How To Teach A Dog/Puppy To Lay Down?
You can do a great deal to teach your dog to lie down (also called the drop) even before formal training begins. Whenever you see that your dog is about to lie down, say, “down”.
The secret to doing this effectively is in the timing. You must give the command to “down” as soon as you see that your puppy or dog is about to lie down. If you observe your dog, you will soon pick up tell tale signs that will tell you that your dog is about to lie down.
If your dog has already lain down, then giving the command will not be effective. Giving the command too soon and you run the risk of being fooled into thinking your dog is about to lie down, when in fact it was not about to do so.
Formal teaching or training a dog to lie down, or drop, is best started after the dog has learnt to sit.
Again a treat is a great aid in teaching your dog to lie down.
First command your dog to sit. Bring a treat placed in your hand, in front and slightly below your dog’s nose. Move the treat away from your dog and obliquely down to the ground. If done correctly the dog, from the sit position, will follow the treat and move into the down position.
Remember the treat should be positioned just in front of your dog’s nose and moved away as he moves his head towards it. You will by the movement of the treat cause your dog to lie down.
Say “down” as soon as your dog starts to extend his legs into the down position.
Normally the dog will be able to follow this training quite easily. If he doesn’t, examine your technique for potential errors. Are you moving your hand too quickly or too slowly? Perhaps your hand is too high causing the dog to stand instead of lying down.
With a limited amount of practice, with careful observation as to how your dog reacts you should soon develop an effective technique for your dog.
I have found that the most effective position for positioning the treat in the hand is by holding the treat with the thumb against the palm, as far to the center of the palm as I can. I then ensure that the palm is mainly facing downwards towards the ground. This means that the dog will be more prone to follow the hand in his attempt to obtain the treat, than would otherwise be the case if the treat was on top of the hand and easily available to the dog.
As soon as you feel that your dog has got the idea introduce a hand signal with the command down. This is slightly more difficult, as, because of the hand signal, you will have to dispense with the moving of the treat to encourage him to lie down.
However if you have done a good job with the previous training you will find that it will no longer be necessary. Your dog will lie down simply because he wants the treat as reward and he knows that he needs to lie down to receive it.
Standing in front of your dog, command him to “down” or “drop” (whichever command you prefer) at the same time show the hand signal. Whichever command you choose, be sure, in future, to only use that command.
What hand signal you use is a matter of preference. I move my right hand with an open palm facing down and lower the hand as I give the down command.
Extend the dog’s training so that he will respond to the “down” or “drop” command with the hand signal only. This is really a lot easier than it seems and requires only a little further training.
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