The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs

by Patricia B. McConnell

Even if you are clear and consistent with your signals, be sure your dog defines them the same way that you do. For example, I suspect that most dogs and owners define the simple word sit differently. If you’re like most pet dog owners, you taught your dog to sit by calling her to come, telling her to sit, and then reinforcing her after she did. To us “sit” is a posture. We define “sit” as a position in which the dog’s hindquarters are flexed, her rear is on the ground, and her forelegs are straight, with front paws flat on the ground. “Sit.” Simple. And it looks as if your dog defines it the same way, too, because most of the time when you tell your dog to sit, I’ll bet she does just that. But what does she do if she’s lying down and you say “Sit”? Unless you’ve specifically taught her to sit up, she probably will stay lying down. What if she’s already sitting? Many dogs actually lie down if you repeat “Sit” while they’re sitting. What if you ask your dog to sit when she’s 15 feet away from you? If she’s like most dogs, she’ll happily trot to you and sit facing you, just as she was when you first taught her to sit. My guess is that most dogs think that sit means go to your owner’s legs, stand in front of him or her, and go part of the way down toward the ground.

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