[Ed]

From what I have seen on the AMAs and chats you do not want to put too much pressure on a puppy that young. So if you can do it with shaping and, like you said a wall, and the dog is happy to do it that is cool. But based on previous answers at 4 months we do as much as we can to let the puppy be a puppy.

It might be worthwhile to ask in the AMA or chat what would be a low pressure way to fix a sit.

If it is lopsided, the down or the sit, you can use a narrow platform a little bit longer than the dog and a couple of inches wider, 3-4 inches tall. Then do the sits and downs on that. The dog will self correct. In the beginning he/she may have a leg off the platform, but I do not think there is a need to correct as it will fix itself as you soldier on. I made one like that and covered with some carpet as just the wood was too slippery. Good luck!!

[Ed]

This is what it looks like

[Bill]

Hi @jandoraa From my perspective, accepting sloppy in an age appropriate and trained behavior is tantamount to encouraging it and therefore repositioning to a proper sit should be done each time. I am not suggesting corrections at all. Simply reposition yourself so the dog has another try. If you get a sloppy sit, take a couple steps forward and stop again and praise the desired sit. If you note your dog is usually too far forward or sideways, monitor how they enter their proximal position. On a structured obedience walk you can try taking a few slower steps before stopping as a non-verbal queue that you will be stopping – this signals the dog so they can prepare and position. The intent here is to increase muscle memory so they always get it right. If you accept the sloppy sit now-it will likely be really hard to fix it later as they will be doing what you have previously accepted. Happy training😎

[Jandoraa]

Thanks for the input!!