How to Teach a German Shepherd to Sit

Co-authored by Haley Yates

Last Updated: December 23, 2024

German Shepherds are known throughout the world for their obedience and love for their masters. A dog's training begins from its litter while the best learning stage in the life of dogs is the time between the first 12-14 weeks of its life. While it is true that a young dog/puppy is trained more easily a larger dog can also be trained with a bit of patience. Probably the most common trick taught to dogs is to sit . Here's how your GSD can learn to sit.

Steps

Alternatively any homemade tidbit is also suitable.
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Hold the treat in your hand and slowly move it towards nose of your dog , don't hold it too close and neither too far, hold it it just out of reach of the dog's mouth.^{[1]
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Haley Yates
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The moment your dog's body/behind touches the ground say "sit" and stretch out your open hand to make a sign/hand command like the ones shown in the pictures attached with this step and give them the dog treat in your hand.
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Train every day until dog gets the idea. When your dog gets to know how to sit, stop using the whole procedure mentioned above and ask him/her to sit, first with both verbal and hand commands. Then slowly drop the hand commands sometimes using only the verbal command to see if your dog responds and then drop the hand command altogether.
- If you train your GSD in the most effective time of the day(see tips), along with other times of the day and in different places, within 2-4 days your dog will be able to sit at hand command and in another week or so like a pro at verbal command.
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How do you train a big dog at home?

Dani Pedraza
Professional Dog Trainer
Dani Pedraza is a Professional Dog Trainer and a Co-Owner of The Big City Woof Walker with presences in NYC and Chicago. Dani is passionate about providing personal, quality pet service and treatment and is very knowledgeable about training dogs using positive reinforcement and a force-free approach. As a Certified Dog Trainer (CCDT), Dani graduated from CATCH Canine Trainer Academy’s Master Course program.

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Expert Answer

Make sure that you have the right equipment on hand, like a harness, so you can have better control over your dog. Try to focus your training on keeping your dog from jumping up on people, and teaching them to have a more calm and settled temperament. Also, prioritize teaching them how to respond to their name when they're called so they can get that behavior down.

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What to do if your dog refuses to sit?

Haley Yates
Dog Behavior & Training Expert
Haley Yates is a Dog Behavior & Training Expert and the Founder of Petra K9 Dog Training in San Jose, California. With several years of experience, she specializes in behavior modification as well as obedience training. She is an in-home dog trainer and teaches owners how to train their own dogs. She’s previously worked at several dog training facilities and taken classes to perfect her techniques.

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Well, I think the positioning of the treat is also really important. If you're trying the treat technique and it's not working, it might be because you're just putting the treat on the dog's nose and pushing them back, making them walk backwards or do another movement. So, you want to point the nose to the ceiling or the sky. And a lot of times, it’ll get the dog to sit immediately.

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I have a German shepherd puppy who I've been training for a while, but only does it when I have a treat. What should I do?

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Do consistent daily training for a couple of weeks, giving a treat when he performs the command. Gradually start shifting to praise and affection for successful accomplishment instead of treats to wean him off of them.

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Give the verbal and hand commands instantly during training^{[4]
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Haley Yates
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Expert Interview} and don't delay the giving of treats or be afraid of presenting your hand with the treat to the dog as no good GSD will bite or snatch if given the treat willingly. (Dogs with an aggressive record are another case).

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Stay, Down, and Come are also great commands to go over with your dog.^{[5]
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German shepherds are naturally energetic and can be trained more easily if they have burned out their energy after a good walk/run and are in a passive state.

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Warnings

Never use chocolates or chocolate flavoured items as treats as they are potentially poisonous for dogs and cats.

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There is no need to shout. Your GSD wants to please you and work for you and is sensitive to the tone of your voice which nevertheless should be pleasant but firm.

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Keep just a few treats with yourself, perhaps in your pocket as seeing a large box of treats might distract the dog.

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Do not train too often or for too long and finish training sessions as soon as he seems disinterested or is there is any attempt of biting or jumping.

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Holding the treat too low means that the dog might try to snatch the treat and bite you in the attempt. (Although a German shepherd will rarely if ever bite an owner).

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Holding the treat too high forces the dog to jump.

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How to Teach a German Shepherd to Sit

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