How to Teach a German Shepherd to Sit

Last Updated: May 6, 2021

German Shepherds are known throughout the world for their obedience and love for their masters. A dog's training begins from its litter while the best learning stage in the life of dogs is the time between the first 12-14 weeks of its life. While it is true that a young dog/puppy is trained more easily a larger dog can also be trained with a bit of patience. Probably the most common trick taught to dogs is to sit . Here's how your GSD can learn to sit.

Steps

1
Choose a suitable dog treat which can be brought from the market. Alternatively any homemade tidbit is also suitable.
2
Have your dog in front of you, preferably when he is tied up or someone else is holding his/her leash.

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3
Hold the treat in your hand and slowly move it towards nose of your dog , don't hold it too close and neither too far, hold it it just out of reach of the dog's mouth.
4
Move your hand slightly up and forward moving it towards the head of your dog.
5
Your dog will move according to the movement of your hand and will automatically come into the sitting posture.
6
The moment your dog's body/behind touches the ground say "sit" and stretch out your open hand to make a sign/hand command like the ones shown in the pictures attached with this step and give them the dog treat in your hand.
7
Train every day until dog gets the idea. When your dog gets to know how to sit, stop using the whole procedure mentioned above and ask him/her to sit, first with both verbal and hand commands. Then slowly drop the hand commands sometimes using only the verbal command to see if your dog responds and then drop the hand command altogether.
- If you train your GSD in the most effective time of the day(see tips), along with other times of the day and in different places, within 2-4 days your dog will be able to sit at hand command and in another week or so like a pro at verbal command.
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Community Q&A

Question

I have a German shepherd puppy who I've been training for a while, but only does it when I have a treat. What should I do?

Community Answer

Do consistent daily training for a couple of weeks, giving a treat when he performs the command. Gradually start shifting to praise and affection for successful accomplishment instead of treats to wean him off of them.
Question

Can a German shepherd bite our relatives when they come over?

Community Answer

It depends on how you have raised and trained him. If he's well-trained and friendly, there should be no problem. If he's aggressive (hint: barks at people he doesn't know), you may want to keep him in another room while they're there.
Question

Do you need to have a treat every time you tell it to sit?

Community Answer

In the beginning, yes, but once the dog gets the idea, you won't need the treats.

Warnings

Never use chocolates or chocolate flavoured items as treats as they are potentially poisonous for dogs and cats.

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Helpful 19 Not Helpful 2
There is no need to shout. Your GSD wants to please you and work for you and is sensitive to the tone of your voice which nevertheless should be pleasant but firm.

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Helpful 18 Not Helpful 2
Keep just a few treats with yourself, perhaps in your pocket as seeing a large box of treats might distract the dog.

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Helpful 15 Not Helpful 2
Do not train too often or for too long and finish training sessions as soon as he seems disinterested or is there is any attempt of biting or jumping.

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Helpful 16 Not Helpful 3
Holding the treat too low means that the dog might try to snatch the treat and bite you in the attempt. (Although a German shepherd will rarely if ever bite an owner).

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Helpful 15 Not Helpful 3
Holding the treat too high forces the dog to jump.

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