Teaching Come, Sit, and Down

Hi puppy trainers!
The Week Two challenges are teaching your puppy "come" and "sit," as well as socializing the puppy to new objects. I threw in "down" to this video as a sneak peak for next week! Work hard this week on come and sit, though, as they are extremely useful tools to have!

 

Sit:

1. Begin by luring your puppy: Keep a treat a few inches from your puppy's nose. 
2. Move the treat up over your puppy's head toward his back until he looks up. 
3. As soon as his bum hits the ground give your positive marker "good boy," then give him a treat.
4. Once he can be lured easily begin using a hand signal (no food in hand mimic the movement you were doing to lure puppy). 
5. Mark and reward him if he sits.
6. If he does not respond, lure him a few more times. 
7. Once puppy is responding to the hand signal reliably (9/10 times), begin saying "sit" right before you hand signal.  (mark and reward!)
8. After 20 repetitions of the verbal command then hand signaling, try just saying "sit." If the puppy responds correctly, mark then jackpot reward (two or three treats right in a row)!
9. If puppy does not respond correctly, go back one step to saying the verbal command then hand signaling. 
10. Slowly add in distractions, duration, and distance to asking your puppy to sit!

Come: 

1. Begin by luring your puppy: Walk several feet away from him and hold out a treat. 
2. When your puppy comes to your outstretched hand, grab his collar and give your reward marker, (Good boy) then treat. 
3. Add in a hand signal once your puppy is coming to your outstretched hand. 
4. When you puppy comes after hand signalling 9/10 times, begin saying his name then "come" right before you hand signal. 
5. Try just saying his name and come, and see if he responds without the hand signal. If he doesn't go back to hand signalling. 
6. Slowly add distance, distraction, then duration. Distraction can be achieved by practicing in the backyard, then at the park on a long lead (30 foot) and a harness.

Down:

1. Start from putting your puppy in a sit position. 
2. Lure the puppy by putting a treat in front of his nose from the sit position and lowering it directly between his front feet. 
3. Puppy will lick and sniff at the treat- don't release it until his elbows and stomach are fully on the ground and you say your positive marker. 
4. Practice luring from a standing position, too- hold the treat at the puppy's nose and slowly move it between his feet. He will lick and sniff at the treat, but don't release it until he lays down and you give your positive marker. 
5. Begin using a hand signal of a flat hand that moves toward the ground (You will have to be down at the puppy's level for this to replicate the lure).
6.  If your puppy does not respond, hide a treat between your fingers so he can smell it but not eat it. Mark and reward. 
7. Slowly move your hand signal higher and higher until you can give it from a standing position. 
8. Once he responds to the hand signal 9/10 times, say "down" then immediately hand signal. Mark and reward. Remember not to say "down" for "get off the couch" and "no jumping."