Teach your dog to sit in a week

Sit is the perfect first skill: easy for the dog, quick to reward, and the foundation of polite behaviour everywhere. Here is the lure method that works for nearly every dog.

The method

• Hold a pea-sized treat at nose height.
• Move it slowly up and slightly back over the head. As the nose follows, the rear drops on its own.
• The instant the bottom touches the floor, mark it with a cheerful Yes (or a clicker) and give the treat.
• Repeat 5 to 10 times. Keep the whole session at 3 minutes.
• After a day or 2 of clean repetitions, say the word Sit once, just before you lure.

The 2 mistakes that slow everyone down

First: pushing the rear down with your hand. Dogs push back against pressure, and you turn a game into a wrestling match. Second: repeating the cue. Sit, sit, SIT teaches the dog that the word is background noise. Say it once, then help with the lure.

What success looks like

Session 1 success is the behaviour happening at all, with your full help. By sessions 5 to 7 you fade the treat out of the luring hand and reward from the other hand. From session 8, cue first, no lure, and start growing the wait before the reward from 1 second toward 5. If the dog stands up early, you waited too long, pay faster next time.

Short and happy beats long and tense, every single time. Three 3-minute sessions a day will outperform a weekend boot camp by miles.