Training Your Dog To Lie Down
Posted on Feb 09, 2008 under Dog Training |The benefit for training your dog to the “down” position is that your dog is not knocking over the furniture or small children. It is also leads naturally to subsequent behaviors such as “rollover”, “crawl” and other keen tricks.
Fortunately, training your dog to lie down is not that difficult. By observing the dog and waiting for a movement from standing or sitting to down, when you see it occurring, execute a unique voice command and hand gesture.
After the command when the behavior is complete, praise lavishly. At first, the dog will have no idea why it’s being praised. With repetition the behavior will follow the command. It is results you are after.
Most dogs will not perform the desired behavior on command the first few times. Be patient and clear and consistent. Encourage the behavior by taking a treat or favored toy and putting the dog in a “sit”, and then move the treat or toy all the way to the ground just in front of its nose.
After several repetitions with the treat or toy, try just using a “waving down” hand movement, palm toward the floor or ground. Never reward with praise or treat until the behavior is complete and correct, but also don’t become tense or angry after failure.
Remembering, patient and commitment are keys to successfully training any dog behavior.
