Are you trying to teach your Briard to sit? The technique of sitting up is easily taught to very small dogs, but bigger dogs are another story. It’s problematic for them to sustain their equilibrium.
Teach Your Briard to Sit: Anticipation
Sitting up is one of the first tricks that you should teach to your Briard and provides the groundwork for lots of other tricks. In order to train a Briard to sit up, organize some treats as a reward, and place your Briard on her rump in the corner, to ensure that she will not fall either aft or sideways and has very little or no space to stumble.
Teach Your Briard to Sit: Acquaint Her With The Words
Protect her from falling towards you by keeping one hand under her chin and with the second hand dangle her reward above the Briard’s face. Keep repeating clearly and deliberately, “sit up.” Do not force her to sit up for too long at any one time, however repeat the instruction frequently and reward her regularly with a lot of cheers and treats.
Teach Your Briard to Sit: Help Her Balance
In her very first lesson she will call for quite a bit of support from you to keep her from tumbling forward, but as she gets more control of her balancing muscles and makes sense of what you want, she’ll count less and less upon your hand to hold her steady. Then you can gradually give your Briard less assistance till you will only have to leave one hand in position two or three inches from her neck or chin, to be set to stop her from falling forward; later on you can easily remove your hand completely and just simply suspend the reward right above the level of your Briard’s face.
Teach Your Briard To Sit: Remove the Aids Slowly
With consistent practice she will stay seated well after you make her. Then she should be set up against the wall, so as to provide her a support for her back. Soon after she has understood this and can keep her place easily, rehearse with her using chair legs, pillows or other things that provide her less and less support. In the end she will learn how to maintain her balance and sit in the absence of something to lean on.
Teach Your Briard to Sit: Putting It All Together
During all these lessons the words "sit up" will have been ingrained upon her mind by regular repetition. Now here's the final training to teach your Briard to sit up as soon as she hears the command. There's a great chance, if she has been properly taught, you will simply have to summon her out in the room, show her a reward, hold it up a suitable distance from the floor, say "sit up" and she will obey. Then give her the snack while still in place.
The only requirement for excellence is to train with her multiple times a day until she will sit up on command and without being shown a treat; give her the treats only after she has complied with the direction.
Teach Your Briard Other Tricks
You have now the basis for teaching your Briard many other skills. She can now learn how to beg by moving your hand up and down in front of her paws, which she will move in rhythm with yours. She also can learn to salute by bringing one paw to the side of her head, or to keep a toy in her mouth, or to wear a hat on her head or wear other clothing.
When teaching a Briard to submit to being clothed, don't try to get her to wear too many items simultaneously. Try her at first with a cap. After she becomes accustomed to that you could put on a jacket and gradually over time introduce her to more clothing.
Get a kick out of "teaching your Briard the sit up trick" and most importantly have fun while you're doing it!
Don't forget to check out these other articles about Briards
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