# How do I teach my puppy to sit/stay/lay down etc?



## JuJu (Jun 18, 2007)

I cannot get Charlie to stay remotely still let alone sit!!! How do I start with this?

Julie


----------



## juscha (May 24, 2007)

SIT: you hold a treat right above his nose and when he sits down to get it you reward and give him his treat. This you repeat until he understood what he has to do. Then you let him sit during the day during different situations i e when you want to put his leach on. You always reward with voice and treat. (my cat can sit on command too )

LAY DOWN: there you hold the treat on the floor right in front of him that he has to lay down to get the treat. Then it's the same routine as for sit...

STAY: for this he really needs to have understood the first ones at least SIT. You tell him to sit and reward and then to stay. You go one step away but look still at him. If he moves you go back and put him at the same spot and then repeat the whole thing. He gets a reward when he stays and you've come back to him. In the beginning you move only a little bit away and when you got the impression that he understands, you extend the distance. This exercise is quite difficult because Charlie wants to stay with you...

Just be patient and show him that it is fun to do little things for mommy  Don't punish or say "no", just reward if he does it right...You can also use a clicker if you want to.


----------



## JuJu (Jun 18, 2007)

*a clicker*

What purpose does the clicker serve? Do they like the sound of it? I have never understood the clicker!

Julie


----------



## juscha (May 24, 2007)

you teach the pup that the clicker is reward. With the clicker you can reward more accurately which gives better or faster results. When you start with clicker , you take really good tasting treats. You click and give one treat. The dog needs not to do anything at this stage. When you click and you see that your pup wants a treat, he understood. When you teach new tricks or commands, you reward with the clicker just in this moment he does the right movement. Then you give the treat. You can't click and leave out the treat, but it doesn't matter how fast you give the treat. He knows he has done right when you click. It's not important if you use clicker or not, but some like teaching with it. I use it but not that often. Banzei gets me easily...


----------



## susaneckert (Sep 7, 2006)

I tryed the clicker with Yoda it didnt work for me at all I have to use treats with him. He loves hotdogs and so far that seems to be working with him. I cut them in real small pieces and keep some in the frig and I freeze the rest in the snack size baggies just enough in each one for a training day.


----------



## Leeann (Feb 28, 2007)

Julie, where are you in NH? There is a great training center in Littleton, MA and one in Nashu, NH and I think another one in Manchester that all do clicker training. My Riley is clicker trained and Monte just started classes this week.
If you are close enough to me I would not mind coming over and giving you a lesson on how to clicker train. I am not a trainer but got lots of compliments this week from my trainers on timing with Monte.


----------



## radar_jones (May 6, 2007)

For Radar because I have progressed somewhat with him and his training I get him to sit, then lay down and then while he's laying down I look right at him the whole time but even more when I get him to stay. I point at him when I say Stay as well. Then I back up quite a bit and place a treat on the floor. I make sure he can see me. If he can't he sometimes goes for the treat. When I have him on the floor staying I give it s few seconds and then say "O.K." He then immediately goes for the treat and then it's large amounts of praise and then we do it a few more times and he's good. Sometimes He'll be laying there and I'll watch him and keep him there for a little longer than I should and I can see him wanting to creep closer to the treat. He'll look at me to see if I am noticing him do this and when he see's that I am watching him he stops....Priceless....:biggrin1: 


Derek


----------



## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Derek,
Great job already with radar. With the therapy dog test your dog has to walk by the treats on the ground. I do the same thing quite often because when competing you never know when someone drops a treat and with our dogs being so little, they are right next to it! I just never let them take the treat from the ground. I always pick it up. This helped with Rally because they have food bowls you have to circle around with treats and toys. I could see Dora's eye the first time go but Mom do you see the goodies!

Also good safety- if you ever drop something, etc.

Amanda


----------



## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

Amanda,

So, how much will you charge me to come work w/Shadow when you get here??? ound: You are amazing in your knowledge of training :biggrin1:


----------



## juscha (May 24, 2007)

Amanda, I can do this when we train but it doesn't work at home. If I drop sth very tasty to him, it's gone . I can't look that fast! How do you train?


----------



## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

:bump2:

Could be a useful thread for the many new puppy owners who have joined the forum. :biggrin1:


----------



## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Here are some interesting links to get people started......

http://www.dog-obedience-training-review.com/dog-tricks.html

http://dogtricks101.com/


----------



## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

Good idea Marj...

One of the things I was struck by when reading the beginning of this thread was that Susan stopped using the clicker because treats worked better. Need to clarify for those new to the idea - you use treats with the clicker. The clicker itself isn't the reward, it just signals to your dog that a treat is coming.


----------

