Teach The Dog The Command “down”

Teaching the dog some basic commands is a fundamental practice for its education ; teach him, among other things, to answer when you call him, to do his business in the right place, etc. All of this is necessary in order to  establish a hierarchical relationship in which you are the leader  and your pet obeys you. By doing so you will achieve a peaceful and calm coexistence. Today we would like to show you some methods to teach your dog to obey the order on the ground.

This command will allow you to feel comfortable while you are busy, when you will receive guests in the house or even useful if you do not want him to eat or drink something.

Why do we want the dog to lie down?

Having a well-behaved dog will be the first reason why it  is good to teach the dog to obey the command on the ground, and that will say a lot about you. In doing so, in fact, you can take your dog anywhere, without fear that it will behave badly.

Secondly, it is a way to get active with the animal.  After he learns to respond to the ground command, your dog will be ready to assimilate even more difficult commands. Gradually he will become  familiar  with the orders you give him, transforming himself into a model dog.

Any education is more effective if given as a puppy, because this way the dog will not have time to assimilate bad habits.

Start the lessons

Be ready immediately to arm yourself with patience and perseverance,  but above all do not expect your pet to understand everything from the first moment. You will have to reward him every time you get a result but not chastise him if he fails, because he will not understand.

The seated command

Your task will be easier if you first teach him the sit command . So get yourself a pack of biscuits and arm yourself with patience: it all depends on the breed and age of the dog. Choose a word for the command and remember to always use the same word; if you started using different words, your dog would not understand them. Choose a monosyllable word: a good choice is ” sit “.

Take a biscuit in your hands and bring it about an inch from your dog’s face, trying to get his attention. When he has concentrated on the biscuit, bring your hand up while saying the word “sit”, so that the dog associates the word with the movement. When he’s seated, give him the cookie.

After you manage to get him to execute the command several times, give it a try without using the candy. If your dog does not respond to the order , apply gentle pressure on his back to make him sit up, still saying the word “sit”, and repeat this until he learns to sit on his own.

The order on the ground

When your dog has learned to sit on his own without using the biscuit, it is time for him to learn to lie down. To do this you will need the same tools: a cookie or a candy and a good dose of patience.

Start by taking the candy between your fingers and bringing it towards the dog’s face, so that he can see it in your hand; then,  lower your hand to the ground, saying a word to make him lie down,  such as “on the ground” or “lie down”. Remember to always use the same word, and to use a firm tone of voice. Probably the first attempt will be a failure, but by repeating the operation several times, you will eventually reach the goal.

When the animal is completely lying down, don’t forget to give it the treat. If he gets up just as you are about to give it to him, withdraw your hand, repeat the command, and once he lies down again, give it to him.

If you can’t get him to lie down, try doing it yourself by stretching his forelegs and pushing him to lie down, but without using harsh ways. You will see how he will learn to associate the gesture of the hand going down with the order to lie down.

After that, the procedure does not change: remove the candy and let your hand go down to the ground by saying the word of your choice, repeating the process until it learns to lie down just by listening to the word, without having to use either the treat or the movement of the but no.

Remember to always reward your dog during training, make sure each session lasts no more than 10 minutes, and don’t wear it out. When the daily training is over, it is recommended to say a few sweet words to the dog, and to cuddle him a little : he will be grateful to you.