A quiet sit is the cornerstone of good dog behavior. Most dogs have a rudimentary idea of what “sit” means, but your dog can learn to sit not just when he feels like it, or when your voice is so shrill on the third command that he thinks you must finally really mean it! Here’s how to teach the “sit” command so your dog performs it reliably. If Max has never been trained to sit at all, it’s easy to start. Have several very small, very good-tasting treats in your hand. Hold your closed hand just above his nose. As he noses up, move your hand slightly up and slightly back--you’ll see he starts to shift his weight back towards his haunches, and if you can find the right spot for your hand, just above his nose, soon his back end will drop and he’ll be sitting. Now slip one of those tiny treats into his mouth and say “Good dog!” enthusiastically. Repeat this several times. Once he’s got the idea of following your hand into a sitting position, start commanding “sit” as you first put your hand above his nose. With practice, you’ll be able to stop moving your hand around and he’ll sit on the verbal command alone. Always reward with a tiny, tasty treat and lots of enthusiastic verbal praise. If Max vaguely knows about “sit”, here’s how to teach him to do it promptly and on your first command. Have that very tiny, very tasty treat in your hand. With Max somewhere in the vicinity, say in a quiet yet confident voice “Max, sit!” If he does, reward him immediately by slipping him that treat and saying “Good dog!” in your happiest voice. But if he doesn’t sit? Do nothing! No second chances, no repeating the command just in case he didn’t hear you (he heard you--he just chose to ignore you!), no nothing. Just begin to walk away. Now, being a dog, with a sense of smell at least 400 times greater than your own, he knows you have that itty bitty tasty treat, and he’ll shortly come nosing around to get it. When he does, repeat your quiet, confident command “Max, sit!” If he sits, reward him as described above. If he doesn’t, once again do nothing. There is no punishment in this training plan, but the only way he can get that treat is to sit promptly on your first command. If he continues to ignore you, stop this training session and try again 15 minutes later. Do this 5-10 times a day. Most dogs get the idea quickly, and you’ll be surprised and pleased with how attentive Max becomes when shouting is no longer part of the process. Once he is reliably sitting on command, you can begin “forgetting” to give the food treat and concentrate on the verbal praise. If he doesn’t know whether or not he’s going to get the treat, his performance will actually improve! As time goes on, you should be rewarding him with treats less and less, and with your words (high-pitched and enthusiastic) more and more. There are a few dogs for whom this training method is not enough--the really rowdy or really spoiled dog may need the help of a few other (equally humane) techniques. If you need more help, using a Gentle Leader head collar is a terrific way to gain control of your dog, and get his attention. For more information, ask your vet or a trainer who used positive reinforcement.