Sit By My Side

Sit by my side involves just the hand and voice signals. The left palm comes up, till your elbow is bent ninety degrees. In due course, all you'll need to do is cup your palm. But for now, let's make it easy for your dog to notice.
Sounds pretty easy, so let's throw in some body language.

Before any command in these series has been completed by your dog, the next command in that series will be issued. We will do this slowly, so that your dog can think out what you are asking, yet moving into the next phase before the prior has been completed. Not too slowly, but not too fast. You're going to be leading and directing his attention, rather than his body.
His body will follow his attention and thoughts. Your hand signal for "return to heel" is going to be with your left index finger, pointing to the ground just behind your left side, as you look down toward your finger. Leaning your weight on to your right foot, so as to facilitate the movement of your left foot signal, just about one half step backward, not too far so as to lose balance, but enough to get your dog inspired to move.

This is an action command, and the motion you use will help start your dogs' movement. At the same time your left foot moves, your hand signal and eyes will be pointing and moving in sync with your foot, as your upper body twists, just kind of a 1/4 turn left twist of your upper body as your foot moves, and back to forward.

"Back to work, heel, good boy, nice dog, sit, stay, good dog." That's your voice command to get him to the return to heel position. When this series has finished, and while your still saying "good dog," you'll need to pat him, just once or twice on his chest, as you give him his next command to "sit straight," and adjust his front square at your side, by lifting his weight by his breast bone, and move his front just a little, as you help (actually cheat), by adjusting yourself at the same time to be square at the heel position.

Next, run your hand from his breast bone up under his throat, to his chin, at which point you'll repeat your stay signal, as you run your hand down one side of his body from the left shoulder down along his ribs. Then the right side, then, to one front foot, then the next. You'll see later. When you are ready to begin the "return to heel command," take a "fix" on a land mark, so as to be sure to be able to orient yourselves to that point after your dog has completed sitting.

At the beginning, we'll not worry too much about this orientation, or for that matter, any orientation at this point, but it will quickly become extremely important to be precise. .