How to Teach a Dog to Sit

Teaching your dog to sit on command is one of the simplest behaviors you can teach and this is the first basic command in dog training. Sitting can be quite helpful behavior in some situations, but training is also the starting point of forming a role relationship between owner and dog. When your dog learns to sit on command, you’ll get his attention, which will make training easier later on. Certain methods work especially well for puppies while others are suitable for larger, less hyperactive dogs.

Table of Contents

Building a training environment

Train slowly. Dogs, especially puppies, have low concentration and are easily distracted. Keep this in mind during training and remember that you need to train slowly at first. Give your dog frequent breaks so he can focus more during training. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Choose the right environment. The training environment should be one where the dog feels comfortable and free of distractions. ^{[2] X Research Source}

A room in the house can be the ideal place, where you can better control your dog’s activity levels and keep him more focused.
Make sure you let everyone in the house know you’ll be training the dog, so they don’t cause distractions to interfere with the training.

Avoid outside training if possible. The external training environment will be more difficult to control and more distracting. Outside training also limits a dog’s ability to control range and maintain focus.

If you must train outdoors, you will need a safe area to prevent the dog from running away or use a leash for control. This can significantly limit the effectiveness of the training method and make it more difficult to train.

Read your dog’s emotions. If your dog begins the training process—always focusing on you, following orders, and participating in training—but then starts to get bored or stops exercising, it may be overloaded. You need to find a less distracting environment or reduce the training time (e.g. 5 minutes instead of 10 minutes).

Use rewards

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Use many small servings. Since you will need to reward your dog a lot during training, choose small portions. You can also use healthy human food that is suitable for dogs, like apple pieces, carrots, green beans, or chicken. ^{[3] X Source of Research} If the dog you train is overweight, you can look for low-calorie or human-made foods, or even use dog food for weight loss.

Regularly check to make sure people’s food is safe. Many foods such as grapes, raisins, chocolate, onions, or avocados may not be good for dogs.

Get the dog’s attention. When teaching all kinds of movements to dogs, the first step is to get attention. The best way is to stand facing the dog, so that the dog can focus fully on you and can see and hear you better.

Show the dog the reward. Keep the treat in hand so the dog knows you have it, but don’t let the dog snatch the treat from your hand. It will be very curious to find a way to get the reward from you. This way you will get the attention of the dog. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Move the treat from the dog’s nose to the back of the head. Hold the treat very close to the dog’s nose, then slowly bring it higher than the dog’s head. The dog’s eyes and nose will follow the treat, look up, and then slowly sit down on the floor.

You need to keep the treat close enough to the dog’s head so it won’t jump up and grab the food. Keep it low enough off the floor for the dog to sit.
If your dog doesn’t fully sit on the floor, you can let him slowly sit down while keeping the treat in the same position.
If your dog tries to back away to follow the treat instead of looking up and sitting down, try starting by baiting the treat in the corner of the room. This will limit the dog’s ability to fall back, and make it easier for the dog to sit. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Give manual instructions

Apply this method to difficult dogs. This method gives you more control over the dog you are training, and it is more suitable for hyperactive dogs.

The key to training a disobedient dog is constant control with the leash and leash, while reinforcing positive behavior. Negative behaviors during training should be ignored; If you react to them, you are reinforcing them. ^{[12] X Research Source}

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Put a leash on the dog. You need to have the dog’s attention and keep the dog still during training. Using a leash will help you achieve this and keep your dog close to you. If you really don’t want to use a leash, you can still use this method to train your dog, as long as it will stay by your side. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Hold the leash firmly so that the dog is close to you, but do not hold the leash so tight that it makes the dog uncomfortable.
You may need to try different straps or collars to see which is right for your training. A muzzle or strap worn around your dog’s chest instead of his back gives you better control over your dog’s movements and behavior. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Stand by and encourage the dog to sit. You will help your dog lower himself from a standing position to a sitting position by gently pressing on his bottom. It will be confused at first, but then it will understand and sit.

Do not force the dog to sit. Pressing too hard can scare or hurt the dog.
Never hit or spank a dog. You won’t teach your dog to sit this way; you will only teach it to fear you.
If the dog reacts and refuses to sit, try walking the dog on a leash for a while to “reset” the sitting process, then stop to coax the dog to sit again.

Say “sit” when the dog’s bottom touches the floor. Hold the hand position for 30 seconds so that the dog associates the sitting position with your command.

Repeat the gentle sitting position. You should repeat this process several times, rewarding and praising each time the dog successfully sits. Continue to guide your dog to a sitting position by pressing his hand several times until he learns to sit on command.

Change the environment. If your dog refuses to sit, you should try switching to another surface that makes it more comfortable for him to sit. You can also give your dog a break and try again after giving him “quiet time”.

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Be persistent. With dogs that are particularly active, it can take weeks of practice to get used to the command to sit. To help calm your dog and speed up the process, remember to always keep yourself calm and speak in a calm voice. You can also try scheduling the training session during the least distracting time and after the dog has done a lot of exercise and hopefully it’s less hyperactive.

David Levin

Dog Trainer

David Levin is the owner of Citizen Hound, a dog walking company in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 9 years of experience training and walking dogs, David’s company was named “Best Dog Walker SF” by Beast of the Bay in 2019, 2018 and 2017. Citizen Hound was also ranked by the SF Examiner. is the #1 dog walking company and was listed on the A-List in 2017, 2016, 2015. Citizen Hound prides itself on its customer service, care skills and reputation.

David Levin
Dog Trainer

Organize training in a variety of situations. Understanding the mechanics of behavior is only the first learning phase, so you shouldn’t stop training just because your dog reacts to your sit command. To make sure your dog really understands what sitting means, you need to change variables when giving your dog commands, like choosing a different room, going outdoors, and when other dogs are present.

The sit command set is not supported. Once your dog gets used to sitting with your support, it’s time for him to learn to sit without help. Holding the dog on a leash, practice the “sit” command while the dog is standing without pressing on the dog’s bottom with your hands. At first continue to reward each time the dog sits on command, then slowly teach the dog to sit without the reward. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Praise your dog’s natural behavior

Apply this method with calmer older dogs. This approach may be less effective with puppies, but is highly effective with older dogs with a calm demeanor.

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Train your dog in a comfortable environment. It is best to start training the dog at home, where there are few distractions. Practice indoors in a small area, but allow the dog to walk freely.

Remember that this is a time to train, not just observe. You should remain calm and try not to change your dog’s natural behavior.

Observe the dog until it sits. Do not do anything to induce the dog to sit, but allow the dog to walk freely until it sits on its own.

Say “sit!” and instant rewards. Make sure you say “sit” and reward as soon as the dog is fully seated on the floor. Speak clearly and in a friendly voice. Reward the dog by patting the dog’s head and saying “good dog!” or give the dog a small reward.

Avoid scolding the dog in a stern voice. Dogs do not respond effectively to negative training methods.

Repeat the exercise as often as possible. In order for your dog to learn to associate the act of sitting with the word “sit,” it will take regular practice. Try being with your dog for half an hour to an hour, using the method above to train your dog every time he sits.

Tell the dog to “sit” while it is standing. Once you’ve successfully trained your dog to understand the word “sit,” get your dog used to sitting when you command it. ^{[16] X Research Source} When your dog follows your instructions, reward him immediately. Keep practicing until it can sit on command without a reward.

Advice

Reward every time the dog does the right thing.
This doesn’t always work right away for every dog. You need to practice every day until the dog learns and a few days for the dog to memorize.
Love your dog and be patient. You will have to do it many times before your dog can.
Do not hit or scold the dog if it doesn’t do it the first time. Keep practicing and don’t get discouraged.
If your dog is disobedient, you should not push him. Stop before you both get bored and try again tomorrow.
Occasionally let a family member teach the dog to sit.

Steps

Building a training environment

Use rewards

Give manual instructions

Praise your dog’s natural behavior

Advice

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