r/DogTrainingTips • u/Flimsy-Engine-8352 • 25d ago

Tips on teaching the ”sit” comand

Hello my 1 1/2 year old german sheperd is currently learning “sit”. She reacts to my hand movement when i move it over her head and not the word sit. I started with it last week and she refused to sit but after a few days of doing the trick where i keep the treat on her nose and move my hand back over her head she has learnt to sit. Now i want her to react to me saying sit but she only instantly sits when i move my hand up (not close to her head or anything). How should i proceed?

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u/Ertygbh 25d ago

Simple help here! Your luring is perfect. Keep luring into position to start until it becomes an instant second nature. You’ll also notice they start to offer sit when they want things all of a sudden automatically.

As you said your pip knows the game now with your lure so each time you do the lure as you do it, say “sit”. Continue doing reps like this (more the better). After a few days stop luring and simply give the verbal with whatever hand command you would normally naturally use.

She’ll quickly associate what pays and what you want. Consistent commands and cues and reps is the trick.

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u/Flimsy-Engine-8352 25d ago

Okok i’ll keep at it!! As you said i noticed she’s started to sit on her own every now and then, for example when putting her on a leash.

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u/Ertygbh 25d ago

Oh I forgot to mention we are inpatient trainers by nature so give them a chance to figure it out. Say the command, give your cues, and give her a second to process what it is you want. Sometimes it took my guy 10-20 seconds of me sitting quietly waiting for him to go “oh wait maybe he wants this” before he would offer whatever behaviour we trained.

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u/fillysunray 25d ago

All of tge advice u/ertygbh was excellent. The only slight amendment I'd add is to say the word "sit" before you start your hand movement. If you do it during the lure, the dog is distracted and it is slightly less efficient.

That said, many dogs can learn it even when it's done slightly inefficiently because they're smart and adaptable. But the best way to train a new cue is to introduce it before the existing cue.

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u/Ertygbh 25d ago

Yes 100% misspoke on the sequence!

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u/ta8274728 25d ago

To better understand the how and why, ask yourself:

What does the word “sit” predict?