The Effectiveness of a Correct Sit

'Sit' is one of the first commands many dog owners teach their dogs. This could be for obedience or work purposes, such as gundogs. Using the 'sit' command is one of the building blocks to other tricks and commands, but did you know that incorrect sitting forms will have an effect on the dog's musculoskeletal system? When a dog sits, he uses his core muscles, such as the internal and external obliques, epaxials, hypaxials and iliopsoas. In the hindlimb he uses the adductors, gluteals and sartorious muscles. If a dog sits wonky, his musculature strength and condition may not be even on each side which could lead to injury, especially on the weaker side.

Firstly, let's talk about the correct form of a sit.

In the photo above, Nala is sat with her hind legs tucked alongside her body, knees and toes all pointing forwards. Her forelimbs are straight, and elbows are pointing backwards with her shoulders down.

Now, in the photo above, JoJo is performing an incorrect sit.

As you can see, she is almost sitting on her bum, more so on her right. She has slumped over onto the right leg.

If this is how she sits normally, her left side will become weaker as the muscles in this leg will not be used like the right, however this type of sit will show weakness in both hindlimbs and should be corrected in order to prevent the muscles from wasting.

Incorrect sitting posture can indicate underlying issues such as hip dysplasia, but sometimes bad posture can just be a habit and be due to the lack of musculature strength and condition.

How many times did your mother used to tell you to 'sit up straight!'? This is just like that!

How can I correct my pet's sloppy sit?

Firstly, make sure that your pet's sit is not due to discomfort. You can do this by seeking advice from your vet.

Once you know that your dog's sit is just out of habit, you can start to re-train the command. Every time you ask for the command, if it is not done correctly, ask again before rewarding when he does do it correctly.

It might be useful to use a wall against one side of your pet on the side which tends to be forced out when he sits. You could also use a step like Shady is showing in the photo below. A narrow step will force the dog to tuck himself in as to not fall off the step.