In this article we will explain how to teach your dog the “down” command, and also cover some of the problems you may come across while training this command with your dog.
With your dog in the sitting position, kneel at his right side and hold his collar in your left hand.
While holding a food treat in your right hand, place it near your dog’s nose to get his attention, and start to move it downwards.
As your dog’s nose follows the treat down towards the floor, move it forwards in front of his body. The moment your dog starts to lie down, say the command “Down”.
Keep moving the treat forwards until your dog is lying down completely. Reward your dog with verbal praise and give him the food reward.
You should keep repeating this exercise frequently, until your dog will respond to verbal commands and verbal praise on their own.
If your dog refuses to lie down, then here’s what you do: Kneel down with your puppy sitting on your left side. Place your right palm under your dog’s right foreleg, and your left palm under his left foreleg. Then raise him to a “begging” position.
Next: Lower your puppy into the lying down position, and reward him with praise. Repeat this enough times for your dog to follow the step-by-step method above.
If your puppy tries to jump up before he has completed the training exercise, apply gentle pressure over him to keep him down. Don’t be too forceful. After a few seconds release him.
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Lie Down