Teaching your dog the lie down on command is more difficult than any of the other commands. But patience and practice can make you perfect.
First you must get your dog into the sitting position. Once he has done this hold a treat in front of his nose. Get his attention by saying his name and then drop your hand down to the floor in front of his paws. As you see him go down say the command “Down” and then give him the treat. This is the first step in training your dog to lie down.
Make sure that you do not place the treat too far away in front of the dog or else he is likely to stand up to reach for the treat
Eventually, with practice, your dog will learn to go down as you put your hands down to the ground. You should also be able to get your dog to go down from the standing position using the same technique.
5 Steps To Getting Your Dog To Lie Down
- Get the dog to sit – This command should be taught before you teach your dog to lie down.
- Next, firmly give the Down command. Gently force his legs out in front to get him to lie down.
- Praise the dog. Using the tone of your voice and your body language make it very clear that you are happy with him.
- When you first get a dog to lie down, he will get up rather quickly. However, over time, with more training you will be able to get him to sit and lie for longer periods of time.
- Repeat these steps a couple of times each session, but don’t wear the dog out. Thus, while repetition is important to basic learning, please don’t overdo it. Space the training evenly over a few weeks. If you are in a real hurry to teach your dog to lie down, do a few sessions each day for a week.
Hopefully, soon you will be able to teach your dog to lie down.