SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/dog-command-sit-lure

To teach "sit," where do you move the treat?

Up and back over the dog's head.

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  1. Down to the floor
  2. Behind your back
  3. Up and back over its head ✔

Why: Hold a treat above the dog's head and move it up and back. As its nose follows, its rear goes down. Say "sit" as it sits, then reward right away.

Huh, didn't know that: As the dog learns, you can slowly swap treats for praise.

The dad joke
Why did the dog sit so fast? He knew the treat was a sit-uation worth winning.
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References

Answer: Up and back over its head. Hold a treat above the dog's head and move it up and back. As its nose follows, its rear goes down. Say "sit" as it sits, then reward right away.

  1. University of Illinois Extension, Teaching Your Dog Good Behavior (Sit) web.extension.illinois.edu/dogs/goodbehavior.cfm?Slide=2
    Hold a treat above your dog's head and move the treat up and back while he follows with his nose.
    Checked 2026-10-11.

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