One of the easiest dog obedience cues to teach is sit, so it is a good one to start with when you begin training your dog. It is the first cue we teach when a new dog arrives at the BVSPCA. It is so much nicer to have a calm sitting dog rather than one who is jumping up on you or lunging for his food at mealtimes.  We do not recommend forcing a dog into a sit by pushing on their back end. We also do not recommend saying the word “sit” over and over again hoping that the dog will understand. The best way to teach sit is to hold a treat close to your dog’s nose. Move your hand up slowly almost over and behind his head, allowing his head to follow the treat and bringing his bottom naturally into a sit. Reward him with lots of praise and of course, the treat!  You can add the word sit to this sequence if you like, or simply use a hand gesture like we do at the SPCA!If you reinforce the cue with a treat, or reward him with his meal, it doesn’t take long at all before your dog will be offering you adorable sits while gazing up at you!