MSPCA-Angell Dog Training Series: Sit

The third installment of the MSPCA-Angell Dog Training Series focuses on teaching the “sit” command. Dr. Terri Bright, Ph.D., BCBA-D, CAAB, Director of the Behavior Department at MSPCA-Angell, offers tips on how to build a solid foundation with your dog. For additional insight from Dr. Bright, follow her on Facebook at Dr. Bright’s Behavior and Training at MSPCA-Angell.

Some folks love it when a friendly dog jumps up to greet them, but others might prefer a more composed welcome. That’s why teaching your dog to sit on command is essential to training. It helps your pup learn to manage its excitement, stays safe, and gives you more freedom and flexibility in your daily routine. Plus, it’s an excellent foundation for more training down the road!

“Sometimes in the MSPCA-Angell shelter,  I would hold up a treat in front of a dog and ask them to sit. They would not respond at all. It was clear no one had ever taught this most basic of behaviors. The simplest “ask” a dog can make, this easy communication, had been neglected their whole life. It makes my heart heavy to think of it.” – Dr. Terri Bright, Ph.D., BCBA-D, CAAB

The Benefits of the “Sit” Command

Sitting is a simple behavior and is often the first one any puppy learns: the owner holds up a treat, says “sit,” guides the pup into a sit position, and then the pup gets the treat. Over time, the word becomes a cue for the dog to sit to produce a treat or other reward. As a dog owner, you might find that you are eating a sandwich, and your dog comes over and sits near you, and you give it a taste. Do you realize you just participated in a two-way communication between you and a member of a different species?

Sitting is what behaviorists call a “cusp” behavior, which leads to lots of other learning. The puppy gets more attention and learns to ask for what it wants. The social dog who learns to sit is more likely to meet other people, including children and grandparents – whereas the fearful dog learns to stay put, away from frightening things in the environment.

There are times in your dog’s routine when sitting can be significantly reinforcing, leading to the behavior being particularly fluent. For example:

• Asking your dog to sit at the door before you take them out can be reinforced by opening the door. 
• Asking them to sit before you release them to play with their friend starts a play date with a little less arousal and is a great natural reinforcer for sitting. 
• Asking them to sit before you throw a toy can prevent that misunderstanding where you and the dog both go toward it simultaneously and have some sort of collision—and it is an excellent way for the dog to “ask” you to “throw the toy.”

What’s in it for the owner – the human – this “sit” behavior? Asking your dog to sit while you look to see who or what is outside can prevent unwanted surprise beginnings to a walk. If you have ever walked out of your home and had a loose dog run up on you and your dog or have been confronted by a raccoon getting into someone’s trash, you know you would have waited to go out had you known. Having your dog sit for husbandry behaviors, such as brushing their teeth or looking into their ears/looking at or trimming their nails, can be helped with a fluent sit.

Does a dog have to sit before they “get” anything? No. If you want your dog to wait before you open the door to the car, or if you are going to hide a treat for her to find, you might simply ask her to wait while she is standing. It is rather draconian (severe and mean) that a dog must sit for food, affection, or play. Reward your dog for sitting throughout the day and ask her to sit from time to time to reinforce the behavior. 

If your dog approaches you for petting, simply pet her – don’t ask her to sit first.  Having said that, if an excited big puppy or dog runs up to you for petting and looks as though they might leap up to get it, it’s best to ask for a “sit” first. You might also ask a potential leaper to sit before you put down the food bowl, but that is not because of any training “legality” (“Your Dog Must Always Sit Before Eating”), but because you don’t want a crashing mess as their head hits the bowl or yourself!

Older dogs or dogs with hip pain or other chronic pain should not be required to sit. A simple “wait” will do just as well. And honestly, if you have to cross a city street quickly, it’s faster if your dog is standing rather than sitting. 

Teaching Your Dog to Sit

Do you need a leash to teach a sit? You don’t need one if you follow Dr. Bright’s suggestions! Below is a simple lesson to help your dog learn the “sit” command.

1. Hold a treat in your hand.
2. Say, “Sit.”
3. Place it on the dog’s nose.
4. Move it back over the dog’s head.
5. As their head follows the treat, their rear will go down.
6. When the rear end touches the ground, praise and give the treat.
7. Do this 3x in a row.
8. Then, repeat as above, but do not hold a treat – simply make the motion.
9. Do this 3x.
10. Last, simply say the word “sit,” and your dog will likely sit. Give the treat!
11. If they don’t, go back to the beginning and repeat.
12. When they are good at it, practice it with them, at your side, behind you, farther away, anywhere you can think of.

In the videos posted below, you’ll notice that Dr. Bright does not use a leash to help pull the dog down or jerk it to “make” these dogs sit. She simply uses a hand motion, and the dog learns to sit after enough practice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rXjvEdYzh4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyHtBF5b_fA

Communicating with these wonderful (but often alien) canid beings who have made their way into our homes is essential. Aside from the advantages of having some influence on their behavior, giving them the opportunity to ask for something they want with this simple cue is more profound than you may realize. This partnership seems eminently fair to us and to our dogs.

MSPCA-Angell Dog Training Series

Teaching Your Dog How to Recall

Benefits of Training Your Dog

x

Need more training for your dog or maybe a refresher course? Visit angell.org/dogtraining for helpful articles on training and more information on classes offered in Boston, Waltham, Salem, and Methuen.