Teaching your puppy to lie down can come in handy in a number of situations, from staying calm while the vet examines another dog or visiting a new apartment. A dog that manages to lie down on command is a calm and controlled animal, because it cannot frolic or run away without the approval of its owner. As soon as you have taught him to lie down, you can then ask him to roll over or play dead.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Preparing your puppy for training
Step 1. Make sure your puppy knows how to perform the sit command
Before the dog can learn to lie down, he must be able to sit on command. As soon as you teach your dog to sit, you can start telling him to lie down.
Step 2. Choose an open and quiet place
Train in a calm and peaceful place where no sound will disturb your dog in his concentration. It needs to be completely focused on you throughout the training period. If you have made a habit of training your dog in a specific area of the house, then teach him to lie down there.
- There are smaller dogs that will be reluctant to lie down on hard, cold ground. If possible, choose a place with a soft surface or a floor covered with a carpet, such as a dog bed or sofa.
- It is advisable to start training when the dog is hungry, as this will motivate him to have rewards or treats. Make the effort to practice before dinner.
Step 3. Carry several of your puppy's favorite treats with you
You can put several treats in the pocket, if you used to do so during your training sessions with your dog. You can also put them in your back pocket or in a purse attached to your belt.
It is crucial to put the treats in a place where the puppy will not see them. He must learn to obey an order, not a treat. It is advisable that you keep the latter out of sight, in your pocket or in a pouch, until the puppy obeys the command and deserves his gift. However, at first you can use the reward as a lure
Part 2 of 3: introduce the lying order
Step 1. Have your dog sit down
When seated, tell him lying down. Make sure to command him in a clear, calm voice while looking him in the eye.
Use the phrase lying down or lying down to teach your dog to lie down on the floor and not for anything else, such as getting out of bed or down the stairs. Instead, use the word descend, so that he is not confused as to what you are asking him to do
Step 2. Hold a treat in your hand
Let your dog smell or lick it, but not eat it. Hold her in front of her muzzle and move her down to the floor between her front legs. His muzzle should follow the treat as his head tilts towards the ground.
Step 3. Move the treat towards the floor
Keep doing this until your hand reaches the ground right in front of your puppy. The latter will continue to follow suit and will become comfortable lying down. As soon as his elbows hit the ground, say yes! and let him eat his reward.
- Do not push the dog to the ground with your hand, as he may perceive this as an aggressive gesture, which will put him on the defensive. He must learn to go to bed on his own.
- After eating the treat, your dog might just stand up. If he doesn't, take a couple of steps back to encourage him to move. If her hindquarters stays up while you bring her to bed, don't give her the reward. Instead, ask her to sit down and repeat the same process until her whole body is on the ground. You can allow her to sniff or nibble on the treat as you move the treat to the floor to encourage her to lie down completely.
- Remember, some dogs might not be attracted to the treat on offer and therefore might not follow it with their noses. Then opt for a more interesting treat such as a piece of sausage, a piece of cheese or a little chicken.
Step 4. Repeat the word lying about twenty times
Some dogs can switch to hand learning in one session, while others may need a few more sessions to train.
Make the effort to hold two sessions a day, for about ten minutes each time
Step 5. Try to tell your dog to lie down with his hand
Once the dog has learned to lie down with a treat, you can start giving the command with your hand. You will always reward him with treats, but make sure to hide the treats, so that he obeys the hand signal and not the reward.
- Start by asking him to sit down.
- Say lying down. Do the same movement with your hand, this time without having a treat between your fingers.
- Touch the ground with your hand and as soon as the puppy's elbows touch the ground, say yes and offer him his reward.
- Step back a bit to show your dog that he can get up.
Step 6. Repeat the process about twenty times for about 14 days
Make the effort to hold two sessions a day, for about ten minutes each time your dog obeys your hand signal. As soon as he gets to bed once you give the order and wave, so you can move on to the next phase of training.
If your dog doesn't obey the injunction of your empty hand, don't take out a treat to encourage him. Be patient and watch him until he obeys on his own
Part 3 of 3: practice giving the lying command
Step 1. Try to use the hand sign less
Over time, you will likely find yourself less inclined to lower your hand to the ground all the time to get your dog to lie down. You can reduce the signal so that you only make a small wave of your hand without having to lean towards the ground. However, be sure to move slowly towards this stage and only do so when your dog has fully mastered the order to lie down, either verbally or with the hand in the normal way.
- Repeat the order and the hand wave, without having a treat. Instead of lowering your hand to the ground, lower it an inch or two from the ground. Continue bench training with this new type of hand sign for about two days.
- As soon as the dog obeys this weaker sign, now lower your hand three to four centimeters off the ground. After both of you have practiced this for a few days, increase the space between your hand and the floor further so that you bend less and less.
- Over time, you won't even have to bend over and you can give the command lying down while standing and just pointing at the ground.
Step 2. Give the order in a variety of contexts
Now that your dog automatically obeys the command to lie down, you can start training in a variety of settings. This will teach him to always follow order, no matter what is going on around him.
- Start by practicing keeping order in familiar places such as the backyard, patio, and bedrooms.
- Slowly move to places where it is more difficult to concentrate, especially at home when other people are present. You can also practice giving the order during a walk as well as in a friend's house.
- Once he gets to obey your command, whatever the situation, increase the level of distraction. Give the command while someone near you is making a noise or playing with a ball nearby. You could also try giving the order while you are playing in the park or someone is making a loud noise next to you, or while your dog is playing with other dogs.
Step 3. Practice giving the order using fewer treats
If you don't want to have treats to give every time you ask your dog to bed all the time, you should start reducing the rewards he receives during training. Reward him only when he can obey your injunction, no matter the situation or the context.
- Only give him treats when he starts going to bed automatically at your command and with joy. If he does it slowly and reluctantly, praise him and tickle him behind the ears, but don't give him any treats. Only reward him when he goes to bed quickly and happily. So you won't have to reward him every time he folds.
- There is another way you can reward your dog besides treats when he obeys you. For example, ask him to go to bed, before you give him the leash for a walk, before he can go and say hello, before he has his dinner or even before he does. have his favorite toy. Thus, he will perceive the order as something positive which will make him obtain rewards at art the treats.