Teaching the Automatic Sit

This article assumes that you have a basic working knowledge of clicker training and you dog is conditioned to the clicker.

Have you ever wished your dog would simply sit down and wait while you talk to someone during a walk or wait to cross the street, instead of sniffing and dislocating your arm? Read on. This article covers teaching your dog to sit automatically in situations such as those.

Begin your training in a quiet area. Walk a few yards with your dog on leash, then halt.

After you stop, call the dog’s name to get his attention, then lure him into the sit position by holding a treat just above his head. When he sits, click and treat. It doesn’t matter if the dog isn’t in heel position, and you should avoid giving a “sit” command when you halt. You want to teach your dog to sit automatically when you come to a stop; in effect, your halt becomes the “command” to sit.

Because you are teaching good behavior, rather than precision heeling, exactly where the dog sits is immaterial provided he isn’t in your way.

After you reward the sit, walk forward a few more yards and halt again. Repeat the lure-and-reward sequence. Practice this exercise over and over again on walks. After a few sessions, your dog should be starting to anticipate your prompt to sit.

To “test” your dog for readiness to go on to the next step, come to a halt and leave your arms by your sides. Do not lure the dog. If necessary, say his name to catch his attention. Then simply wait and do nothing for up to 30 seconds. If the dog sits, click and give him a “jackpot” consisting of a huge number of treats. If he doesn’t, continue the lure-and-reward method for another day or so, then “test” him again.

When you have accomplished your goal of teaching the dog to sit without a lure when you stop, practice this for several days. You should simply walk forward, then halt and wait for the dog to sit. If he is very distracted, you can call his name to get his attention. Reward with a click and a treat each time he sits.

The next step is to start rewarding only the best sits. First, withhold your reward if you have to call the dog’s name to get his attention. Then, start withholding rewards for very slow sits. When the dog begins to sit more quickly, up the ante so that you only reinforce the best, fastest sits. When your dog doesn’t earn a reward, simply say “good dog” and walk forward. Once your dog is proficient at the quick, smooth sit, introduce a more realistic level of distraction, as follows.

Practice walking your dog up to a group of people and stopping to “chat.” These can be fellow members of a class, friends, of even neighborhood kids hired for the occasion. Walk towards the group, and halt a few feet away. It the dog sits, reward him with a click and a “jackpot.”

If he fails to sit, and seems confused or distracted, say his name to catch his attention. Use your lure only if you absolutely have to. Should your dog jump on a member of the group or strain at the leash trying to drag you towards them, correct him with a sharp tug on the lead. The try to catch his attention and offer him another opportunity to sit for a reward.

Repeat this exercise a number of times until the dog will sit quickly, without any prompting. Practice with different people in different areas to vary the situation for the dog.

Then, ask members of the group to talk to and entice the dog while you encourage him to remain sitting. Reward your dog frequently for remaining in the sit despite the sweet-talking. If he attempts to stand up and approach someone, restrain him with the leash and call his name to bring his attention back to you. If he sits back down, click and reward. Lure him back in to the sit if it is absolutely necessary. If your dog lunges forcefully at someone in the group or jumps up, correct with a sharp tug on the leash.

When the dog’s attention remains focused on you in this situation, increase the difficulty by having members of the group pet and handle the dog the way a stranger on the street would. Once you reach this stage, you can stop using staged groups and simply walk your dog in congested areas. Come to a halt in the midst of “real” groups of people and practice!

Remember that your dog should sit any time you stop. Practice stopping at street corners, driveways, the entrance to your house, etc.