How to Train Your Puppy to Lie Down

There are different ways to teach your puppy the down command. I'm going to show you a very easy, gentle method. Never push down on your pup's or dog's hips or shoulders to teach the down command. You could hurt him. This method works great with puppies, and also works with adult dogs, although some adults will need more instruction.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• puppy
• tiny, delicious treats

1. Choose some very tasty treats. These should be very small and easy to chew and swallow. You don't want your puppy to stop in the middle of the lesson to lie down and chew on her treat! So keep it very small, very delicious, and more of a melt in your mouth texture so it will be gone quickly. Chicken hot dogs, cut into small bites, makes an excellent treat for training. I keep a package of chicken hot dogs, all cut up, in a plastic container in the fridge. Other good ideas for treats are freeze dried liver, some of the new training treats, or tiny squares of cheese.

2. Make sure you and your puppy have a quiet place to work. Distractions can come later, but a quiet, distraction free area is best for starting the lessons.

3. Pick up one treat, and hold it in your fingers, but keep your fingers closed, so the puppy cannot get the treat. Hold your hand with the treat in it, close to the pup's nose, and then move your hand down and forward to the floor between the puppy's paws. As the puppy lowers his head to follow your hand with the treat, he will naturally fall into a down position.

4. Make sure you say the word down, only ONCE, at the right time. You should say down, just as the pup is starting to lie down. Timing is critical with all dog training. The puppy will connect the word down with whatever is happening at the moment she hears you say down. So you have to make sure you say down just as she is starting to down (NOT after he has finished lying down).

5. Repeat this exercise several times during each lesson. It should not take many times before your puppy starts to connect the word down to the action of lying down. At first, make a very strong connection between the delicious treat and down, by giving a treat every time. After a while, when the puppy is lying down when you say down, without hesitation or confusion, you can start to tell her down at various times throughout the day, without offering any treat, just pet her and tell her good down. But keep giving the treats at other times, so she will continue to hope for a treat and never know when she will get one. That random treating is what keeps the strongest connection and the strongest response to the command down, once the behavior is learned.

Tips & Warnings

• Let the puppy follow your hand with the treat in it, til he is lying down and give the treat just as you say down.
• Sometimes a puppy will just put his head down, with his rump high in the air. Though this is very cute, it is not the correct down position. So start over, and this time put your hand gently on the pup's rump, so you can guide his whole body into the down positions. Remember you are guiding, NOT pushing.
• Don't make it feel like you are teasing the puppy with the treat. It should be a smooth, quick action.

Resources

• Pet's Perspective Life from your PET'S point of view!

[toogie2]

on 3/3/2009 This really works. (Although I've never been very good at weaning them from the treats.) This kind of psychology can work with cats too, sometimes.

[brandy1123]

on 11/27/2008 GREAT ARTICLE