Dog Refuses to SIT!

[Terrie Jordan]

Help. I am trying to train my "dominance aggressive" dog (Chihuahua/Terrior mix) but sometimes he flat out refuses to sit. I am trying to get him to sit before we walk out the door, before I put his food bowl down, before he is allowed to jump on the couch... Most of the time he just refuses and walks away. I have read where you should not physically make a dog sit and then some say you should. I have tried pushing his hind quarters down but he is so strong and fights it and I am afraid of hurting him. What should I do when he refuses to sit--especially when he needs to go outside to potty? Should I just not make him sit to go outside and just focus on one area at a time. He is a rescue dog and has some real issues with who is the alpha figure.

[Maggiesmom1]

I have just completely "basic training 101" with my dog Maggie. The first thing we learned was teaching the dog to "sit". If your dog is ignoring you, I bet it is either confused by the command or you are being so stern that it is tuning you out because its not fun anymore to listen.

I think that you need to go back and re-train your dog to "Sit". Start by using treats and your "happy voice". Our trainer said it was good to say "sit" one time (not over and over again) and then use both hands to aid the dog into the position--one hand on the rump and one hand on the collar. When the dog sits, say "yes" (smile-be happy) and give a yummy treat. Do this for about 5 minutes several times a day for a week. Then you will be ready to incorporate the "Sit" command into the times when you want your dog to sit....like you said, before eating, etc...

Remember--never say "sit" more than once. Its okay to "help" them sit, but then praise them for doing it with a treat or lots of petting and a happy voice--not a stern one. Sometimes when we get too stern with our dogs they just quit performing for us. They want to please us.