Quote:
Originally Posted by QuickSilver  Go, Bailey. 
Technically, a dog has not fully mastered the command until she only performs it on request. When she does it without you asking, she is "throwing" sits at you (which is very common). Once you are confident that she recognizes the command you give for Sit, you should not reward her for unrequested Sits. Otherwise, she'll try it in front of you when you're carrying groceries.
I would introduce one trick at a time, returning periodically to ones she already knows to keep it fresh in her mind and build her confidence. Remember you want to "set her up for success", so don't make it TOO hard for her.
Usually people teach Down by putting the dog into a Sit, and then luring the dog's nose down with a treat.
The classic way to indicate the wrong behavior was given is to look away and do nothing for about 5 seconds.
Keep us updated! It must by nice to have a smart dog.  |
Thanks for the tips! It's hard to know if she's "throwing sits" at me or not, since sitting is a natural position. I don't reward for random sits. I only did that once for 5-10 minutes to help her get the idea. She will sit as soon as she sees me get the treats, but I make sure I get her to stand back up and I don't give her the treat until I ask and she sits. Sometimes I ask her to sit and just praise her, or sometimes I reward her with a toy rather than a treat. She's definitely getting it even without the treat. She's even done it couple times on the cold vinyl floor.