Teach a Dog to Stay or Sit
Since one of the best alternatives to your dog's jumping habit is the Sit/Stay command, you want to teach this behavior to your dog with duration. To teach your dog to Stay or Sit for longer periods of time, make sure that you extend the duration of the action slowly.The goal is for your dog to be able to Sit/Stay for a few minutes even in the presence of other people or dogs.We have already discussed how to train your dog to obey the Sit/Stay command but here are some quick review pointers.
- While your dog is standing entice him to move his head up and slightly backward with a food lure.
- As his bottom touches the floor, click and treat.
- Continue repeating this until your dog understands that when your hand is over his head you want him to Sit.
- Now try it without the lure. When his bottom touches the ground, click and treat.
- Put the treat on a table a distance away from where you are working with your dog. When his bottom touches the ground, click and run over to the table with your dog to give him a treat.
- Practice the above with distractions or in a different location. Be patient you might have to go all the way back to step one.
- Bring new variables into the practice session, such as: people greeting in a park, on the street, at the front door, in a store, with children or other dogs.
- The duration training should take place in a distraction free environment. After you have build up the time your dog will stay in the Sit/Stay position for at least thirty to forty seconds you are ready to practice in a real life situation. To increase the amount of time your dog will Stay, gradually add seconds in between the time you give the command and when you click and treat.
While at practice without distractions you might be able to get your dog to give you more than thirty seconds it would be unfair to expect him to perform the same in a real life situation. So act quickly to praise your dog for what he does right, prevent the bad behavior and set your dog up to succeed.
