The sigmoid kernel was quite popular for support vector machines due to its origin from neural networks. However, as the kernel matrix may not be positive semidefinite (PSD), it is not widely used and the behavior is unknown. In this paper, we analyze such non-PSD kernels through the point of view of separability. Based on the investigation of parameters in different ranges, we show that for some parameters, the kernel matrix is conditionally positive definite (CPD), a property which explains its practical viability. Experiments are given to illustrate our analysis. Finally, we discuss how to solve the non-convex dual problems by SMO-type decomposition methods. Suitable modifications for any symmetric non-PSD kernel matrices are proposed with convergence proofs.