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ANOTHER POSITIONAL COMMAND: SIT
The next command to teach is “Sit.” With this command, you tell your dog to sit and remain seated
until it receives another command. The leash applies pressure to the underside of the dog’s neck when
you are training it to sit. You are now working on a different pressure point. Pull straight up on the
lead with your right hand and push down on your dog’s butt with your left hand until its bottom hits
the ground. Add a verbal “Sit” and release the pressure on the leash. Pressure from the leash can be
omitted when your dog is consistently sitting on verbal commands. Later you will get into corrections
and the steps you should follow to make things clear for your dog. Repeat the “Sit” drill until your dog
is happily driving nails with its rear.
Have you ever seen a dog sit sideways? It flops down and comes to rest on one hip. This is a common
occurrence for lazy dogs and needs to be corrected. Pull up on the leash until your dog sits in a proper
fashion. It may become necessary to step forward if your dog will not align itself properly at first.
Fight for the proper sit position now and you won’t have to address this in the future when you are
asking it to sit in the face of overwhelming distractions.
Now your dog has learned to come to you, walk comfortably beside you, and sit on command. It must
concentrate and use its brain as it learns these skills. Pay close attention to your dog’s focus, making
sure that the training sessions are not too long. Even though your dog’s brain is a sponge at this point,
it can become oversaturated and unable to receive anymore constructive information.
A FOLLOW-UP TO “SIT”: STAY
When you give your dog the “Sit” command, you’ve told it to sit and remain seated until it receives
another command. Many obedience programs no longer use the “Stay” command, believing it is
redundant and not necessary. However, it would be good for you to know how to condition for this
command if your dog struggles with remaining seated. To reinforce sitting, apply a light amount of
upward leash pressure to its collar and command “Stay” as you start to move away and toward the end
of the leash. Your dog will likely get up and try to move with you. If this occurs, stop it with “No,” reseat
the dog with “Sit,” and repeat “Stay” with another upward tug on the leash. It should not take too many
corrections before your dog figures this puzzle out. Should it continually refuse to stay, add increasing
amounts of leash pressure and stronger “No” commands until it obeys. You may need to be more patient
here than any other place. You have already conditioned your dog to move with you at heel as you
move away and many dogs think this is what you want now instead of remaining seated. Correction for
mistakes, rewards for positive responses, and repetition will quickly condition your dog to this command.
A DIRECTIONAL COMMAND: KENNEL
You will often require your dog to enter different areas and objects: airline crates, vehicles, buildings,
boats, duck blinds, and fenced areas are just a few examples. You will use the command “Kennel” to
tell your dog to enter what is in front of it. Always use the command “Sit” before you ask a dog to enter.
If you give your dog a chance to sit and look into the area it is being asked to enter, it will be far more
likely to perform this skill without a fight. By looking into this area, your dog can see that the boogie
man is not waiting inside.
