Raising Puppies

Step 1:

a) Have several treats in your hand. Give the cue "Sit.' As soon as your puppy sits, mark "Yes!" and give her a treat.
b) Your friend should approach your puppy. Before she can get up to greet him, mark "Yes!" and give her another treat.
c) Your friend should reach under your puppy's chin for her to sniff his hand, then pet her. Mark "Yes!" and give her -** a treat as long as her rear end remains on the ground.
d) As long as your puppy remains in a sit, give her an occasional "Yes!" and a treat.

If you only allow your puppy to be petted when she's sitting, she'll learn that that's how she gets attention. You will end up with a puppy who goes up to people and sits. This is a lovely behavior, because a puppy who is sitting is not jumping up or knocking people over. Make sure that all your friends, family, and even strangers only pet your puppy when she's politely sitting. She'll make a great greeting impression!

Step 2:

a) If your puppy gets up, your friend should immediately fold his arms across his chest and look away from your puppy. He should completely ignore her.
b) Don't repeat the sit cue. Instead, use your hand signal to lure her into a sit. As soon as she sits again, mark "Yes" and give her a treat. Your friend should start petting your puppy again.
c) As long as your puppy is sitting, give her treats and attention. When she's not sitting, give her neither. She will learn that all she has to do is to sit to get the good stuff.
d) Give your puppy the release cue "Okay!"

Troubleshooting: What if your puppy keeps getting up over and over? Go back to practicing the sit cue without the petting part; she may need more practice. Be sure that you are not rewarding her for getting up before you give your release cue. Remember, rewards to your puppy can be you saying, "Sit! Sit! Sit!" over and over again, because that's attention. Also, shorten the amount of time that you're expecting her to sit still and be petted. You may be asking too much of her at this point.

What Not to Do

Do not knee your puppy in the chest or pinch her toes or use any other kind of physical punishment if she jumps on you. This can backfire. You may teach her not to jump on you, but she'll probably still jump on a child, senior citizen, or anyone else who can't use strong force to stop her. Or you'll teach her to be afraid of you. Instead, use the lessons in this section so that everyone in you family can benefit.

If you have a shy or fearful puppy, do not make her sit for petting. You may be asking too much of her to expect her to sit still while what she perceives as a monster approaches her. She may be so frightened that she snaps or growls. If you have a shy puppy, work with a professional trainer to help her overcome her fearfulness.