Are you trying to teach your Finnish Spitz to sit? The technique of sitting up is regularly taught to petite dogs, though larger dogs are a different story. It is tricky for them to maintain their balance.
Teach Your Finnish Spitz to Sit: Prep
Sitting is one of the very first tricks that should be taught to a Finnish Spitz and is the ground work for many other skills. To train a Finnish Spitz to sit up, prepare some snacks as a perk, and set the Finnish Spitz on her rump in the corner, to make sure that she is unable to fall either aft or sideways and has very little or no space to stumble.
Teach Your Finnish Spitz to Sit: Acquaint Her With The Phrase
Protect her from tilting to the front by keeping 1 hand underneath her chin and using the second hand dangle the treat above your Finnish Spitz’s face. Keep repeating distinctly and deliberately, “sit up.” Don’t force her to sit for too long at one time, however repeat the training often and reward her frequently with loads of cheers and treats.
Teach Your Finnish Spitz to Sit: Help Her Keep Her Balance
In her initial lesson she will demand significant assistance from you to keep her from falling forward, but as she gets better control of the muscles and knows what you want her to do, she will rely less and less upon your hand to keep her steady. Then you can gradually give her less assistance until you’ll only have to maintain one hand in position two or three inches from her chin or neck, to be available to prevent her falling forward; later you might withdraw your hand completely and merely hold the reward right over the level of her head.
Teach Your Finnish Spitz To Sit: Remove the Assistance Gradually
With consistent practice she will sit up for a good while after you tell her to. Afterward she should be set up against the wall, so as to offer her support for her back. Once she has gotten the hang of this and can keep her position effortlessly, practice with her against chair legs, pillows or other things that offer her less and less aid. In the end she will get the hang of how to preserve her balance and sit up without something to lean against.
Teach Your Finnish Spitz to Sit: Putting It All Together
During all this training the words "sit up" will have been impressed upon her psyche by means of persistent repetition. Last is the final lesson to teach your Finnish Spitz to sit up as soon as she hears the words. There's a good chance, if she has been properly instructed, you will only have to get her out into the room, display to her a treat, hold it up a suitable distance from the floor, say "sit up" and she'll do so. Then give her the treat while still in position.
The only criteria for excellence is to practice with her several times daily until she will sit when commanded to and without being shown a treat; give her the rewards only once she has followed the order.
Teach Your Finnish Spitz Other Tricks
You have now the technique for teaching your Finnish Spitz many other skills. She now can be taught how to beg by waving your hand up and down in front of her paws, which she'll move in sync with yours. She can also be taught to salute by moving one paw to the side of her head, or to keep an object in her mouth, or to wear a hat on her head or wear other clothes.
When teaching a Finnish Spitz to submit to being clothed, don't try to make her wear too many items simultaneously. Try at first with a cap. Soon after she gets familiar with that you could put on a jacket and gradually introduce her to the other clothing.
Enjoy "teaching your Finnish Spitz the sit up trick" and most importantly have fun at the same time!
Don't forget to check out these other articles about Finnish Spitzs
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