ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Dog Clicker Training - Sit Command

Updated on May 8, 2011

Does your dog respond to the clicker and do they like their chosen treats? Good, your dog has made the link between clicker and reward. The next step is to introduce some basic commands.

If you haven't 'charged' your clicker, do it now and make a fuss to get your dog in the mood. Now, the first command that most people teach their dogs is to sit. There are two ways you could start...

  1. Capture the behaviour - This means that you wait for your dog to sit and as soon as their rear end touches the floor you click. It may take some time, though, for your dog to do something. If your dog is up and down like a yo-yo anyway you shouldn't have to wait too long before you can click a sit.
  2. Lure the behaviour: By using this method you initiate the movement or behaviour that you are looking for. With a treat in your hand move it toward their face but take it slowly up and over their ears. The idea is that they will follow the treat with their eyes, then their head and finally move their rear end down. As soon as they do - click!

Source

So you can see that pretty much any movement or position can be got from your dog by getting them to simply follow the smell of a treat. Many people prefer the lure technique as you don't have to wait until the dog decides to do something when they are ready. Remember, you are in charge!

A good tip with this and many other commands is this. Each time your dog sits and you click, throw their treat somewhere else nearby. By doing this your dog has to resume from their position and move. This means that they are able to sit again from a completely different position.

You should practice this 5 - 10 minutes for each session two or three times a day. Pretty soon you see that your dog knows when its clicker time as soon as you go to the draw where clicker is kept or the cupboard where the treats are. They will be ready and waiting for you.

When your dog gets consistent and can sit every time start to replace the lure with a verbal cue. Say the word 'sit' as they sit. After a few sessions your dog will begin to sit when you say the word. It may be that your dog sits but doesn't stay sitting for long. Re-issue the cue when they start to move. Repetition is key for dog clicker training as that is how dogs learn and as you progress you can start to ignore the lazy, slouched sitting position and only click the best posture sits


Source

This photo shows a good sitting position following a verbal cue. You can see the clicker in the trainer's left hand and the dog is alert. He is in the clicker mindset and can't act quick enough for his treat!

Dogs easily recognise single word commands that sound different to each other. So use a firm, strong voice to tell them to "sit" - you are in charge. From here gradually replace the word with a gesture, for example a pointed index finger upwards and in front of you could mean sit. Just as you may expect a flat palm moving downward to be "down" or "lay".

This is probably one of the easiest and quickest commands to teach your dog and is an ideal starting point. Always remember to keep your sessions fun, praise your dog lots and be patient. Your dog will get the idea if you do it right.


Related

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)