Most dogs are not stubborn, although many owners express frustration that their dog is either stubborn or just won't listen. They can tell him to sit multiple times to no avail. There are some answers on what is going wrong.
Training environment- you need to start out in a quiet, enclosed training environment with minimal distractions. Be sure your dog can pay attention to listen before asking the dog to sit when outside in a public area. Build up to the level of distraction slowly.
Little to no engagement- It does little good to tell the dog to sit if he is not even looking at you or paying attention. Getting our dog to focus on us using a happy voice, toys and treats helps our pup to want to interact with us rather than their environment.
Unclear cues- Dogs understand body language and facial expressions far better than the spoken language. Use hand motions/lures to direct your dog into the desired position. Once he assumes the sit, immediately say "Yes!" to mark the behavior and give him a treat. Do this three times. Then add in the command to sit. Precede the command with the dog's name and only give them the command ONE time! Example: "Garnet, Sit!" while using a hand motion immediately followed with a treat once her butt hits the floor. Quit after just a few repetitions, ending on a very good, happy note.
Lack of a "paycheck"- Most dogs thrive on mental and physical stimulation such as sniffing, licking, pawing, chasing, rolling, etc. You would not like to work at a job for long without a paycheck. In the dog's world, our paycheck has to be more rewarding than that of the environment (like squirrel chasing). Re-read #2 above. Dogs are not robots, so we need to make sure their doggie needs are met and reward them with something of high value to them for following a few commands well. I have a dog with a very high ball/retrieving drive. I ask for him to to follow 3 or 4 commands with focus, then I get his ball that is set to the side and throw it a few times as his high value reward. I put the ball aside again and ask my dog to have a focused "heel" in a figure eight and walking at various speeds for about a minute, then a fun game of fetch. As your dog gets older, extend the amount of tasks he must do and the length of time or distractions before he gets his "paycheck". Failing to praise your dog for his good behavior and efforts will result in your dog choosing to ignore you and your commands. Happy training!
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