This second command is very useful to a family situation.  You can ask that your dog sit while preparing its meal, so that it is not jumping and dancing everywhere.  When you have people over to visit you can ask your canine friend to sit and know he will be observing everyone and everything going on.  The command “sit” is used in combination with a number of other commands as well.  Again, you, the trainer, will be using verbal, hand and body signals simultaneously.
     The verbal signal is much like that for heeling; “Jenny, sit.”
     The hand signal is the right hand, with thumb touching the index and media fingers (the first two fingers).  The thumb and fingers point upwards, almost as if you were holding a treat in your hand.  You bring this signal from your elbow at a slightly down angle up to your waist.
     The dog can either be facing you, which to begin with may be easier, or the dog can be on your left side in the heel position.
     I wish to stress that with a puppy less, more often, is a tried and true method of training.  Their attention spans are not that of an adult human, so try to keep it interesting and challenging for you both.
     While training, the training collar and leash are in use exclusively.  Give the command, and gently pull up on the collar while at the same time pushing down on the rear.  When the dog sits, praise enthusiastically.  Once the puppy/dog gets the idea, combine the command “sit” with the command “heel”.
It is best to start out right from the beginning to teach your dog to “sit square”, when starting the heel.  By this we mean that the dog’s body is parallel to yours, and is not slumped over to one side or the other.  The dog is at attention, ready for your every command.  Then you can expand this to whenever you stop, the dog goes immediately to “sit” without a verbal command.  You may even wish to occasionally tie the leash to your left side, at waist level, and have the dog follow you everywhere you go for a few hours.  This is also an attention trainer, and also increases the bond between you and your dog.
     Just a note here, be gentle in handling a dog’s head when praising and petting him.  A dog’s ears really are sensitive.  Just patting on his chest and stroking him is sufficient for his enjoyment.