I can't get my dog to sit...help?

Question

OK I've pushed on his butt....yelled at him....all he does is look the other way....what can I do?

OK I sat on his butt...nothing....opened the frig door...nothing....ran him round the block 6 times ...nothing....I've said "sit" in several langs. and tried lous nad soft sweet and nasty...nothing....he just looks down the street....

Answer 1

I always think the hardest part of dog training is patience and consistency *but for the owners*. I was a new dog owner a few years back and it took us a while to get our dog to sit.

Use something the dog loves. It could be a treat, a toy, some praise, anything. Tire him out, so he pays attention to you. Go for a long walk first. Tell him to sit, gently push down on his butt and show him his treat or reward. WAIT. Once he sits, give him his reward. You have to always be consistent and patient. Good luck!!!

Answer 2

Yelling and pushing are counter-productive when training your dog. Stand directly in front of him with some training treats that he likes (tiny) and show him the treat by bending down a bit and putting the treat over his head, very near his mouth and slightly behind. This position will help him sit naturally. While you do this, tell him to SIT. Don't tell him several times. He should sit pretty quick with that treat there, just about touching his nose. When he sits, praise him and give him the treat. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Then go about his regular routine and occasionally throughout the day repeat this command using the treats.
DO NOT REWARD him or scold him if he doesn't sit. PRAISE HIM every time he sits as directed. Once he understands "Sit" don't reward him for sitting if he doesn't sit on the first command. No scolding but no reward.
You might need to enroll in basic obedience classes with him so a trainer can show you how to do this and you can practice with distractions as well.

Answer 3

Stop pushing and yelling, for starters. Do you want to do what somebody else is pushing and yelling at you to do? My teenagers sure don't...
Choose a time of day when he is relaxed and a little tired, not ravenously hungry. After a long walk works well.
Get some REAL TASTY small treats. Put a leash on him. You want the collar up high behind his ears almost. Assuming you are right-handed, put a treat in your left where he can see it, hold it out so he's looking up at it. Say "sit" and using your right hand to gently keep his head up via the leash, take a step towards him. He should as a reflex step back and sit down.
Praise praise praise, give him the treat, repeat repeat repeat.

Answer 4

First you will have to teach your dog to pay attention to you. If you can't do that then there is nothing you can do to teach it anything.
All puppy class's teach the look at me command. Or the watch me comman depends on the trainer. Usually a small treat in involved, letting a pup smell the treat and then bringing it to your eye teach the look at me command. The pup learns eye contact. If the pup fails then you know right from the get go you have a real job on your hands.
From the look at me command then it is just a matter of letting the pup smell the treat and then moving it over it's head until it goes naturally into a sit position. Then say then good sit. Give the pup the treat. Repeat until no treat is necessary and shorten the command to sit. I taught all my pups this in 2 days. 10 minute session 2 times a day.
Worked for me!
NOTE: Not a big believer in the baby talk or gushie talk to my dogs. I want them to listen and respond when I give them a command, not think I've lost control of my senses.
P.S. You already knew this now didn't you!

Answer 5

Put the dog on a leash, stand right in front of him with a yummy treat like cheese or cooked meat. Hold the treat right in front of him, but in your grip, slowly move the treat back over his head until he has to drop his butt down to allow his nose/muzzle to point up to follow the treat. As soon as his butt hits the ground, give him the treat and PRAISE!
Repeat 3-4 times, several times a day.
Then start lengthing the time of the butt hits the ground and the delivery of the treat. Sooner or later you'll have him sitting there waiting 30 minutes for a treat! HONEST!
Have fun!

Answer 6

Two methods on teaching the sit
You already have a description of the hold a treat over there head (about over the eyes not nose)
The other put you hand gently behind the stifle (the joint same as your knee come fowrward when the dog sits) with the other had on the collar. Push the hand behind the knee forward fold the knee whole pushing back on the neck very slightly. DO NOT swing & smack the back of the knee, it doesnt take much of a push....

Answer 7

He won't understand if you yell at him. Get a treat, and hold it in your hand so he sees it but can't snatch it from you. Wait until he stops jumping, then move the treat up and away from you. Your dog will be watching it and in order to keep watching it, he'll have to sit down. You'd be moving the treat towards the back of his head, but not so far he can't still see it. He will naturally sit down. Then say "sit" and give him the treat. Repeat, and he'll get the idea.

Answer 8

First step - get him to look at you. Call his name. When he looks at you give him a treat. When you have his attention say sit and hold a treat above his head. Most dogs will automatically go into the sit position without being pushed into it. Keep practicing. Make him sit for everything. Petting, his dinner, attention, everything.

Answer 9

First off, yelling at him isn't going to work. Dogs don't understand English - at least not that much English so it means nothing to him, other than you are mad. and if he is stubborn, then it will again mean nothing to him.

First off, you haven't said how old your dog is. You also haven't mentioned if you are trying to teach him to sit.

If you are trying to teach him, then start slowly. Your dog will naturally sit on his own - when he does, say good sit, good sit. Very good sit.

Get a piece of food. Say "fido, sit". Sit, sit, hold the food slightly above his head and move it backwards. He will NEED to sit to get to it. When he sits, say good sit.

Your need to repeat this over and over and over and over again for days in order to ensure that he knows what sit means.

Also, if he still won't sit, right in front of his tail, at the back of his back, pull UP on the hair (not to yank it out, just to pull). Dogs will naturally move away (which means that they will put their butt down on the ground). Before you pull (GENTLY!!) say sit fido, sit. Then pull and when he sits, say good sit. Good sit.

He'll get it. But stop yelling at him

Answer 10

Your dog doesn't know know why your yelling at him. try getting a small piece of cooked chicken, give the hand signal, and if he does it, praise him and give him a treat. But, suprise him a little, sometimes give him one of his toys, sometimes give him a walk, a treat, or lots of praise. Never hit your dog, and only use positive reinforcement.