Dog Training Tip # 5 Down

Dog training tip number five is "Down".
I had such a hard time teaching Roxy this. There are a couple of different ways to teach your dog this command. You may choose which one works best for you and your dog. You should practice the down command 5 times in a row for 5 days or until he learns it.
#1:
1.Make your dog sit.
2. Sit down on the left side of your dog.
3. Put two fingers of your left hand(palm facing you) through his collar.
4.Put a treat in your right hand.
5.Show him the treat and lower it in front of your dog as you apply gentle downward pressure on the collar.
6. If your dog goes down tell him firmly "DOWN!"

#2 (This one worked for Roxy)
1. Make your dog sit.
2. Stand in front of your dog.
3.Put a treat in your hand.
4. Bring your hand down fast in front of your dog tapping his nose gently.
5. If he goes down, tell him "DOWN!" firmly.
6. With this method of training down you can use a hand signal of raising your hand in the air and your dog will go down without you having to say the command.

#3
1. Make your dog sit.
2. Get down to your dog level.
4. Have a treat in your hand.
5. Bring the treat out in front of him.
6. If he goes down, give him the command "Down" and praise.

#4
1. Make your dog sit.
2. Get down to your dog's level.
3. Pull his paw out gently, some dogs will lay down right away when you do this.
4.Give him the command if he goes down and praise.

If you plan on showing your dog, you will have to get him to go down and stay for a certain amount of time. In 4-H it is 3 minutes for beginners, 5 minutes for more advanced. The owners also will have to down their dogs,leave the ring and the dog is not allowed to get up. You can slowly increase the time as your dog is learning.