Name, Then Command

The name and the command are two separate jobs. The name buys attention; the command spends it. Run them in order, with a beat between:

Name → pause → command.

"Max" ... he looks ... "sit."

That tiny pause is the whole point. It lets the name do its one job — turning the head toward you — before the real instruction arrives. Skip it and the dog hears one blurred sound instead of a cue plus a clear request.