Episode #249 Sit to Say Please — Building Manners from the Start

Does your puppy love to bark, bite, or jump for attention? In this episode, Amy explains how teaching your puppy to “Sit to Say Please” can turn all that wild puppy energy into calm, polite behavior. You’ll learn what Sit to Say Please means, why it’s such an effective tool for reducing unwanted behaviors, and exactly how to use it in real-life situations — like when guests come over or when kids are playing with the puppy.

Discover how this one simple habit teaches your puppy self-control, manners, and confidence — helping them understand that good things come to those who wait!

Tune in and start practicing Sit to Say Please today to build a lifetime of polite, positive interactions between your puppy, your family, and your friends.

Chapters

• 0:00 The One-Answer Tease
• 0:09 Meet Amy and the Mission
• 0:55 Why Sit to Say Please Works
• 2:57 Teaching the Skill Step by Step
• 3:51 Greeting Guests Without Chaos
• 5:02 Kids, Puppies, and Calm Play
• 6:06 Consistency, Patience, and Daily Routines
• 6:59 Resources and Next Steps

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

What if I told you there's one answer to solve your puppies biting, barking, and jumping? Are you interested? Stay tuned. Welcome to the puppy training podcast. I'm Amy Jensen, founder of Baxter and Bella, the online puppy school. Here we are all about helping you create the best possible experience raising a puppy. From training tips to practical tricks, all aimed at fostering a happy, well-behaved dog who truly feels like part of the family. So if you are ready to enjoy the journey and strengthen the bond with your dog, let's get started. Hello everybody, welcome back to the Puppy Training Podcast. If you're new, also I'm glad you're here. Now, this is where I help you raise your dog to be your best friend. I want you to be able to live life with your dog, doing the things you love to do and that your dog likes to do together. So I'm Amy from Baxter and Bella, and today we are talking about one of my favorite foundational skills called sit to say please. This simple little behavior can make a big difference in reducing your common puppy challenges like biting, barking, and jumping. These are the major concerns that I hear about as a puppy trainer. Having coached thousands of families on this tip, I promise you it works. It's pretty simple. So today let's talk about what it is and how to use it effectively with your new puppy. Sit to say please means your puppy learns to sit politely to ask for things they want, like attention, food, play, or even to go outside. It's the canine version of saying please. So instead of jumping, barking, or grabbing, your puppy learns, oh, if I just sit calmly, then I get good things, right? Things that I want to have happen, happen. Now, this skill becomes the foundation for polite behavior in almost every situation because it teaches puppies that self-control works. Now, puppies only do what works for them. So as soon as they figure this out, it's like magic. Now, puppies naturally communicate through movement and excitement. They jump up to greet you, they bark to get your attention, they use their mouths to play and explore. And while those behaviors are normal, they can quickly become frustrating or even unsafe, especially around children or guests that are in our home. Now, sit to say please helps redirect all that natural puppy energy into something calm and appropriate. It's a way of saying, I love your attention and I know how to get it by sitting nicely. It's pretty cute too when your puppy runs over to you and sits. You know what they're thinking. Now, when we consistently reward the sitting, we're teaching our puppies that calm behavior is the key to getting what they want. Over time, as patterns begin to form, they begin to offer sits instead of jumping, barking, or biting. It's amazing when you start to see that shift. Now, how do we teach it? We're going to start simple. Anytime your puppy wants something, whether it's food, a toy, a walk, or even your attention, pause for just a moment. Wait for your puppy to offer a sit, or you can prompt one if needed. In the beginning, you're going to have to show them by just luring them into a sit. You don't have to say a cue or anything, just lower them into position. As soon as your puppy's bottom hits the floor, say yes and give them what they wanted. It could be again that food, praise, or even the opportunity to go outside. You open the door, but you're waiting, you're pausing for that moment so they can figure out, oh, I have to sit first. Now we're going to repeat this throughout your day. So before meals, before opening the door, before petting or playing, before tossing a toy, before greeting anyone new, the more you practice, the faster your puppy learns that sitting politely is the key that unlocks all the good stuff in life. One of the most helpful times to use this behavior, sit to say please, is when guests come over. Puppies are often so excited to meet new people that they jump, bark, or mouth. Now here's how to set everyone up for success. First, have your puppy on leash when the guests come in so you can guide and prevent the jumping. Ask your puppy to sit before they're allowed to say hello. If your puppy sits, the guest can calmly greet and pet them. If your puppy jumps, the greeting stops. We simply wait and pause. Try again once your puppy's calm. Reward sitting and calm behavior often. Now, over time, your puppy learns that calm sitting is that magic behavior that gets them what they want, love and attention. This does take extra effort. It does take you being willing to pause. And in our society, we're a fast-paced society. That's the hardest part. People just want to greet the guest and have the guest come in and just go through all of the motions. But you've got to pause. You have to wait for your puppy to process and think, oh, what do I do? What do I do? How do I get this person to say hi to me? Oh, I sit. And the moment they sit, we have to mark yes and then reward them. We can get down on their level and pet them and say hi and greet them because they asked nicely. All right, this is also important if you have young kids at home. Puppies and children are both full of energy and that combination can get chaotic pretty quickly. We want to teach our kids to ask the puppy to sit before interacting. For example, before your child throws a ball, ask the puppy to sit. Before giving them a food reward, get that sit again. Before petting, get that sit. And we can teach your kids how to use a target hand. Basically, they're putting a hand down low so the puppy's attention is drawn down towards their hand. Then they can lure that hand up over the puppy's nose and head until the puppy sits. Then we can mark yes, and then we can toss the toy or toss the food reward. You can be right there to help your child be successful with all of this. But this gives your puppy a clear, calm way to earn fun interactions while helping your kids feel more confident and in control of the situation. It also keeps puppy teeth off of little fingers and reduces overexcitement during playtime. Now your kids can reward from their hands. If they don't like that, that's okay. We can drop the food reward on the floor and they can collect it on the ground. All right, now sit to say, please sounds pretty simple, I know. And it is one of the most powerful habits you can build. It teaches puppies self-control, politeness, confidence, and most importantly, that good things come to those who wait. So it is a simple behavior. It does take consistency and patience. Again, that pause is sometimes the hardest part. You will need to show your puppy the first few times what this looks like. But then after that, you can just wait and they'll do it automatically. By practicing sit to say please daily at doors, before meals, during play, and with guests or kids, you'll notice that your puppy does less barking, biting, and jumping because they're more patient. They know how to wait for good things to come versus these impulsive behaviors that they used to use to get things right away. And your puppy will be a calmer, more thoughtful dog who knows how to ask nicely for things they want. Thanks for listening to this episode of the Puppy Training Podcast. If you want step-by-step guidance, videos, printable resources to help you implement this sit to say please, visit us at baxterandbella.com where we can help you train your dog. Thanks for tuning in to the Puppy Training Podcast. I hope today's tips help you feel more confident and excited about raising your dog. Remember, with a little patience and consistency, you can create a loving bond and a well-behaved pup who's a joy to have in your family. If you found this episode helpful, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with fellow puppy parents. For more resources, visit Baxter and Bella online. Until next time, happy training.