I know, you're probably thinking to yourself -
"What a Lame Trick"
Everyone's dogs can do this one.
Correct, but can they do it well?
Our little Bichon could 'sit up' forever!
It just came naturally.
Our other dogs, hum, 'not so much'.
I'm not sure if they just never saw the need,
or that I just never 'taught' it.
So, with Seeker I decided I was going to teach it.
Actually, I needed it for another trick,
and didn't think it would be a big deal.
I was WRONG!!
In order to 'sit up', your dog must have good balance.
A strong core is probably helpful as well.
There are several ways to teach this.
Some dogs, like Molly, just do it.
For Seeker I've been just asking for a sit,
then luring him up into a 'sit up' position.
He's MUCH better than he was,
but still has a long way to go.
Interestingly enough, his litter sister,
Shiver, can 'sit up' forever!
NO PROBLEM!
Maybe it's a 'girl' thing??
Michele showed me an interesting twist
with Cougar. She actually stands behind
him and lures him up. She can gently hold
his collar and let's him gain confidence by leaning
back against her legs if necessary.
Once he's comfortable with this, she'll
move her hand from his collar to his chest
in order to support him.
I tried this with Seeker, but
he apparently didn't trust me not
to pull him over backwards!!
SMART DOG!!
Either way, this is a good trick!
It's fun!
It's 'suppose' to be easy.
It helps with balance and core strength!
HAVE FUN!!!
Posts
I've been working on this with my dogs, more to improve core muscles and balance than as a trick. The tip of standing behind the dog might help a lot for my guys, I think I will try it next time we do a session.
ReplyDeleteYou're right on about it coming naturally to some dogs. Phoenix can sit on his square little bum forever. Jamie has learned to do it, too, but it took a long time for him to build the stomach and back muscles to hold himself up. Having me stand behind him like a "spotter" helped him a lot initially.
ReplyDelete