How to teach a dog to lie down

It is important that you teach your dog to lie down, since there will definitely be times when you will need to command them to do so. Although it takes some time, here’s how to teach a dog to lie down.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Treats
• Patience

1. Tell the dog to sit. Before teaching them to lie down, you should teach them to sit, as this is a "building block" to the lie down command.

2. Place a treat on the floor in front of them as you say “lie,” “down” or whatever other command you have chosen for lie down.

3. Use a hand motion while also saying the command. This will teach the dog to watch you. After lots of practice, you should be able to simply do the motion without saying the command, and the dog will lie down.

4. Repeat the process many times so that the dog knows what lie down means. Keep practicing each day until the dog can do it without putting the treat on the floor in front of him.

5. Finally remove the treat altogether and simply praise your dog when she follows your commands.