# Pixel on the sit box



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Pixel working on the sit box. This is Kodi's box, and too big for her, but I don't have one that fits her well. ...oh, and all the barking in the background is a jealous older brother... Even though he did get worked first.


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## Naturelover (Nov 30, 2013)

Amazing work with her. I love the idea of the sit box. Sounds like Kodi would love to keep working with you. Do you give him something special to chew on like a kong or something during those times? Or is working with you the highest value thing for him? Haha. 

I need help teaching a proper halt-side step right-halt. I need to get Archer moving virtually sideways. That is some kind of special footwork similar to what they have horses do right?


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## Ollie"s Mom (May 23, 2014)

Karen that was great to watch. She is a smart little girl, she is getting it really well.


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## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

Kodi is trying to tell her how to do it.

Let us know if you want to trade her in on a smart one that's easy to train.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Naturelover said:


> Amazing work with her. I love the idea of the sit box. Sounds like Kodi would love to keep working with you. Do you give him something special to chew on like a kong or something during those times? Or is working with you the highest value thing for him? Haha.
> 
> I need help teaching a proper halt-side step right-halt. I need to get Archer moving virtually sideways. That is some kind of special footwork similar to what they have horses do right?


Yeah, unfortunately, it doesn't matter what I give him... He wants to work. So I've been doing "hamburger training"... Kodi, then Pixel, then Kodi again. . That actually works pretty well, because, of course, she doesn't yet have the stamina for work that he does, and it's MOST important to keep it fun for her.

Kodi is actually getting LOTS better about it, though. In the beginning, he was so TOTALLY crazed by the thought of me working with her that he couldn't work on any difficult work at all. I had to resort to simple "baby" games, like doggy zen, just so I could get something I could reward him for. 

I'll try to do a video in the next day or two to show you how to work on tight side-steps. If I don't remember, bug me!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Tom King said:


> Kodi is trying to tell her how to do it.
> 
> Let us know if you want to trade her in on a smart one that's easy to train.


I'm pretty sure I picked the "right" one, Tom! 

What I REALLY love is that she's not only smart as a whip, but she also settles really easily. She's MUCH calmer than Kodi was as a puppy. She certainly has her "crazy puppy moments", but then she settles down and wants to snuggle.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Very instructional! Muchas gracias.

besos, Ricky Ricardo


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

She is just the cutest little thing! So much fun to watch too!


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## Ditto's Mom (Apr 29, 2007)

Pixel is as smart as she is adorable, love watching her training!!


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

Pixel sure is darling and so smart! Kodi got Truffles attention. She jumped up to watch the video too


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## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

Wow! Amazing and very impressive! I can't get mine to even SIT.

Love how neither one of you is distracted by the barking. That's actually really good for desensitizing her.


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## sandypaws (Aug 8, 2012)

Great work girls! Pixel is not only cute but very smart. Poor Kodi.


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## shimpli (Mar 24, 2010)

Wow that was amazing. Love it! Good girl.


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

That was really cool to watch, Karen, thanks.

And Pixel is such a cutie!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Zoe093014 said:


> Wow! Amazing and very impressive! I can't get mine to even SIT.
> 
> Love how neither one of you is distracted by the barking. That's actually really good for desensitizing her.


Love how neither one of you is distracted by the barking. That's actually really good for desensitizing her.[/QUOTE]

Oh, you could get her to sit with clicker training! If they can train a lion to lie still for blood draws with clicker training, teaching a smart little dog to sit is a piece of cake! 

This one doesn't need desensitizing... At least from Kodi. She's not afraid of much of anything. This afternoon she met my brother large Basset/Husky cross. Thank HEAVENS he's so good natured, because she was jumping all over him and pouncing on his tail! &#128512;


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## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

OK, I have the clicker ... so I guess that's step 1. I watched the video again.
About how many sessions did it take, or was that your first session? (That would totally blow me away!!!) :biggrin1:


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Zoe093014 said:


> OK, I have the clicker ... so I guess that's step 1. I watched the video again.
> About how many sessions did it take, or was that your first session? (That would totally blow me away!!!) :biggrin1:


I think that was her third time with the sit box, but you don't need that. It's just a nice tool if you'll be doing competitive obedience later.

I would suggest watching some of the Kikopup videos on clicker training various behaviors. I think it would be hard to learn from just watching the video I posted, because I wasn't trying to teach PEOPLE anything&#8230; just Pixel.  So I didn't explain what I was doing at all.


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

krandall said:


> This is Kodi's box, and too big for her, but I don't have one that fits her well.


Tia Karen, por favor, what is the size of amigo Kodi's sitbox - length and width? Muchas gracias. 

besos, Ricky Ricardo


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## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

My large breed puppies learned the "Sit" so easily. I simply held a treat above their heads and gently pressed on their rump, and they immediately readjusted their balance into a sit, and received the treat. After a couple of times, they associated the word with the action and the treat, then without the treat. But that does not work with this pup. I even tell her "good SIT" if I catch her sitting, but she still seems clueless. I will watch some of the videos. Thanks.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Ricky Ricardo said:


> Tia Karen, por favor, what is the size of amigo Kodi's sitbox - length and width? Muchas gracias.
> 
> besos, Ricky Ricardo


This one is 8X12", but it's even a TAD big for Kodi. 1" smaller in each direction would be better for him, and remember, he is a bigger Havanese. To measure your dog for a sit box, have them sit in a piece of wrapping paper. with a pencil, mark JUST behind their back feet, JUST in front of their front feet and JUST to each side of their hind feet. That's the size box that will give you the tightest sits.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Zoe093014 said:


> My large breed puppies learned the "Sit" so easily. I simply held a treat above their heads and gently pressed on their rump, and they immediately readjusted their balance into a sit, and received the treat. After a couple of times, they associated the word with the action and the treat, then without the treat. But that does not work with this pup. I even tell her "good SIT" if I catch her sitting, but she still seems clueless. I will watch some of the videos. Thanks.


Well, pushing down on their rump is "force" training, even if very MILD force training. So it's something I won't do. As you've found, it's likely to work better with a large dog, and just be overwhelming and scary for a little dog. Saying "Good Sit" is just too much language for a dog when learning. They have no idea what "sit" is, so they have no idea what's good. (assuming that they really understand the word "good", which is debatable unless it has been specifically taught) If you want to "capture" the behavior when she offers it, the clicker is a better tool, once you've "charged" the clicker (again, see Kikopup videos for details)

But the easiest way is just to lure the sit by lifting a cookie JUST above (almost touching) the puppy's nose up and back. Keep your hand low enough that the pup keeps her front feet on the ground. Eventually, she will have to sit. Then you release the cookie. Keep the cookie deep enough in your fingers that she CAN'T get it until she is in a sitting position. Then click/treat, or you can use a single syllable "marker word", like "Yes!!!" instead of the clicker. Don't even bother naming it "sit" until she's offering it reliably when you move your hand over her head. When she is, you can start to label it by saying "Sit!" as she is sitting. Eventually, she will learn to do it on cue.

It can take a lot of repetitions for a dog to learn a skill to fluency. If your bigger dogs learned it after a "couple of repetitions", it was probably in response to the discomfort of being pushed down behind. I believe in using positive methods to produce really solid, reliable performance AND maintaining the best possible relationship with my dog.


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## Diann (Apr 25, 2011)

Karen,
First, congratulations on joining the "club" of multiples! She's just stunning, and so stinkin' smart. How old is she? 

I have a silly question...what is a sit box and why are you using/training for it?


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## jabojenny (Sep 18, 2011)

What a smart little girl. I love shaping, it's one of my favorite training activities. I get such a kick out of watching the gears turn and then they get it, so fun. Mae is much quicker than Tim was in getting the behavior I want, she's just too busy half the time to care much about working LOL.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Diann said:


> Karen,
> First, congratulations on joining the "club" of multiples! She's just stunning, and so stinkin' smart. How old is she?
> 
> I have a silly question...what is a sit box and why are you using/training for it?


Pixel is 12 weeks old now. We've had her for 3 weeks.

Not a silly question! A sit box isn't something that someone who just wanted pet-type obedience would have any use for. But for competitive obedience, it's important that the dog not only sit when asked (or down or stand) but also HOW they do each movement and WHERE (in relation to the handler) is important. So the sit box helps them find the right position in front and heel (finish) positions until muscle memory kicks in.

Later, when we've "built value" in the sit box, it can also be used in other ways. It can help the dog understand that they need to sit and wait until called on recalls, or before they are sent to retrieve a dumbbell, and at the Utility level (the highest U.S. Obedience level) it can be used to train the "go out" for directed jumping, where the dog has to run away from the handler, to the complete other end of the ring, then turn and sit on command. (they are then sent to a jump as indicated by the judge) but a target like the sit box, that they understand and enjoy because they have been rewarded often for being on it, can be a huge help in getting them to go out there while they are learning.


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## Zoe093014 (Jan 27, 2015)

Karen, first of all, thank you for your response and for taking the time to be specific about teaching a Hav to sit. But do want to clarify that I have never used "force" with my larger dogs. They were all guard dogs and sensitive, and force was not an option. I should have used the word "touch" instead because it was more like a touch. I do believe she knows the word "good" but you may be right about the word sit. I use a consistent tone for getting it right. But I do appreciate your tips with my Hav and will try them. Thanks!


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## Hsusa (Dec 21, 2014)

Karen, she is just adorable and super smart.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Zoe093014 said:


> Karen, first of all, thank you for your response and for taking the time to be specific about teaching a Hav to sit. But do want to clarify that I have never used "force" with my larger dogs. They were all guard dogs and sensitive, and force was not an option. I should have used the word "touch" instead because it was more like a touch. I do believe she knows the word "good" but you may be right about the word sit. I use a consistent tone for getting it right. But I do appreciate your tips with my Hav and will try them. Thanks!


I put "force" in quotes, and said it was MILD force, because I completely understand that people who used to use (or still use) this method had absolutely NO intention of harming or punishing their dog by doing it. But from what we now know about the science of dog behavior and how they learn, when you push down on their rump, no matter how gently, you are not giving them an option about sitting.

It absolutely works with many dogs, especially with larger breeds, and as long as it is done with kindness, by a trusted owner, there is rarely any harm done. But we now know that there are more effective ways of teaching dogs, that allow them to learn faster AND teach them to THINK and problem-solve. In the long run, this type of training leads to a better trained, more reliable, more resourceful dog.

Twenty years ago, I think you would have been hard-put to find many people who DIDN'T teach dogs to sit by pushing down on their rumps. 

I love Maya Angelou's saying:

We do the best we can with what we know, and when we know better we do better


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