Sit is where almost everyone starts, and for good reason. It is quick to teach, it gives your dog an easy win, and it teaches the whole reward-based game in a few minutes. It is the natural first step after you understand the reward-based basics.
Why start with sit
A sit is a simple, default behavior you can ask for in dozens of situations: greeting people politely, waiting for a meal, or pausing at a curb. Teaching it also gives you easy practice with your marker and timing before you tackle anything harder.
Teaching the sit
Follow the steps below. Keep sessions short, a couple of minutes is plenty, and end while your dog is still keen. Your timing matters: mark the exact moment the bottom hits the floor, not a second later.
Fade the lure early
The most common mistake is keeping a treat in your luring hand forever, so your dog only sits when they see food. Fade it quickly, as in the steps above, and read how to fade food lures the right way for the full method. A cue that works without a visible bribe is a cue you can actually rely on.
Make it reliable everywhere
A sit in the quiet kitchen is just the start. Once it is solid, practice in new rooms, then the yard, then on walks, following generalizing behaviors to new places, and add gentle distractions with proofing cues against distractions. A rock-solid sit also pairs naturally with teaching a down and a wait at doors.
Keep it positive
If your dog struggles, make it easier rather than firmer. Never push their bottom down, which is uncomfortable and confusing. We let the dog figure out the movement and pay them well for it, the same gentle approach behind everything from basic skills to reactivity work. A pouch of soft training treats makes those first reps easy.
Step by step
Lure the motion
Hold a treat at your dog's nose and slowly raise it back over their head. As the nose lifts, the bottom lowers into a sit.
Mark and reward
The instant the bottom touches the floor, mark with your clicker or word and give the treat.
Repeat, then add the cue
After several easy reps, say sit just before you lure, so the word starts to predict the motion.
Fade the lure
Make the same hand motion with no treat in your hand, then reward from the other hand, so your dog sits on the cue rather than the food.
