Puppy Push-Ups

Your dog should be responding to your cues for sit and down. They may be getting them confused, but this exercise should help clear it up.

Any environment where your dog responds to both cues well is fine.

Hand the treat to your dog in position to keep the exercise moving smoothly.

Ask your dog to sit.
Click and treat.
Immediately ask your dog to down.
Click and treat.
Ask your dog to sit.
More likely than not, your dog is going to look at you like you’re crazy. This is because your dog thinks that you only get to sit from standing. Here’s how to fix it:
- After asking your dog to sit, hold a treat above them, close enough that your dog can smell it but not so close that they can reach the treat.
- Lure your dog into a sit.
- Click and hand your dog the treat while in a sit.
- After you’ve done this a few times try using an empty hand instead of a lure.
Ask your dog to down.
Click and treat.
Ask your dog to sit.
Repeat until you’re out of treats.

Your dog should be comfortable transitioning from sit to down and back to sit again, and have less confusion about which is which.