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How To Teach A Dog To Lay Down Part One — Establishing The Movement
When you teach a dog to lay down, not only are you helping them learn a foundational dog training behavior, but you’re also giving them an alternative to bad behaviors like jumping. Woohoo!
How To Teach A Dog To Lay Down Trainer Tip #1
If your dog jumps on you, a guest, friend, or stranger, don’t say “Down”…unless you really want them to lay all the way down with their entire body on the ground. This is a big ask if you haven’t practiced the down in a less exciting setup and really isn’t necessary. That’s not to say your dog shouldn’t be taught alternate, rewarding behaviors to jumping.
Learn more about addressing your dog’s jumping -COMING SOON-
Helpful Hint
Before you begin to teach a dog to lay down, they should be familiar with the lure.
To learn about this exercise, visit feetandpaws.com/first-thing-to-teach-your-dog
Getting Started To Teach A Dog To Lay Down
There are two starting positions when teaching a dog to lay down, sit and stand. The shape of the lure for each position is an “L” but the starting position determines in which direction you draw the “L”.
SIT
STAND
How To Teach A Dog To Lay Down Trainer Tip #2
You should not have to ask your dog to “Sit” before asking them to “Down”. Follow the steps below to see how to teach a dog to lay down from both Sit and Stand.
Teach A Dog To Lay Down *SIT* Step-By-Step
Goal: Your dog moves from sit to down when you say, “Down” and/or then perform the established Down gesture.
Tools Needed:
Patience
Room with little to no distractions
Time (provide your dog with as many short training sessions as they need)
Small, soft treats prepared into pea-sized pieces
Treat pouch
Non-slippery surface
Your dog’s leash
Words Used: Conditioned reinforcers, “Yes” and “Good” and your release word (“Done”, “Finish”, “Break”). Don’t say “Down” yet!
Step One
Tip: Read through all the steps before beginning.
Prepare a handful of pea-sized treats or kibble, and place them in a treat pouch or small bowl.
Go to a quiet room with your dog that has a non-slippery surface (carpet, yoga mat, etc).
Bait your hand with several treats/kibble or your dog’s kibble, sit on the floor or in a chair either in front or to the side of them, and then bring your closed, baited fist, palm down, to your dog’s nose.
Say, “Yes” the second they look at your fist.
Step Two
With your dog’s nose as a magnet to your baited fist, begin to slowly lower your fist toward the ground immediately below their nose.
Say, “Yes” as their nose follows your fist*. If your dog is hesitant, say “Good” then give them a treat for even looking down or lowering their head even slightly. It helps to present the treat in your flat palm so they have to lower their head to eat it.
*You can repeat “Yes” often…be liberal with it to help your dog know they are on the right path.
Step Three
Continue to lower your closed, baited fist toward the floor, repeating “Yes” as your dog lowers their head.
If your dog doesn’t have any touch sensitivities, you can bring your other hand to their shoulders and begin to scratch them. This massaging can help relax them into a down. You are NOT pushing them down into position.
Step Four
Once your dog’s nose has followed your closed baited fist to the ground, begin to slowly draw your hand AWAY from their chest along the ground, encouraging them to walk their front feet forward. Say “Yes” as their nose follows your baited fist.
Step Five
Continue to draw your hand AWAY from your dog’s chest along the ground, saying “Yes” and massaging their shoulders as needed.
The second your dog’s elbows touch the ground, say “Good” then give them a treat…or two or three…individually so your dog doesn’t think it’s just one treat. Your dog will think, “Wow, I get a lot of yummy food when I’m on the ground like this!”
Step Six
To start establishing your release word* and build a bridge to Down-Stay, say “Break” or whatever you’d like your release word to be, and tap your dog’s shoulders.
Notice I haven’t said, “Down”, yet. This will come in part two of this blog, “How To Teach A Dog To Lay Down — Create The Cue“.
*The release word tells your dog they are done working and are free to do as they please…as long as it’s not a bad or unwanted behavior. They should not break a position or behavior until they hear this word, so when you are first teaching them a new skill, the duration should be short (1-3 seconds) to increase the likelihood they won’t break before you release them.
Down From Sit Lure At A Glance
A nifty gif to show you the “L” shaped lure of the Down From Sit, drawn at your dog’s pace (their nose is a magnet to your baited fist).
Even if you are at your dog’s side, this shape stays the same, with you drawing your baited fist away from your dog’s chest along the ground in the “L” shape, and not toward yourself like when you are in front of them.
Teach A Dog To Lay Down From *STAND* Step-By-Step
Goal: Your dog moves from stand to down when you say, “Down” and/or then perform the established Down gesture.
Tools Needed:
Patience
Room with little to no distractions
Time (provide your dog with as many short training sessions as they need)
Small, soft treats prepared into pea-sized pieces
Treat pouch
Non-slippery surface
Your dog’s leash
Words Used: Conditioned reinforcers, “Yes” and “Good”, release word (“Done”, “Finish”, “Break”), and eventually “Down”
Step One
Tip: Read through all the steps before beginning.
Prepare a handful of pea-sized treats or kibble, and place them in a treat pouch or small bowl.
Go to a quiet room with your dog that has a non-slippery surface (carpet, yoga mat, etc).
Bait your hand with several treats/kibble or your dog’s kibble, sit on the floor or in a chair either in front or to the side of them, and then bring your closed, baited fist, palm down, to your dog’s nose*.
Say, “Yes” the second they look at your fist.
*If your dog is sitting, walk around the room a bit to encourage them to stand, then proceed through the steps of luring down from stand.
Step Two
With your dog’s nose as a magnet to your baited fist, begin to slowly lower your fist toward the ground immediately below their nose.
Say, “Yes” as their nose follows your fist*. If your dog is hesitant, say “Good” then give them a treat for even looking down or lowering their head even slightly. It helps to present the treat in your flat palm so they have to lower their head to eat it.
*You can repeat “Yes” often…be liberal with it to help your dog know they are on the right path.
Step Three
Continue to lower your closed, baited fist toward the floor, repeating “Yes” as your dog lowers their head.
If your dog doesn’t have any touch sensitivities, you can bring your other hand to their shoulders and begin to scratch them. This massaging can help relax them into a down. You are NOT pushing them down into position.
Step Four
Once your dog’s nose has followed your closed baited fist to the ground, begin to slowly draw your hand TOWARD their chest along the ground, encouraging their bodyweight to shift backward. Say “Yes” as their nose follows your baited fist.
If your dog steps back instead of shifting their weight, begin again with a wall or other large, stable item (couch table, etc) slightly behind your dog’s rear so they don’t have space to step. You can also place them on leash, holding it so there’s only enough slack that they can shift backward into down but not the ability to walk backward.
Step Five
Continue to draw your hand toward from your dog’s chest along the ground, saying “Yes” and massaging their shoulders as needed.
The second your dog’s elbows and rear touch the ground, say “Good” then give them a treat…or two or three…individually so your dog doesn’t think it’s just one treat. Your dog will think, “Wow, I get a lot of yummy food when I’m on the ground like this!”
Step Six
To start establishing your release word* and build a bridge to Down-Stay, say “Break” or whatever you’d like your release word to be, and tap your dog’s shoulders.
Notice I haven’t said, “Down”, yet. This will come in part two of this blog, “How To Teach A Dog To Lay Down Part Two — Create The Cue“.
*The release word tells your dog they are done working and are free to do as they please…as long as it’s not a bad or unwanted behavior. They should not break a position or behavior until they hear this word, so when you are first teaching them a new skill, the duration should be short (1-3 seconds) to increase the likelihood they won’t break before you release them.
Down From Stand Lure At A Glance
A nifty gif to show you the “L” shaped lure of the Down From Stand, drawn at your dog’s pace (their nose is a magnet to your baited fist).
Even if you are at your dog’s side, this shape stays the same, with you drawing your baited fist TOWARD your dog’s chest along the ground in the “L” shape, and not away from their chest like in the down from sit.
Troubleshooting Teaching A Dog To Lay Down
If your dog is jumping or lifting their front feet adjust the height and speed you move your baited fist.
- Make sure your baited fist doesn’t go above your dog’s nose level, which is when their eyes are looking to the horizon, not the sky. Of course as you lower your hand in the “L” shape, their gaze should lower toward the ground as it follows your baited fist.
- Slowly draw your baited fist from your dog’s nose at a snail’s pace, never having more than 3 inches between your fist and their nose.
- Put your dog on leash and tether it under your foot or a heavy piece of furniture so there is a small amount of slack. If your dog goes to jump they will get immediate feedback from the leash that jumping is not the desired behavior.
If your dog is licking, nipping, or pawing your hand:
- Maintain a 3-inch distance between your fist and your dog’s nose.
- Say, “Good,” then treat from your non-luring hand for the first sniff, lean, or step, before they make contact with your luring fist.
- Use lower-value food, like their kibble.
- Practice when they are less hungry and/or more tired.
Tried all these tips and still having trouble?
- Stop for the day, give your dog an enrichment activity, and try again another time.
- Revisit the tips and keep the next training session(s) short, focusing on keeping it fun and rewarding for your dog to follow your baited fist.
Need Help Training Your Dog To Down?
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