Teaching a dog commands can be a fun way of bonding with your dog. It is also neat to show off your intelligent dog to your friends and family. Training your dog to sit and lie down can also be beneficial to when you train your dog in obedience. This article will teach you how to teach your Beagle to sit.

• Food Treats (something small, that they can chew and eat quickly, as you will have to give several pieces to your dog in each session)
• A positive, willing and patient attitude, your dog will pick up on your negative energy, and it will make training more difficult

Step 1 - Make sure your dog is in the right frame of mind.

For your dog to be open to learning, he needs to be focused on the task. Remove any distractions from the training area (food, toys, loud noises, other dogs) and give your dog a treat so you have his attention.

Step 2 - Verbal Command and hand signal.

Once you have your dog’s complete attention, command him to sit by using your voice and a hand gesture. Say “sit” in a firm voice (use the same tone every time you use this command as a dog will respond more to the tone rather than the actual word). Use one hand to hold up the treat right above your dog’s head so he has to look up at it, and your other hand to give a hand signal (eg pointing to the ground. Your dog will pick up on the hand signal and eventually you should be able to use the signal with no voice prompting).

Step 3 - Physical Guidance

With your other hand, push down (gentle, yet firm) on his hindquarters (just above the tail) until he sits. When he is in the sitting position, praise him and give him a treat.

Repeat these steps for around 5 minutes, giving him lots of praise and a treat when he has made progress. It may take a few days but your dog should pick this trick up fairly quickly. Your training sessions should be only around five minutes at a time. You can do training sessions three to four times a day.