Meet Barry and a new training tip, the Automatic Sit.

Thanks for checking out our blog post. Our goal is to provide you with some fun new stuff to try with your pup, as well as pass along new and fun things happening at NDT. Now, let me introduce you to the one who will be demonstrating most of the training tips and/or tricks we will be sending you. Meet Barry!

Barry’s favorite thing in the world is to play fetch. Treats, affection, even other people and dogs do not distract Barry when he is playing fetch. He is also a master sitter. He offered the sit from day one, so we took full advantage and reinforced him every single time he offered it. Now, if he wants anything, his way of saying please is by sitting. More times than not, he sits without being asked.

Here is Barry demonstrating his awesome sit abilities!

How To Train:

An Automatic Sit is one of the first things I train dogs to do. If they’re sitting then they aren’t jumping! First, I teach a dog how to sit by using Lure Reward Training. Once they know that sitting gets them the yummy treat and attention, I stop asking for the sit and wait for them to offer the behavior on their own. Capturing behaviors is when you reinforce a dog for doing a behavior you didn’t ask for. With my yummy treats in my pocket or training pouch I will walk away and as the dog follows me I will stop in my tracks and when they sit they get the treat. I do this until we are both blue in the face. Now that we have primed this behavior it is time to generalize it. It is time to bring in friends and family to help with this. Give them some treats and have them ignore any behavior other than the sit. Once your dog sits they give them the treats. This teaches the dog that treats and praise for sitting doesn’t only come from their owner but all humans! 

Please contact us if you have any questions on this training tip. Currently we are offering online training sessions to keep with the social distancing restrictions we are in. For more information please visit www.newmansdogtraining.com/online-training.