Fix body language
My puppy knows to sit, but does not respond to the command "sit." How to fix?
A month and a half ago, I picked up a three-month old puppy, and quickly taught him to sit when he wanted treats, food, toys or attention. He sits most of the time; he's fairly well behaved. But six weeks later, I am now realizing he does not respond to the command "sit," but rather knows to intuitively sit---this means I can't get him to sit when I am outside walking him or do not have a treat to give him. (He also seems to be responding to my hand signals and body language, but the word "sit" alone does nothing for him). How can I teach him to sit with just the word, not other cues?
Public Comments
- Getting your dog to listen while distracted outdoors is an issue I could discuss in a small book. For now, I'll cover how to teach verbal cues. He knows how to sit when he wants something, so you can quickly learn when he's going to sit much of the time. Half a moment before his rear touches the ground, calmly say, "Dog, sit," where "dog" is your dog's name. Reward him immediately if he follows through. Rewarding does not mean giving him food every time. Use petting, verbal praise, food, games and everything else he likes. Do this every time he sits for what he wants from you for one full day and he'll be listening when you verbally cue the behavior in the house in no time.
- Dogs do not generalize behaviors well and your dog is still young. This means that a dog that is taught to sit when you are in the kitchen and stand a certain way, move your hands a certain way and use a certain word, DOES NOT understand the command 'sit' when you are outside, in another room, standing differently or moving differently. It takes time and practice. Just continue to use treats to reward the dog for sitting wherever you are. Try to use the same word all the time. Often people talk to their dogs like the dogs really understand what they're saying....Sit buffy....Buffy sit, I said sit, come on and sit.....it's gibberish to the dog so make it easy. Use on word and the same hand signal. Only when the dog sits 100% of the time when you ask it to should you begin to fade out the treats. So sometimes it gets a treat, sometimes it doesn't. But always praise the dog so it knows that it did the right thing. Find a class and learn about how dogs learn new behaviors. This is pretty basic stuff and you're going to have bigger challenges in the future. There are good books on this site along with a link to trainers in your are. www.fearfuldogs.com
