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"Why should I teach my dog the “Down” command?" (NEW! 1/14/04) The “down” position is one of the most
submissive position that a dog can be in, so some dogs rebel and refuse to go
into the “down” because of a few reasons: One – they may feel that they are the
boss, and refuse to be submissive to their owner. Two – they may feel insecure
and not trust their owner. "What exactly is the “Down” position?" In a typical competition type “down” the
dog should be lying straight, like a sphinx with both elbows on the ground, and
not resting either hip on the ground. Since we are not looking for precision or
going into competition with this class, we will accept, and actually prefer the
‘sloppier’ type of down. When a dog is in a “sphinx” type down, they are in a
position to easily pop right back up out of the down. When they are in a more
relaxed down, lying on their hip, they tend to stay in the position better,
because both rear legs are off to one side or the other. They style of down you
choose to do with your is up to you, if you intend to eventually go into
obedience competition with your dog, you may prefer to start with the “sphinx”
style down so you don’t have any bad habits to correct later on. "How do I get my dog to “Down”?" There are a few ways to get your dog to go into the “down” position. Most start with the dog starting in a “sit” and then move the dog from there into the down. The gentlest way to do it, and what I prefer to do with very timid dogs or young puppies is to lure them into the down using food, similar to what you did with the “sit”. Once again I must stress that when I use this method it is only for the first few training sessions. Then the treats are phased out so the dog doesn’t become so dependent on the treats that he refuses to work for you unless you have food in your hand. While your dog is in the sit, hold a treat in front of the dog’s nose in a closed fist. Allow him to get a good sniff of the treat, then slowly move your hand, with the palm facing down towards the ground, from the dogs nose straight down between his paws and place your fist on the ground. The dog will probably be sniffing your hand the entire way that it goes to the ground. This is good! Hold your hand on the ground and pull it slightly back towards you, away from the dog. Don’t move more than a few inches! If you go to far, the dog will get up out of the sit and step forward to catch up to your hand. You only want to move a few inches forward so the dog stretches his neck out to sniff the treat in your hand. The goal is to get the dog to drop down so his elbows are on the ground, without getting up from the sit. Once he has his elbows on the ground, open your hand and allow the dog to eat the treat off the ground. It is important not to let the dog eat the treat out of your hand in the beginning stages, because if the dog is used to receiving the treat from your hand on a “down” he is more likely to sit up again to meet your hand as you reach down to give him the treat. Dropping the treat from your closed hand down right between his front feet on the ground will force him to look down, not up, so he will be less likely to stand up. Once the dog understands that he is supposed to lie down before he will receive his treat, he will be more inclined to drop into the down position quickly. Begin by rewarding him instantly with his treat and then increase the time that you take to release the treat from your hand. Tell the dog to “stay” and make him stay there for a few seconds, then give him the treat and praise him. Another method that many people use is to kneel in front of the dog while he is in a sit and gently grasp his front feet. Lift and slide them forward so he slides right from the sit into the down position. Tell the dog to stay, make him stay there for a few seconds, praise and release him. A third method that will work for dogs that jump up as soon as the legs are touched, is (while the dog is sitting at your left side) to kneel next to the dog and place your left hand on the dog’s shoulders, put your right hand behind the dog’s front legs and grasp his left front leg in your hand, so your forearm is behind his right front leg. What this will do is keep the dog from jumping up because your left hand is on his back/shoulder area. Your right hand is grasping his front left leg and your forearm will actually sweep his front right foot forward along when you move his left leg forward into the down position. Use your left hand to steady and gently apply pressure to place the dog into the down position. Once the dog is down, remove your right hand from the dog’s legs; hold your left hand on the dog’s shoulders until he settles. Hold him in position for a few seconds, then praise and release him. For aggressive or very dominant dogs, I prefer to stay further away from their teeth. Kneeling right next to the dog puts your face right in range to be bitten, so with dogs that may rebel and fight the “down” I will occasionally use the following method. Place the dog in a sit, drape the leash from the dog’s collar to your right hand with a lot of slack, so that it nearly touches the ground in the middle. Lift your foot and place it on the leash a few inches away from the dog’s collar and take up all the slack in the leash in your hand. Gently apply pressure and slowly press your foot down to the ground. The dog’s head will be forced down towards the ground and although he may resist, his front legs are no match for the strength in your leg and he will be forced to lie down. As soon as he submits and stops pulling upward on the leash, give him some more leash and allow him to lie comfortably. Keep him in the down position for a few seconds, then praise and release him. Increase the length of the “down” until you can stand up and back away from the dog to the end of the leash without him getting up. Return to your dog and then give him the treat. Increase the time of the “down” until you
can walk a circle around the dog and when you return to the front of the dog,
give him a treat. Once your dog understands the "down" command, work on the "stay" and "release" commands too! - Debbie Knatz
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