The Sit: Training It with a Clicker, and Some Uses for the Sit
Feb 14th, 2008 | By Rosana Hart | Category: Clicker Training, Dog Training, Puppy Training
Chances are that your dog or dogs are already trained to sit, but are you taking advantage of the many ways this versatile word can be used? Today I’ll give some tips on training the sit with a clicker. These are hot from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, as I’ve been doing this a lot with Lola, the Rottie we adopted a few months ago.
CLICKER TIPS:
If your dog sits but you’d like him to do it more reliably or eagerly, consider the power of cheddar cheese and a clicker.
Cut a few slices of cheddar off the block, then dice till you have dozens of really tiny pieces, but large enough that you can still pick each one up! Put them in a small jar or a small zipper type plastic bag, and put them out of reach of the dog but where you can easily get them. Do this at a time when your dog is likely to be interested in cheese, not immediately after feeding. Of course, if your dog won’t work for cheese or is allergic to dairy, use something else.
Ask the dog to sit via hand signal or word. If your dog isn’t trained to sit, show him some him the cheese in your hand and slowly move your hand up over his head, and likely he will sit to watch. At the VERY INSTANT that your dog’s rear touches the floor, click. That tells him what you want. Then give him a tiny bit of cheese, from an open palm.
Lola thinks this game can go on for 10 or 12 treats easily.
If you’re not clicker training, you can use essentially the same method.
For more on clickertraining, see my favorite site: Karen Pryor’s Clickertraining, which is a huge site with lots of fascinating articles and videos.
SOME USES FOR THE SIT:
* To go in and out of doors without your dog charging through.
* To handle jealousy between dogs… I’ve been doing this to help with our older LarryDog’s acceptance of our pup Lola (who already towers over him). Say “Doggies, sit!” and give them each a tiny bit of cheese. It doesn’t take very may repetitions for both dogs to feel that being together has some distinct benefits!
* For your dog to stay beside the car till you’re ready to load, and to stay in the car till you’re ready for him to come out. (Naturally, be extra cautious if around traffic.)