Dog is napping at my daughters and not performing sit right when I ask. He takes his sweet time.

German Shepherd is showing you a "why bother rushing?" response — classic German Shepherd. This breed processes commands deliberately and will test whether your cue actually means *now* or just *eventually*. The skill to build here is **cue urgency**: German Shepherd learns that the moment he hears "sit," speed is what earns the reward.

Here's today's exercise. Grab 10 high-value treats — real meat, not kibble. Stand in a calm room. Say "sit" once in a neutral tone. The moment his hips hit the floor, mark with "yes" and reward. That's one rep. Now here's the key: if he slow-rolls it past three seconds, turn your back for five seconds, then reset and try again. No second command, no body language hints. The absence of reward teaches him that delay costs him.

Run 10 reps in a single five-minute session. Your success marker is German Shepherd sitting within two seconds of the cue on 8 out of 10 reps. If he's hitting under 50% after the full session, shorten your distance to him — you may be too far away for him to read your energy clearly.

Do this session after he wakes from the nap, not before — a rested dog responds faster and learns the timing association more cleanly.

The next step is adding a hand signal simultaneously so German Shepherd responds to both cue types with the same urgency.