Hands Off the Hips

The most common mistake is pushing your dog's rear to the floor. It feels efficient, but it backfires. The dog learns nothing about choosing to sit — they learn that you move their body, so they stop trying and wait to be placed.

The other classic trap is nagging: "Sit. Sit. Sit, sit!" Repeat it and your dog learns that the real cue is the whole chant, not the single word — so they wait through the first few before bothering to move.