Are you aiming to teach your Miniature American Shepherd to sit? The skill of sitting up is quickly taught to compact dogs, but much larger canines are another story. It is hard for them to maintain their balance.
Teach Your Miniature American Shepherd to Sit: Prep work
Sitting is one of the initial tricks that you should teach to a Miniature American Shepherd and forms the ground work for several other tricks. In order to train a Miniature American Shepherd to sit up, prep some treats as a perk, and set your Miniature American Shepherd on her backside in a corner, so that she will not fall either backward or sideways and has very little or no room to lose balance.
Teach Your Miniature American Shepherd to Sit: Acquaint Her With The Phrase
Prevent her from falling towards you by keeping 1 hand underneath her chin and with your second hand dangle the snack above your Miniature American Shepherd’s face. Keep saying deliberately and clearly, “sit.” Don’t force her to sit up for too long at any one time, however repeat the instruction regularly and reward her regularly with a lot of praise and snacks.
Teach Your Miniature American Shepherd to Sit: Help Her Keep Her Balance
Throughout her 1st lesson she will call for considerable assistance from your hand to stop her from pitching forward, but as she gets more control of the stabilizing muscles and knows what you want her to do, she’ll depend less and less on your hand to keep her steady. Then you can gradually give your Miniature American Shepherd less help till you’ll only have to maintain one hand in position 2 or 3 inches from her chin or neck, to be ready to prevent her from falling forward; later you can probably withdraw this hand entirely and merely hold the reward right above the height of her face.
Teach Your Miniature American Shepherd To Sit: Remove the Aids Gradually
With consistent training your Miniature American Shepherd will stay seated long after you set her up. Afterward she should be set against your wall, so as to provide her a support for her back. When she has learned this and can hold her posture effortlessly, rehearse with her against chair legs, cushions or other things that give her less and less aid. In time she will figure out how to preserve her balance and sit in the absence of anything to rest on.
Teach Your Miniature American Shepherd to Sit: Putting It All Together
During all this training the words "sit up" will have been impressed upon her psyche with the assistance of frequent repetition. Last is the final lesson to teach your Miniature American Shepherd to sit up immediately after she hears the words. There's a great chance, if she has been properly taught, you will simply have to summon her out into the room, display a reward, hold it up a suitable distance from the floor, say "sit" and she'll do so. Then you'll just give her the reward while still in place.
The only requirement for excellence is to train with her multiple times a day until she can sit on command and without being shown a snack; give her the treats only once she has obeyed the direction.
Teach Your Miniature American Shepherd Other Tricks
You have now the groundwork for teaching your Miniature American Shepherd many other tricks. She can now be taught how to beg by waving your hand up and down in front of her paws, which she will move in coordination with yours. She can also learn to salute by bringing one paw up to the side of her head, or to hold something in her mouth, or to wear a cap on her head or wear other clothes.
In training a Miniature American Shepherd to accept being clothed, do not try to get her to wear too many things simultaneously. Try at first with just a hat. Only after she becomes accustomed to that you can put on a coat and little by little introduce her to more clothing.
Enjoy "teaching your Miniature American Shepherd the sit up trick" and most importantly have fun while you're doing it!
Don't forget to check out these other articles about Miniature American Shepherds
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