Brandon McMillan’s 7 Tips for Teaching Your Dog to Sit

Brandon McMillan is a renowned animal trainer who has spent most of his life working with domesticated and wild animals. The Emmy Award-winning host of the critically acclaimed CBS series Lucky Dogs comes from a family of wild animal trainers—Brandon began helping raise tigers by the age of four. The animals he’s trained have appeared in countless television commercials and motion pictures, including the comedy blockbuster, The Hangover (2009). In 2016, Brandon released his first book, Lucky Dog Lessons: Train Your Dog in 7 Days. After spending a year training a service dog for an injured combat veteran, Brandon realized his calling was in training dogs to change people’s lives. To further his goals, Brandon co-founded the Argus Service Dog Foundation, an organization that trains service dogs to assist veterans with disabilities.

There’s no set order for training commands, but renowned dog trainer Brandon McMillan thinks the sit command is a good starting point. The sitting position provides a strong foundation and offers a natural transition to the other common commands. With every command you teach, you’re going to employ both a verbal command and a hand signal. You’ll want to teach both at the same time. To teach your new puppy or older dog this basic command, check out Brandon’s training tips:

1. 1. Gain control. Before attempting this dog training command, make sure your dog is leashed and you have control.
2. 2. Step on the leash. Stand in front of your dog and step on the leash to prevent them from jumping up. Make sure you’re giving enough lead to prevent choking, but not so much that they can jump up on you.
3. 3. Position the treat. Hold a dog treat between your first two fingers and place your hand palm-side up at a 45-degree angle above your dog’s head, about six inches from their snout. The placement of the treat above the head is key—your goal is to hold the treat just outside of your dog’s peripheral view because they can’t bend their neck to look up any higher. The only possible way to see the treat is for them to enter the sit position, which brings the treat into their line of sight.
4. 4. Provide a verbal cue. When your dog or puppy sits, say “sit,” making sure to enunciate. Say it with emphasis. Make it a command, not a request.
5. 5. Use positive reinforcement. As soon as your dog sits, reward them with the treat and heavy praise, like saying “good dog” or a few moments of petting.
6. 6. Repeat the training. Repeat the process for up to 15 minutes, always making sure to reset your dog so they are under control and attentive before you begin the command.
7. 7. Trust. As your dog gets better and better at the technique and stops jumping up for the treat, remove your foot from the leash.

Your dream of having a dog who understands words like “sit,” “stay,” “down,” and—crucially—”no” is just a MasterClass Annual Membership away. The only things you’ll need to train up a well-behaved pup are your laptop, a big bag of treats, and our exclusive instructional videos from superstar animal trainer Brandon McMillan.