How to Train a Puppy to Sit

Keeping a treat in your hand, move your hand in front of your dog and then up over their head, at which point they should sit. If your dog is jumping, your hand may be too high!

If your dog struggles to sit with this hand movement, it can be helpful to set your dog up against a wall as when they feel the wall; they will naturally sit. When your pup successfully sits, be sure to reward them with a treat.

Don’t use the ‘Sit’ command until your dog is following the food (and your hand) and sitting promptly each time. When you’re happy they can perform the behaviour, introduce the command ‘Sit’.

When your dog is standing again, say ‘Sit’ and use the food as a magnet at the same time. Learning commands is all about timing, so be sure to put the food in your pup’s mouth as soon as they sit down.

When pronouncing the command, keep it short and sweet with an emphasis on the ‘s’ and ‘t’. Once your dog obeys your command, feed them straight away.

Teaching your puppy how to sit is worthwhile as it helps negate the chances of them jumping up. For instance, when a dog approaches, rather than your dog jumping up in excitement, you can ask the dog to sit. When they are in the sitting position, reward them with either a treat or come down to your dog’s level and give them some calm affection.

Other benefits of the ‘Sit’ command include:

• Reduces how much your dog jumps up
• Helps train your dog to be polite
• Is useful for controlling your dog in and out of the home, i.e. sitting on the side of the road

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