# Can't get my little boy to sit!!



## sofiesmama (Oct 7, 2008)

I have been trying to teach Samson to sit for the past two days with absolutely no success. With my first pup, I basically held a treat above her head so that to keep it within her line of vision, she had to plant her bottom. Worked like a charm, she had it down in less than 1 day.

With Samson, my problem is two-fold: 

1. he is not super food motivated, at least not yet, and
2. when i hold something above his head, he simply stands up on his hind legs to try and get it instead of planting his bottom.

Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated!

*Update: 3/23/09*

Success!! Using the capturing method that JMM described and a more alluring treat - chicken jerky, per Lillykins - Samson finally got sit!! :Happy_Dance: 

Thanks you all for your advice and suggestions! 

:ThankYou:


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## allheart (Oct 3, 2008)

This is not scientific or professional LOL...it just happened to work with both Mia and Leo.

When it's time to play, "toss the toy", the toy does not get tossed until the both sit first.

The way we started this was...I would hold the toy above...and say "sit"...of course they would look at me like I had 7 heads...I would gently ease their bottom down, until they were sitting..so they could associate the word "sit" with the position...I would repeat this several times...and once they would actually sit...then I would toss the toy...and praise them. Now all I have to do, is raise the toy in the air, and both of them sit and wait for me to toss it.

Hope this helps :grouphug:


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## anouk (Nov 3, 2006)

Lizzie wasn't food motivated too so whenever she would sit by herself I would say "sit, good girl" and made a lot of fuss about it. Eventually she understood the connection and I found a treat she likes. Now when she sees me with the treat she automatically sits!


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

I love to capture behaviors. That means you wait him out, and the second he sits mark it (clicker or a word like yes) and treat. amazingly, the more you do this, the more he'll offer it. Then you can add the sit as he's doing it and eventually as a precursor to it.


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## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

QUOTE (JMM @ Mar 20 2009, 04:32 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=748861


> I love to capture behaviors. That means you wait him out, and the second he sits mark it (clicker or a word like yes) and treat. amazingly, the more you do this, the more he'll offer it. Then you can add the sit as he's doing it and eventually as a precursor to it.[/B]


This is working amazingly well with Reina! Now she automatically offers a sit or a down when I have a treat in my hand, what a good girl. :wub:


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## binniebee (Sep 27, 2007)

QUOTE (sofiesmama @ Mar 20 2009, 05:18 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=748819


> I have been trying to teach Samson to sit for the past two days with absolutely no success. With my first pup, I basically held a treat above her head so that to keep it within her line of vision, she had to plant her bottom. Worked like a charm, she had it down in less than 1 day.
> 
> With Samson, my problem is two-fold:
> 
> ...


It's really very funny to me that my last Malt was like your first pup. If you walked toward him with nothing more than an camera he'd plop down his butt and sit up very pretty and smile at you even! Midis is just not made that way. He will sit on command. And he will sit UP on command, but it isn't the plop the butt down and sit up style. I don't know what it is with him. I am wondering if it is because his legs are a bit longer in proportion to his body, whereas Casper's were not. He was more square and Midis is more rectangular, too, in overall body-type. We have taught him to plop down- sit up, but he only does this in specific places (like in his bed, or on the couch, never ever in the middle of a room!) A mystery to me!

Cyndi


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## ilovemymaltese (Oct 9, 2008)

QUOTE (tamizami @ Mar 20 2009, 07:45 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=748877


> QUOTE (JMM @ Mar 20 2009, 04:32 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=748861





> I love to capture behaviors. That means you wait him out, and the second he sits mark it (clicker or a word like yes) and treat. amazingly, the more you do this, the more he'll offer it. Then you can add the sit as he's doing it and eventually as a precursor to it.[/B]


This is working amazingly well with Reina! Now she automatically offers a sit or a down when I have a treat in my hand, what a good girl. :wub:
[/B][/QUOTE]

This also works really well with Gigi! She thinks its all a huge game! LOL And the same things you tried with Sampson didn't work for her either.


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## sofiesmama (Oct 7, 2008)

great ideas! i will try them. keep your fingers crossed for me!

thanks so much!


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## lillykins (Oct 15, 2007)

QUOTE (sofiesmama @ Mar 20 2009, 05:18 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=748819


> I have been trying to teach Samson to sit.
> 
> With Samson, my problem is two-fold:
> 
> ...


1. try dried rabbit (rabbit jerky).
2. put him in a corner and try it. there's no place for him to back into and it's harder to stand up.

just as the others said, the capture method is excellent also. we were eating breakfast one morning and my husband absent-mindedly made some silly quacking noise with his mouth. Lilly barked. Tom looked at me, looked at Lilly, and made the noise again. again, she barked. he said "speak" and then quacked. she barked. after about 4 or 5 times, he said "speak" and made no quacking noise. she barked. he did that about 4 times.

we were done. the whole process took less than 3 minutes. she has never forgotten how to "speak".


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## Kutsmail1 (Dec 26, 2007)

QUOTE (JMM @ Mar 20 2009, 06:32 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=748861


> I love to capture behaviors. That means you wait him out, and the second he sits mark it (clicker or a word like yes) and treat. amazingly, the more you do this, the more he'll offer it. Then you can add the sit as he's doing it and eventually as a precursor to it.[/B]


This was great. I have done this with a lot of things on Zippy, but just didn't know it had a name!


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## Missy&Maggie (Jun 17, 2007)

QUOTE (sofiesmama @ Mar 20 2009, 06:18 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=748819


> *Update: 3/23/09*
> 
> Success!! Using the capturing method that JMM described and a more alluring treat - chicken jerky, per Lillykins - Samson finally got sit!! :Happy_Dance:
> 
> ...


WooHoo!!!! arty: Way to go Samson and Mommy!!! :Happy_Dance:


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## Maglily (Feb 3, 2009)

Good going Samson. I also point my index finger while I say sit and Jodi will sit for the signal too.


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