Proper SIT and DOWN positions? - Page 1

Up until now, all of my dogs have been pets and for my own pleasure, so being in a proper SIT or DOWN position did not matter much to me; I only cared about the fact that they did sit or lay down.

As I am now considering more with Cirberus, how do I get her in the proper positions (legs tucked, rather than lazily in the position) on the commands?  She knows the commands, so now it is just a matter of them looking "pretty."

Let me know if what I am asking does not make sense.  I will try to find some pictures.

For me, my dog grew out of the "lazy" sit and downs once she grew up. I tried the only rewarding when she did a proper sit, but found she wasn't sitting at all when that happen. Now that I know she knows what the "proper" sit is, if she does the lazy one, I just tap one of her back feet with the tip of my foot and she fixes it. I know someone here will have a much more viable solution, but that's what I found works with my dog. It also just depends on how focused on me she is. I hope this helps.

Thanks.  I will try with the leg tap. 

Any other tricks from anyone?

Reteach the positions from the beginning. Using food lures, and proper body mechanics on your part, teach your dog the proper mechanics of tucking her butt into the sit, folding into a Sphinx-like down, and kicking out into a stand, all three while keeeping the front paws in the same spot (stationary). Do not give the commands while the dog is learning the new mechanics, add them back in when she understands the proper position. If you feel the need, use a different command for the new, formal positions, and use the old for informal sits, downs, etc. Some people will do two separate commands from the beginning. I hadn't, doesn't seem to 've been a problem.

Sorry, it's beyond the scope of an internet thread to give detailed instructions how to go about teaching this. Look around for some training vids on say, YouTube. I'd be certain that they would be covered in the Michael Ellis videos, though not sure which one. Ivan Ballabanov no doubt also covers it in his. Have fun! Been there, done that, and it is!

I correct the improper sit by pulling the dog slightly forward until they sit up properly. I don't do it in a mean way, i just guide them into position that i want. And i do reward for the correct position. If your training a puppy, sometime sloppy is the best you can get. Least he is sitting. If your going to try and reteach the sit, you can try this.
With the dog at your side, pull up slightly on the leash while running your hand down the back and applying a little pressure on the butt. The dog may resist for a moment but most will easily slide into position. Hold the sit for a moment and then praise. Couple of pratice runs should get the idea across. Usually after just a few tried just moving yoru hand towards the butt will get the sit. If your pup tried to sit out, away from your leg, train the sit against a couch, wall or fence. This will reinforce the position without touching the dog.
As for down i like to lure the pup with a treat from the nose to between the front legs. Start with a standign dog. Moving the treat from the nose back towards the elbows so the dog must bow down to follow it. This produces a nice folding plotz (Down) into the spinx position. It also doesn't require the dog to sit first then down. Which i think teaches some bad habits. If you have any question please ask, or hunt down some of those vidoes mentioned above. Seeing can be very helpful.

These make sense.   Thank you.

"I am mot an expert, but I remember hearing someone say to practice sits and downs on a table or a bench. Somewhere that they have only a bit of room to maneuver around to keep the sit and down from being sloppy and forcing them to keep tight movements.."

That is one of the ways that I train it , it helps the dog to remain in a steady position.  There are several techniques to teach a strong solid sit / down and correct position.