Sit!

[SusanSpigarelli]

I cannot get my foster to look up and therefore I cannot get her to sit!  What can I do?

 

[Adrienne]

Hi there,

Welcome to the forums,

Let's do some troubleshooting. 

-Is your dog small? You can try to sit down on the couch and practice from there. Some small dogs are wary of feet (they may have been tripped over at some time or are just wary), other small dogs may not feel too comfortable when we loom over them from a standing position, so if we sit on the couch with the dog on the floor nearby, we are more comfortable and the dog may feel more comfortable too.

-Are you using smelly treats? Sometimes using something that smells super good will motivate them more to follow your hand.  

-Are you moving your hand too fast? Try to move your hand slower having your dog follow with her her nose.

-Try to take baby steps so she gets the concept that she must follow the treat in order to have it. For example, let her sniff the treat and let her have it. Then let her glance at it for a little bit  it and let her have it, then let move the treat from her nose a little upward and let her have it, then a little more and let her have it, then try a little more until you have her following it with more confidence up to getting her to sit. 

-If you're a visual learner, take a look at this short video to make sure you are holding the treat and doing the hand motion correctly:

--Try to stay relaxed and hide any frustration. Think of it as a game and don't feel pressured. With some pups, slow and steady wins the race, but once they grasp the concept, it tends to stick!

-if you are still struggling, no worries! We can still train your dog to sit using capturing. Capturing is a training method where we reinforce spontaneous behaviors. In other words, wait for your dog to sit on her own. When she does, say "yes!" and toss a treat so to "reset" her. Then wait again for another sit and say "yes!" and toss a treat. Rinse and repeat several times. At some point, start saying sit, just before she sits and see if that evokes the behavior. If it does, say yes! and give a jackpot of treats (several small pieces of treats). 

Let me know how it goes!

Best,

Adrienne