Sitting Pretty

Dogs seem like the cutest things on the planet until they reveal their true nature after adoption. Some can be little terrors who seem to purposefully make your life as difficult as possible. The Daily Lobo is here to help you rein in your dog with some tips from Animal Humane New Mexico.

Sit:
Put your dog in a space where she can’t be distracted by people, food or other dogs. Cut up some small pieces of cheese and hot dog, and take a few into your right hand. Focus the dog’s attention on your closed hand with the treats inside, and say “sit” in an authoritative tone.

Slowly move your hand over her head and away from you. The dog will be forced to sit down if she stays focused on the treat, because her head will be moving backward. Give her a treat and lots of praise when she does it correctly.

Never push down on the dog’s rear end to try to get her to sit. Repeat as often as necessary and only stop after a perfect try before moving on to the next trick.

Leave it:
This is a good command for dogs to learn because they are likely to dig through garbage or pick up a dead bird the minute you look away. Eating that stuff could be detrimental to their health, so teaching them to “leave it” on command is important.

Put a few treats in both of your hands, and focus your dog’s attention on your right hand. Say “leave it,” and as soon as he focuses his attention on something other than your right hand, reward him from your left hand. Continue this until your dog gets the hang of it.

At first it may take awhile for the dog to leave the treat in your right hand, but as long as you consistently reward from the left hand the dog will get it down. Reward any type of disengagement, regardless of whether it’s from another distraction.

For more information, contact Animal Humane.

Pit Crew Training Classes
For pit bull dogs only
Humans ages 12 – 20, 3 p.m.
Humans 21 and up, 4:15 p.m.
Next session is March 14
Registration required.
$15
Animal Humane Main Shelter
615 Virginia S.E. in the Dog Agility Park