Tips on getting them to sit?

Steve · Master

Tips on getting them to sit?

JanW · Master

Both of mine sit - I taught them by taking advantage of them sitting naturally.

I would recommend always having treats in your pocket, as they sometimes catch you out by sitting when you least expect it! Even if the bum goes down first as part of settling onto bed - initially this should still recieve a yell of sit and a treat. Get them to stand up gain to get the treat by holding it in front of them, then wait till they are fed up and sit down again - another "sit" and a treat and get them back onto four legs again and wait. You can encourage the sit by taking the treat backward over their head - as the head comes up the bum goes down (Ruby learned to hover on two legs using this method as well)

Initially they would only sit on their beds, so whenever they got a treat I took them to their beds and asked for a sit. We then progressed to carpets, then onto hard floors. Ruby will sit anywhere now, Bob still won't sit outside the house (but thats another story!)

And as always with greys - the tastier the treat the better the behaviour - I had to use sausages to persuade Bob he could sit on carpet and not just a bed!

Best of luck - I'm sure they'll wonder what you're up to as you intently stare when they try and lie down - waiting for the "sit" moment

Steve · Master

Thanks for the tips Jan. Will let you know how I go on.

Sunny girl · Master

Sunny never sits even on her bed or the couch? I have spent all day with hotdogs in pocket at the ready waiting for her to sit but it just hasn't happened.

Sunny is 5 nearly six, we have only had her 6 months, do you think its to late to try and teach her this? I was going to sign up to training classes (non-greyhound run) but I think it will be really embarrasing when shes the only one who wont sit. (bet she has the best walk on lead and stay though)

Any advice.

Teresa · Enlightened One

this sit thing is most odd eh. dave never ever ever sits, or even looks like he might. however, daisy occasionally sits.... it looks really odd. she sits right back on the base of her tail with her back feet pointing up-ish and her hind legs spread apart. looks most peculiar and always makes me smile !!

i'm not sure i'll actually teach them to sit cos it looks so uncomfortable.

Amanda · Master

Blue used to sit and stare at you when he thought it was time for tea so training him was quite easy especially since he is such a foody he now sits before each meal and treat. Looks funny tho as his bum hovers a couple of inches above the floor!

I had heard that not all greys can sit or they find it uncomforable to do so. Maybe teaching them down instead might work. From my experiance all greys seem to enjoy spending most their life in the down/lie position

FAJ · Enlightened One

Harry is such a clever lad. He has this 'sit' business nailed in his bed - when he can rest him bum on the edge of it, to gain a bit of extra height! The magical powers of chicken.....

Dave · Enlightened One

the good old 'sit'...some hounds will, some won't, a lot of them just look darn uncomfortable doing it, too leggy!...I'd suggest teaching them 'down' instead (and it does look SO much cooler than sit anyway!!)...So, how do you teach a down, dead easy, 1 simple step, proceed direct to the GAL Shop and purchase the 'Greyhound and Lurcher Pet Training Guide' by Vivian Silverstein, available at a very reasonable price!!...

Steve · Master

Both Pearly and Harry do the down - they learned that one in a day!

Trouble is that they do the down thing all the time when they are after something. They sometimes hit the deck as soon as any treat comes out. When I'm trying to teach them anything new they do the down automatically first as they anticipate food coming.....chancers..

Harry will have the sit thing sorted in a month I reckon as he's doing it in his bed and I got hiim a couple of times in the lounge on a curled up duvet. All the books say to hover the treat above their heads and move it slightly backwards...unfortunately Harry is to fast and snaps it from my fingers.

They both do the touch hand thing too...next step is to boil an egg, fetch the doofer and clean up their own poo.....oops...Pearly already does that now and again!!

max · Enlightened One

I been trying to teach Cas the " sit " and trying is the word. She has the uncanny knack of twisting her head to the side and grabing the treat or she lie,s down which is easy for her or her eyes start to glaze over as if to say "I am bored with this just GIVE ME THE TREAT ", hey ho I,ll keep trying as she has managed two sits out of 200 tries. Yipee. Nora

Steve · Master

Harry is now sitting in the lounge on his duvet - some of the time.

Pearly - think we'll do some training on picking up and fetching things - she's deffo not a sitter - not lady like.

Amber · Master

I taught Oscar to sit (it took about 3 months, but once he got the hang of it, he had the fastest sit ever! He sits for everything, as he knows that means treats!).

What I did was lure him up from a down position, to a sitting position, said 'sit' and gave him the treat when he was in the right position. I lured by sticking the treat right under his nose and then raising my arm so that his nose followed and the front part of his body came up whilst his bum was still on the ground.

This would work even better with a clicker so that you can exactly mark the moment when the dog moves from the down into the sit. Repeat a lot of times in short sessions of maybe just 2 or 3 'sits' per session, until the dog completely understands that what the verbal cue 'sit' means and then he will start folding into a sit from a standing position (hopefully)

Amber · Master

Steve wrote:

Both Pearly and Harry do the down - they learned that one in a day! Trouble is that they do the down thing all the time when they are after something. They sometimes hit the deck as soon as any treat comes out. When I'm trying to teach them anything new they do the down automatically first as they anticipate food coming.....chancers.. Harry will have the sit thing sorted in a month I reckon as he's doing it in his bed and I got hiim a couple of times in the lounge on a curled up duvet. All the books say to hover the treat above their heads and move it slightly backwards...unfortunately Harry is to fast and snaps it from my fingers. They both do the touch hand thing too...next step is to boil an egg, fetch the doofer and clean up their own poo.....oops...Pearly already does that now and again!!

Mine are the same: a dog will display its known behaviours that have worked in the past to get food - they go through their 'repertoire', try a sit, try a down and then look really confused when they don't get a treat! Think the problem is maybe that they are not 'performing' the behaviour on cue, but offering it. If you use a clicker, one way to reinforce behaviours is to click and treat for any natural or offered behaviour that you like and don't click if they offer you a behaviour that you haven't asked for.

FAJ · Enlightened One

Can't resist a brag. Harry has mastered sit already. Is the boy a genius, or is the boy a genius! He even adds a new twist, all off his own bat, of giving a paw! He's really just the cutest thing!

Watch this space for photographic evidence once I've done the download thing.....

Jennifer · Big Cheese

Millie never sits when i ask her too but she does a funny kinda "sit" sometimes, she did it today so hears the pic (back legs are just sort of spread underneath her)