# Lazy sit problem.....



## Lonewolfblue (Oct 28, 2007)

How do you get your dog to sit properly and not do puppy sits? Betty did it for a little bit but quickly learned a proper sit. But occasionally does a puppy sit when she's relaxed, which looks pretty cool. But for Chloe, she always leans back in a puppy sit when she sits. What are your favorite techniques to work with this? The 2 ways my trainer has me doing, which isn't working so well, is as follows.

1. Have her on leash and when you say sit, pull forward on the leash so she doesn't lean back and say Good Sit.

2. Off the leash, have a treat to lure her, and when she sits, step back maybe a half step so she has to keep most of her weight on her front legs in a proper sit, with front legs verticle, then say Good Sit and give her the treat.

I'm getting no results. She'll do it, but as soon as she's treated, she leans back into her puppy sit. I would like to know if there's any other ways to work with her on this.


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## BarclaysMom (Aug 24, 2008)

When Alki was a puppy I would physically put her into a proper sit if she sat puppy-style. Eventually she figured out what I meant and has always had a very proper sit since then. I haven't been doing that with Barclay (because I thought maybe I was just being anal with Alki and barclay would figure it out on his own) and he is still doing the puppy-style sit. Now to me a puppy style sit is where they are kind of sitting on one hip with a leg tucked under them, instead of both back feet flat on the ground.

I'm curious to hear if this is something they out-grow or something they need to be taught. Does it matter, except for looks? I was afraid it was a bad-posture kind of thing, which is why I corrected it with Alki.


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## Lonewolfblue (Oct 28, 2007)

Yup, that is the sit that Chloe does. Kind of leans back, and when she does it, it's always on one side, one hip. It looks cute as well, but for her Obedience training, would like a proper sit. Oh, and she's 4 years old, so she hasn't grown out if it yet and wasn't ever taught the proper way.


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

It really depends on which sit you're having the problem with. The sit while heeling (halt), the sit in front, the come to heel sit or for the sit/stays.


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## Lonewolfblue (Oct 28, 2007)

She does it in all positions....


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

The general rule is to always speed things up. For the heeling and on the fronts and finishes don't dwaddle. For example on the heeling/halt, start moving forward before she can roll back into the puppy sit.....same for the front and the finish....move before she rocks back. You're teaching her that she needs to be 'up and alert'....no lagging allowed because of a lazy sit. 
For the Sit/Stay, it's only bad from the standpoint that she is likely to lay down.....just getting too darn comfortable. My female always had a puppy sit on the Sit/Stays but, never once broke a sit/stay in all our years of competition and that's all the judge cares about....not how the sit looks.


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## Chico'sMom (Apr 10, 2008)

I had this same problem with my dog, and in our attention class, there was a man there who showed me what to do. I will try to describe it best I can: When the dog is sitting walk around behind her, bend down over her and make sure your left foot is beside her back left foot, and your right foot is beside her back right foot. Then grab her front legs and left her up until she is on both of back legs, and gently put her down. Then what I do is praise, praise, praise, saying good sit, and giving treats. 
I hope you could follow my directions, it worked very well for Chico, and now he rarely does the lazy sit.
Also, the teacher told me you can make your dog sit right against a wall, toward whatever side they are favoring, but I found physically putting him in the proper sit was easier.


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