your pup down in a comfortable place, preferably on a run. i use a cookie to lure then into doing doggie push-ups. doggie push-ups:lure them up into a sit and back into a down and i like to throw in hand signals w/ a morsel of food in each hand, somehow i treat and reward the dog. with enough repetition they feel comfortable doing it then i hold the treat in the sit position and say the word and hand signal. somehow it clicks. felix (never on the track)w/ huge hocks feels uncomfortable, annie (a track) dog pops into a sit 1,2,3. don't count on them holding it for any length of time. once they get it check and make sure the tail in tucked to the left of right under their butt. if it's straight out it's like a kangaroo's tail pushing them up. they learn to tuck the tail to the side very quickly.

 

have fun

 

Yeah, the tail thing is important. All their bits need to end up in the right place. It looks very painful to me when they do the "kangaroo tail" (I like that phrase, it's perfect!). Summer does it when she's sitting for a treat because the sit is very short but when she's sitting for any length of time, she tucks it to the side.

[Guest avadogner]

I've been trying for 8 years to get Ava to "sit" like most other breeds do but she just can't get the balance or comfortable with it. Sit for her is the laying position most dogs do. Lay down is with her back legs turned out sidesaddle style. She was diagnosed with flattened femur heads and some instability in her hips over the winter so that may be why. She has a full routine of tricks she does. We just learned her latest in 2 nights of practice. I ask her "Who's the best mummy?" and she puts her paw on my knee if I'm standing or places it in my lap if I'm sitting. It only took a couple hours of training to teach her. My DH came in and on the first time asking "who's the best daddy?" she put her paw rightin his lap. Why is it I do all the work and care and she acts like he set the moon? Traitor! She is my velcro girl and has to always keep me close but she loves to make it look so easy to her Pops. I can't wait to see how quickly our new boy Augie picks up tricks with her there to show him.

-ava and augie's mum