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“Good Dog!” NOT “Good Sit”

You hear it all the time. “Sit, Fido.” (Fido sits). “Good sit!” It’s in my old training, too, but it’s a habit I’m mostly over. It’s not helpful for dogs when you use the cue (like “sit”) in the praise. It’s probably actually making your dog learn more slowly

Praising your dog or puppy is excellent, it’s just saying the cue in the praise that’s not. Give your dog the cue before the behavior. What does “Good Sit” mean? If you say, “Good Sit,” are you telling your dog she was good and then asking her to sit again? Not usually. So your dog gets tons of practice ignoring you when you say sit. It confuses your dog and makes you an inconsistent trainer, making your dog inconsistent too!

So the order might be, “Fifi, Sit.” (Fifi sits) “Good choice!!” or “Great Job!” The praise can be anything that doesn’t involve SIT. Happy Sitting!