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TEACHING YOUR PUPPY TO DOWN
 By
Debbie Kaminski
Please read General Training Tips first.
Since down is a very submissive position for your puppy, it can
be a difficult command to teach, especially if your puppy is
dominant in nature. Do not be tempted to push him into a down
position. This only causes your puppy to resist and when he’s
fighting you, he’s not learning.
Step 1: Luring
Lure your puppy into a sit using a piece of food only (do not
use the word SIT and do not feed the puppy for sitting). You do not
want your puppy thinking that he always has to sit before lying
down. At some point, he will need to be able to down from a stand
and while moving.
While holding several treats in your hand, make a fist and
lower it between the puppy’s front legs and hold it there. Once
he is completely down on the ground, say "DOWN" then
slowly feed him one treat at a time. While he’s eating, praise
your puppy using the word DOWN to reinforce the command. If you have
difficulty getting him to lie down, you may want to try this
exercise on his bed or another comfortable surface. You may also
want to play with your puppy or take him for a walk before teaching
this command. This way, your pup will be a little tired and more
likely to lie down. If he still won’t down, try slowly sliding
your hand across the floor away from the puppy. Another alternative
is to kneel on the floor with one knee bent. By guiding the puppy
under your knee, he will be more likely to lie down as he crawls to
get the treat.
As with the SIT command, you can also praise your puppy
whenever he’s lying down around the house. Remember to use the
word DOWN when praising to help him better associate the command
with the action.
Step 2: Testing Understanding
After several days, when you believe your puppy understands the
DOWN command, it’s time to give the command BEFORE you show him
the food. Tell your puppy to "DOWN". If he does, then
praise, treat and release. If your puppy does not down, go back to
luring him into a down with food for a few more sessions before
trying again.
Step 3: Training in Different Places
Once your puppy will down on command in a quiet room in your
house, it’s time to move to other locations and to introduce
distractions (see TRAINING LOCATIONS under General Training Tips).
As with all commands, remember that your puppy may backslide in his
training when first asked to DOWN in a new location. If he is having
problems, go back to luring him into a DOWN using a treat. Work your
way through the four levels and then...
Step 4: ...Take Away the Food
Once your puppy will down on command in unfamiliar places with
distractions, you can begin to slowly eliminate the use of treats.
As always, begin in a quiet location. First you will ask for a DOWN,
then praise, treat and release. Then, ask for two downs before
treating. Continue to praise even though you are not rewarding with
food. Vary the number of times you ask for a down before giving a
treat. Occasionally, give your puppy a treat on your first command
to down. The idea is to always keep him guessing so he never knows
which down command will earn him a treat.
What If He Doesn’t Down?
As you progress in your training, you will sometimes ask your
puppy to DOWN and he will not respond. What do you do? In the early
stages of training, when you begin asking him to down before showing
him the food, you may need to go back to luring him into a down,
especially if you are working in a new location. If he routinely
lies down when asked and for some reason does not respond to your
command, simply tell him "NO" and walk to another part of
your training area and ask him to DOWN again. If he lies down,
praise, treat and release. He will soon realize that lying down gets
him the food more quickly.
Many people get in the habit of teaching their puppies that
DOWN means two different things...lie down and get off the couch.
Please use OFF or another command to mean get off the furniture. A
truly obedient puppy will lie down in your favorite chair when
commanded to DOWN. You can’t fault him for that!
Remember to keep commands separate. By telling your puppy to "SIT-DOWN"
you will only confuse him.
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