My rotty hesitated when commanded to sit or lay down

A

alora

New member
I can’t get my rotty to immediately sit down or lay down when I tell her to the command. She’ll stand there and stare at me when I don’t have a treat, but when I do she will do it immediately. also on a side note what do u use as a command for sit and lay down. I’ve heard ppl use other languages. And I’ve tried hand commands but it’s kind of iffy. Pls some tips r awesome.
 
@alora Keep it short and simple. For sit, use sit. For lay use down. Hand signs are great, but you have to be solid on voice commands, and then add hand signals. And don’t phase out treats until he consistently obeys your ask.
 
@alora If you want to re-inspire your dog to obey your commands and do so without thinking about it first, use a high value treat.

Keep your treats in a small hard plastic container in your pocket and be generous. If he does a good sit or obeys well, give one treat after the other (dogs perceive this as higher value than one large treat).

Fading out treats should be done once the dog is really solid with commands.

Use commands that you are comfortable with but honestly if you want your dog to sit, and your language is English, use the most appropriate word.

To get the dogs focus say the dogs name and then the command. Eg "Fido - SIT!" Say it only once and mean it. Give the dog time to obey and then reward highly.

If you think the dog is confused about what you mean, go over the initial training of that command to make sure you are both on the same page and please seriously consider a 'marker word' or a clicker. Going over training steps is necessary from time to time and can be quite valuable to help a dog get what you are wanting.

Marker words are so valuable with training. I use (Yes!) but you can use whatever word you like so long as you are consistent and follow through with the rewards. You need to load the marker word first (do the research) and be consistent with providing the treat following it's use. This will help the dog understand what you want, what will happen if he obeys (treats and praise) and is useful when training more complex tasks.

Research and try out other delicious treats to get your dogs interest and focus on training and rotate them in and out of use. Dogs do get bored of the same old, same old.
 
@alora I would want to see video of how you cue it and reward it... and how she responds

Sometimes it is a a simple adjustment

Sometimes dogs who have difficulty or hesitate on sits and downs have knee or hip issues so be aware that if slight changes dont help get a vet check
 
@alora Sounds like you haven’t faded her off the treats slow enough. For example, when a dog is first learning a cue, give a reward for each sit. When your dog knows the cue, reward Every other sit. Then reward at random while maintaining her sit. Always uses praise so by the end, when treats are no longer needed, your pup will still be proud they made you happy. That, is the ultimate reward. Genuine praise.
 
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