“SIT!”

Teaching your dog to sit on command is one of the most important lessons your pooch will ever learn.

He needs to be able to sit kerbs to make road crossing safer. If he bolts off to chase the cat, other dogs, cars, children on bikes, the “sit” order will put a stop to that. Simply put, he is less likely to get into trouble with others when he can obey this straightforward command. 

Whatever the reason, a sitting dog is generally waiting patiently and is in a safe place. And, while it is not the most impressive of tricks to learn, its importance in maintaining good social etiquette and, the dog’s safety, cannot be overlooked.

Command & Control

Basically, being able to sit on command works to replace unwanted and unruly behaviour while keeping your dog politely next to you. He’s less likely to jump up to greet people when he’s learned the command, and sitting becomes your dog’s way to say “please” for things he wants. 

Also, you’ll find that teaching a dog to sit helps to maintain the calm, controlled demeanour many pet owners yearn for. It can decrease that out-of-control, hyper behaviour that far too many dogs display.

Atias Eli, 38, a specialist more than 20 years of experience working with military and police dogs around the world says “Sit” is a great place to start a dog’s training – and he knows what he’s talking.

Start Here

Eli’s impressive portfolio tells us that he developed special operations for K9 training modules for counter-terrorism; was an instructor for detection and narcotic dogs, and … you get the drift. His leaves his veritable footprints in the training fields that span Asia, Europe to Israel, and even South America.

“Training a dog the ‘sit’ command is the first training exercise you should attempt.” He adds: “A dog does not have the capability to understand our language and perform the required commands. But when handled in a proper manner with patience and tolerance, we can train the dog to relate and eventually perform upon your vocal command.”

The following exercise is an excerpt from his recently launched book: Yes You Can Train Your Dog on this subject.

"SIT!”  

• The dog is given a vocal command “Sit”. The dog is supposed to sit up straight and wait till the next command is given.

• Do this training five times a day, each time with 10 repetitions and a two-hour break in between.
 
•  The dog can be any age over four months.

• Have ready a collar, leash, treats at the size of a unit of dry food or the dog’s favourite food.

• A pocket with easy access for the treat such as a pouch.

• It is very important to reward the dog immediately after performing what was required of it.