How to Teach a Labrador Retriever Puppy to Sit

A popular family pet, the Labrador retriever offers brains, beauty and a willingness to please its owner. The breed has shown itself to not only be a companion but also to excel at search and rescue work, service dog assistance, hunting, police work, drug or bomb detecting. The dogs good-natured and willing to please attitude makes it an ideal breed to train in basic or advanced obedience. The Labrador enjoys nothing more then spending time with its favorite people and pleasing in any way that it can. One of the first basic steps to teach the new Labrador pup is the sit command.

Things You'll Need

  • Buckled nylon or cotton collar
  • 6-foot lead
  • Treats
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place a buckled nylon or cotton collar around the Labrador puppy's neck. Insert four fingers into the collar to make sure it fits loosely and does not choke the puppy.

    • 2

      Attach a 6-foot lead to the collar of the puppy. Gather the leash into your right hand loosely.

    • 3

      Stand beside your Labrador retriever puppy and say, "sit." Turn toward the puppy. Bend down toward the puppy and gently press the puppy's rump to the ground using your left hand while repeating the command.

    • 4

      Praise the puppy when its rump touches the floor. Offer it a tasty treat. Labrador retriever puppies adore praise and treats. The breed is strongly motivated by both so utilize them regularly in training by speaking in an excited and happy voice while feeding the puppy a treat.

    • 5

      Repeat all steps for the sit command over the course of five minutes several times. Keep the training session short because the Labrador retriever's attention span is short when it's a young puppy. Throughout the day take short little breaks to work on the sit command. Soon the puppy will automatically sit without needing to press its rump to the ground.