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.

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
What if I told you there's one answer to solve your
puppies biting, barking, andjumping?
Are you interested?
Stay tuned.
Welcome to the puppy trainingpodcast.
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter and Bella, the online
puppy school.
Here we are all about helpingyou create the best possible

(00:20):
experience raising a puppy.
From training tips to practicaltricks, all aimed at fostering a
happy, well-behaved dog whotruly feels like part of the
family.
So if you are ready to enjoy thejourney and strengthen the bond
with your dog, let's getstarted.
Hello everybody, welcome back tothe Puppy Training Podcast.

(00:42):
If you're new, also I'm gladyou're here.
Now, this is where I help youraise your dog to be your best
friend.
I want you to be able to livelife with your dog, doing the
things you love to do and thatyour dog likes to do together.
So I'm Amy from Baxter andBella, and today we are talking
about one of my favoritefoundational skills called sit
to say please.

(01:03):
This simple little behavior canmake a big difference in
reducing your common puppychallenges like biting, barking,
and jumping.
These are the major concernsthat I hear about as a puppy
trainer.
Having coached thousands offamilies on this tip, I promise
you it works.
It's pretty simple.
So today let's talk about whatit is and how to use it
effectively with your new puppy.

(01:25):
Sit to say please means yourpuppy learns to sit politely to
ask for things they want, likeattention, food, play, or even
to go outside.
It's the canine version ofsaying please.
So instead of jumping, barking,or grabbing, your puppy learns,
oh, if I just sit calmly, then Iget good things, right?

(01:48):
Things that I want to havehappen, happen.
Now, this skill becomes thefoundation for polite behavior
in almost every situationbecause it teaches puppies that
self-control works.
Now, puppies only do what worksfor them.
So as soon as they figure thisout, it's like magic.
Now, puppies naturallycommunicate through movement and
excitement.
They jump up to greet you, theybark to get your attention, they

(02:10):
use their mouths to play andexplore.
And while those behaviors arenormal, they can quickly become
frustrating or even unsafe,especially around children or
guests that are in our home.
Now, sit to say please helpsredirect all that natural puppy
energy into something calm andappropriate.
It's a way of saying, I loveyour attention and I know how to

(02:30):
get it by sitting nicely.
It's pretty cute too when yourpuppy runs over to you and sits.
You know what they're thinking.
Now, when we consistently rewardthe sitting, we're teaching our
puppies that calm behavior isthe key to getting what they
want.
Over time, as patterns begin toform, they begin to offer sits
instead of jumping, barking, orbiting.
It's amazing when you start tosee that shift.

(02:53):
Now, how do we teach it?
We're going to start simple.
Anytime your puppy wantssomething, whether it's food, a
toy, a walk, or even yourattention, pause for just a
moment.
Wait for your puppy to offer asit, or you can prompt one if
needed.
In the beginning, you're goingto have to show them by just
luring them into a sit.

(03:14):
You don't have to say a cue oranything, just lower them into
position.
As soon as your puppy's bottomhits 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'rewaiting, you're pausing for that
moment so they can figure out,oh, I have to sit first.
Now we're going to repeat thisthroughout your day.

(03:34):
So before meals, before openingthe door, before petting or
playing, before tossing a toy,before greeting anyone new, the
more you practice, the fasteryour puppy learns that sitting
politely is the key that unlocksall the good stuff in life.
One of the most helpful times touse this behavior, sit to say

(03:54):
please, is when guests comeover.
Puppies are often so excited tomeet new people that they jump,
bark, or mouth.
Now here's how to set everyoneup for success.
First, have your puppy on leashwhen the guests come in so you
can guide and prevent thejumping.
Ask your puppy to sit beforethey're allowed to say hello.
If your puppy sits, the guestcan calmly greet and pet them.
If your puppy jumps, thegreeting stops.

(04:16):
We simply wait and pause.
Try again once your puppy'scalm.
Reward sitting and calm behavioroften.
Now, over time, your puppylearns that calm sitting is that
magic behavior that gets themwhat they want, love and
attention.
This does take extra effort.
It does take you being willingto pause.
And in our society, we're afast-paced society.

(04:37):
That's the hardest part.
People just want to greet theguest and have the guest come in
and just go through all of themotions.
But you've got to pause.
You have to wait for your puppyto process and think, oh, what
do I do?
What do I do?
How do I get this person to sayhi to me?
Oh, I sit.
And the moment they sit, we haveto mark yes and then reward
them.
We can get down on their leveland pet them and say hi and

(04:58):
greet them because they askednicely.
All right, this is alsoimportant if you have young kids
at home.
Puppies and children are bothfull of energy and that
combination can get chaoticpretty quickly.
We want to teach our kids to askthe puppy to sit before
interacting.
For example, before your childthrows a ball, ask the puppy to
sit.

(05:18):
Before giving them a foodreward, get that sit again.
Before petting, get that sit.
And we can teach your kids howto use a target hand.
Basically, they're putting ahand down low so the puppy's
attention is drawn down towardstheir hand.
Then they can lure that hand upover the puppy's nose and head
until the puppy sits.
Then we can mark yes, and thenwe can toss the toy or toss the

(05:38):
food reward.
You can be right there to helpyour child be successful with
all of this.
But this gives your puppy aclear, calm way to earn fun
interactions while helping yourkids feel more confident and in
control of the situation.
It also keeps puppy teeth off oflittle fingers and reduces
overexcitement during playtime.
Now your kids can reward fromtheir hands.

(06:00):
If they don't like that, that'sokay.
We can drop the food reward onthe 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 mostpowerful habits you can build.
It teaches puppies self-control,politeness, confidence, and most
importantly, that good thingscome to those who wait.

(06:20):
So it is a simple behavior.
It does take consistency andpatience.
Again, that pause is sometimesthe hardest part.
You will need to show your puppythe first few times what this
looks like.
But then after that, you canjust wait and they'll do it
automatically.
By practicing sit to say pleasedaily at doors, before meals,
during play, and with guests orkids, you'll notice that your

(06:41):
puppy does less barking, biting,and jumping because they're more
patient.
They know how to wait for goodthings to come versus these
impulsive behaviors that theyused to use to get things right
away.
And your puppy will be a calmer,more thoughtful dog who knows
how to ask nicely for thingsthey want.
Thanks for listening to thisepisode of the Puppy Training
Podcast.

(07:01):
If you want step-by-stepguidance, videos, printable
resources to help you implementthis sit to say please, visit us
at baxterandbella.com where wecan help you train your dog.
Thanks for tuning in to thePuppy Training Podcast.
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
about raising your dog.

(07:22):
Remember, with a little patienceand consistency, you can create
a loving bond and a well-behavedpup who's a joy to have in your
family.
If you found this episodehelpful, be sure to subscribe,
leave a review, and share itwith fellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visit Baxterand Bella online.
Until next time, happy training.