How to Teach a Young Puppy The Down Command

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By tcasper
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Teach a Young Puppy The Down Command

This is the easiest way to teach your young puppy the "down" command. This only works for very young puppies that are two or three months old. Older puppies will need to be lured into the down.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

bite-sized treats
patience
a sense of humor

Step 1

Hold a small treat between your fingers. Show it to the puppy so he knows that you have it, but don't give it to him yet.
Step 2

Lower your hand to the ground and hold the treat against the ground. Make sure you hide it enough that he can't take it from your hand.
Step 3

Your puppy should start nosing and/or pawing at the treat to try and get it... make sure you don't give it to him yet!
Step 4

Eventually your puppy will get frustrated and lie down... when he does, tell him "good" and give him the treat. (The word "good" is what marks the right behavior the instant your puppy does it. The treat is what follows when he does something right.)

Tips & Warnings

It helps to use a really good treat for this... hot dogs work well. To give you an example of the size of treat you will need, I cut up one hot dog into about 80 pieces and use one of those pieces.
If your puppy bites at your hand and it is too painful, or if your puppy is over a few months old, don't use this method. Instead, you will have to lure your pup into the down with a treat.