Many people think that dog training is some mysterious concept and that it requires someone who specializes in this area to be able train a dog. That’s not true at all and I want to show you how easy one of the basic commands is to teach. Every dog needs to understand sit and here is how you can train a dog to sit with just a few sessions. Also a shot of Abe as he sits obediently.

Dog Training Made Easy

Dog Training Made Easy

  1. Stand in front of the puppy with a treat in your hand just in front of his nose.
  2. Go forward with your hand over the puppies head toward his tail while repeating the word sit. Be sure you don’t allow your hand to get too high causing the puppy to jump up.
  3. When the puppy sits, give him the treat and brag on him.

You don’t have to be a dog trainer to do this and after doing this for a couple of days, you will have mastered your first basic command with your puppy. If you are working with a stubborn dog, it may take a bit longer but have fun with it and be relaxed. Your dog can tell if you are nervous.

Many people use a “stay” command after they teach their puppy to sit. It is my opinion that the one command to “sit” should be all that is required. The puppy should be expected to sit until given a command to move. The “release” command is good when you are ready for them to move. Now I will share some personal stories that will have applications to explain why dogs need to obey.

Training Abe to the Hunting Retriever Champion level was one of the most enjoyable times of my life. During this time, Julie Anna, and I would train our dogs together which created a father-daughter relationship that is so special even today.

Julie Anna and Chick

Julie Anna and Chick

Some of the things we had to teach our dogs to do were sit (which meant until released), heel, lay, fetch, hold (bird in mouth), drop (release bird from mouth), mark (which meant watch the bird fall and remember where it fell), honor, (stay seated while another dog fetched bird), and eight hand signals.

During a hunt test for a hunting retriever champion one of the test required that another dog be brought to the line while my dog was sitting beside me. A bird was launched, shot fired, and the other dog was sent to retrieve the bird. If my dog broke (wouldn’t sit still), he would fail the test. I could not touch Abe, yell at him, or do anything to stop him from breaking. The only thing that would prevent his breaking was the training prior to the hunt. I would have to say that this was the most difficult part of Abe’s training because he was such an aggressive dog. It was all he could do to sit still and not break.

The most amazing thing for other people to watch our dogs do was following our hand signals. I will explain first why this is so important. Let’s say you are duck hunting and your dog is swimming after a duck that you have shot and killed. While he is gone, you shoot another duck and your dog doesn’t see where that duck goes down. When he returns with the first duck, you then have to send him to the next duck using hand signals. Remember, he has no idea where the duck is. The first command is to line him up by your side, point with your hand the direction the duck fell, and command him “back” (which means go straight in the direction you are pointing). When a dog is well trained they will go in a straight line and if they veer off course, you would blow a whistle to stop them. They were trained to turn at the sound of the whistle and watch for a signal. If you can imagine a clock, one o’clock would send them back and slightly to the right as they were facing you. Eleven o’clock would send them back and slightly to the left.

Does a dog ever get too old to learn new tricks? I don’t think so, but I would advise that you get started with your puppy with basic training as soon as you possibly can. I believe that puppies as young as three months old can begin learning with tender treatment.

Taking the day off

Taking the day off

If you have questions about training, please send me an email and I will get you an answer as soon as possible.

The source that I found to be most helpful can be found right here. Just CLICK HERE!

By the way, a little history lesson here on Abe who is pictured here to the left. His full name is AbesPDQExpress and his grandmother, Candlewoods Tanks A Lot is the only dog in history to win the National Field Trial Championship for 3 years. She won in 1998, 1999, and 2001. I believe those years are correct.

I took Abe duck hunting in Arkansas one time and the guides had their own dogs they used and when I arrived with Abe, I don’t think the guide was too happy. After watching Abe work our first day of hunting, the guide left his dog in the kennel and we used Abe the rest of the week. The guide could not believe what an awesome dog he was. This makes training your own dog worth it!


Please consult the services of a Professional Dog Trainer, Veterinarian, or Behaviorist before implementing any of the advice contained on this site.
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