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Need a little Help. My new pup is doing great , hes growing like a weed. Ive run into a small problem. When i tell him to sit , he does just that for about 3seconds then lays down. Hes gotten to where he will let me walk away from him and he will lay right there until i tell him other wise. This may be ok im not sure gonna just get you guys input on it . Just wondering if its ok for my pup to lay down on SIT command!

The other guys might have a different opinion, but as long as it didn't effect his training( ie. he still comes when called from remote or goes when sent for retrieve) that wouldn't bother me. I don't know what training you've been doing, but it could be a result of boredom. He knows you're gonna sit him and walk away so he just lays down. If he's laying down and not paying attention to you it's probably an avoidance issue.

How old is he?
What level training?
How long into sessions is this happening?

Hes only 13 weeks. Just laying the ground for when training starts hes learned the small but important things . Sit , come , Kennel, and No. Really just letting him be a puppy at this point. Its not everytime but most of the time he does it. Its not from bordeum he will lay there wagging his tail ready for me to tell him OK . He will do it when i dont walk away while im petting him and makeing a big deal about how good he just did. But like i said its not everytime i just wanted to make sure this wasnt some terrible habait i was letting him get into and if so how to correct it. I sometimes wonder if alot of it just has to do with him being just a puppy. Im new at this any help i can get is greatly appreciated !

Wouldnt worry about it at all, make it fun, make it short 15 min tops, let the pup be a pup!!

I wouldn't try to extend the sit command at his age if he's laying down. That to me is a sign of boredom. Just teach him sit and the release command. Heal, here and sit with treats and fun. As he ages he will develop more attention. 5 minute sessions early maybe 3-4 times a day then gradually extending them as he gets older.

BrettG wrote:I wouldn't try to extend the sit command at his age if he's laying down. That to me is a sign of boredom. Just teach him sit and the release command. Heal, here and sit with treats and fun. As he ages he will develop more attention. 5 minute sessions early maybe 3-4 times a day then gradually extending them as he gets older.

Could also be avoidance behavior. Hard to say without seeing it. He's 13 weeks old- a baby: I would get him LOVING retrieving and doing very basic, fun obedience sessions.

Have fun- before you know it, you'll have plenty to get upset over

I do a lot of SIT with the pup and with the last one steadied very early for marks at around 3 months. I think if you use treats to work on sit/stay then you can avoid the laying down, kepp it fun and keep them focused. The thing I like about treats is it conditions them to focus on you...especially on your hands.

Thanks for all the help guys ! I have really enjoyed him ! Great pup so far in my opinion . Can anyone give me some info on how to post some pictures on here ?

Another option, is to use "place" and a place board or mat. He can do whatever he wants at that age as long as he stays in place. Keep the sessions short and extend out as he gets older. I would not use any pressure, if he moves off, dont say 'No", just put him back on wth a single command "place". I have been using the clicker and treats and it has been working incredibly well. With this same thought process, I have taught a 7 month old the mini tee with absolutly no pressure. He is 9 months old, turning on and off light switches, closing cabnit doors, pushing drawers close and is doing simple tracking. He is being trained as a service dog but over the last year, my whole thought process of training young dogs has completely changed. I visited a service dog school in New York just after christmas and saw some incredible stuff as far as young dogs go, they never use the word "no" until the dog hits formal training at that age.

Walking away from that and them not knowing how we train dogs for field work, you add a little of our stuff to their stuff and you got something!

Charles on my last puppy to raise I used the clicker and treats for obedience and the Hillman DVD for the field. I think it really made a difference on Daisy who is now QAA and is very steady but super high drive on marks and blinds. I think the clicker made them much more focused on me when it came time for casting and blinds. The early SIT standard did nothing to diminish desire.

Hope to see ya'll at some dog games this spring....

Bill Billups

Charles on my last puppy to raise I used the clicker and treats for obedience and the Hillman DVD for the field. I think it really made a difference on Daisy who is now QAA and is very steady but super high drive on marks and blinds. I think the clicker made them much more focused on me when it came time for casting and blinds. The early SIT standard did nothing to diminish desire.

Hope to see ya'll at some dog games this spring....

Bill Billups