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Maran Illustrated Dog Training

Only Dog Training Book You Will Ever Need

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How to Prepare Your Dog for Training

Dogs are pack animals by nature—their instinct is to follow the leader of the pack or to lead if no other dog asserts himself as the pack leader. The first step toward having a well-trained dog is establishing your role as the pack leader. When you first bring a dog home, he’ll assess the situation to see whether he’s the leader or the follower. During this crucial stage, you must show him that you’re the boss.

The Sit and Down Modeling Exercises

An effective, painless, and nonviolent way to demonstrate your leadership is to use an approach called modeling, in which you handle your dog and put him into certain positions that convey your dominant role. The two most common positions used in modeling are the sit and down positions. Both exercises take just a few minutes and should be performed 3–5 times per day for the first week or so after you bring home your new puppy or dog. It’s generally best to do the two commands in sequence, with the sit command before the down command.

The Sit Exercise

In the sit position modeling exercise, you’ll move your dog into a sitting posture from his regular standing posture.

Sit or kneel on the floor with your dog standing on your left side.
Put your right hand on his chest and your left hand just behind his neck.
With your right hand steady and stationary, move your left hand down your dog’s back, over his rear end, and down his legs until you reach the knee joints.
With your left hand, press gently in the knees to coax your dog into a sitting position.
With your left hand on the dog’s rump, hold your dog in the sitting position for 10 seconds.
Release your hands after 10 seconds and give verbal praise, such as “good boy” or “good dog.” Use the same verbal praise phrase and intonation every time you perform the sit exercise. It’s best to remain silent during the exercise until you reach this step.

The Down Exercise

In the down position modeling exercise, you’ll lift your dog and then lie him down on the floor with his paws stretched in front of him.

Sit or kneel on the floor with your dog standing on your left side.
Put your left hand behind his front left leg and your right hand behind his right front leg. Position each hand behind the knee joint—you’ll need the leverage and support of the knee to lift up your dog.
Using only your fingers—not your thumbs—lift up your dog by the front legs slowly, until his body is at about a 45° angle to the ground. Keep your thumbs pointing up—don’t clasp them against your dog’s legs.
Lower your dog to a lying-down position, and keep your thumbs pointed up at the sides of each leg. Using your left arm to provide support, hold your dog gently in place for 10 seconds.
After 10 seconds, give verbal praise and let him up. As with the sit exercise, It’s best to remain silent during the exercise until you reach this step.

If the Modeling Exercises Don’t Work

Most dogs respond readily to the sit and down exercises and in turn will accept you as their pack leader. For dogs who resist or don’t catch on right away, some trainers advocate performing extended versions of the sit and down exercises, in which you hold the dog in the sit or down position for 10 minutes or more in order to establish your dominance definitively. Though you can try these extended versions of the sit and down exercises, if you’re truly getting the sense that your dog isn’t accepting you as his pack leader, seek the help of a professional trainer.

Modeling vs. “Sit” and “Down” Commands

The modeling exercises explained above are not intended to teach your dog to respond to the common “sit” and “down” commands, which are covered later in this guide. Rather, they’re intended solely to help establish your role as your dog’s pack leader.

Acknowledgments & Disclaimer