From the Free SitStay Newsletter

I would love to know how to train my dog to "sit tall" with front paws in the air. How do I do that?

This was one of our Bruno’s favorite tricks. One day very soon after he came to live with us all three dogs were lined up nicely in front of me, I said, “Ok, who knows a trick?” The girls both gave me “speak” and Bruno, bless his heart, sat up on his haunches and smiled. And he stayed there! It’s a great trick and one he loved doing for us. If you’re very lucky, your dog may offer you this behavior, all you have to do is reward it when it happens. He will do it again and again like Bruno did.

Two cautions please:

1. Don’t train this to a dog who has a bad back or painful hips. If your dog refuses to do the trick, it could be because his back or hips hurt when he does it. Stop.
2. Be prepared to do the trick over and over and over for adoring fans.

The Sit Pretty for a little dog starts out much like a lured sit. The difference is you want the dog to go up and back on his haunches instead of just sitting down. Don’t lure too far or the dog will fall over. That’s not good; the dog may not want to try again so watch carefully and stop before falling over.

Know what you want the Sit Pretty to look like. The dog will be sitting on his haunches, his back straight, and his front feet in the air totally balanced when he’s mastered the trick, right? So where do we want the luring treat to end up? In front of the mouth somewhere over the haunches, right! Very good! We are so smart!

First step: regular sit. Second step: lure dog’s nose upwards with a tasty treat. Dog will follow the nose up and if you stay close over the body, you’ll see him lift his front feet off of the floor and balance over the haunches. It’s really that easy.

For big dogs you can do this a bit differently. First step: regular sit. Stand behind the dog, a leg to each side, feet to hold his bottom from sliding, you’re his balance board. Second step: lure dog’s nose upwards toward you with a tasty treat. Dog will follow the nose up lifting front feet off of the floor to balance over the haunches. Help dog keep his balance against your legs and treat. Soon the dog will keep his balance without your help and you have a Sit Pretty.

As you work on this, baby steps are often helpful. Front paws come up, treat. Next time, front paws come up and stay up for a split second, treat. Balance, treat. Take it slow; some dogs don’t get it as quickly as others. Pretty quick you’ll have a Sit Pretty to show off to your friends.

Some dogs take a little longer to find their balance and they’ll be great at this trick when they do find that balancing place. Some never do and that’s okay, don’t try too long to train this trick with a dog who really isn’t balance coordinated or who really doesn’t want to do it. When was the last time you agreed to walk a tightrope? Sit Pretty isn’t for everybody. We all have our best things and we should build on those things. Dancer doesn’t like this trick and that’s okay with me. She will bring me my keys when I drop them and that’s worth a whole lot!

Dog Training Tips
by Darcie Krueger
President, SitStay.com
Copyright 2007-2008