[k949]

How does one make his dog lay down?


Ive heard of lowering my hand (that contains treats or a toy) to the ground and saying down but my dog just lowers his head to the ground and wont lower his body to the ground even if i have him sit first and/or firmly push his back to the ground. help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



p.s. his name is marty and is 13 months old
and is a large breed german sheperd

[Durbkat]

I am currently teaching my dog how to lay down. I am doing the same as you and have only had to push him down gently the first training session but after that he followed the treat and layed completly down. But if he just lowers his head and stands up I have him go back in a sit and try again.

[Donovan]

I tried the "lure" approach for a few sessions, and got nowhere! And out of frustration (IE - lay down is a pretty simple behavior) I decided to "shape" the behavior.

Essentially, Coco was given a "marker" (in this case a VERY VERY excited "YES!") and corresponding treat (nearly simultaneously to the "YES!") when she made ANY move that remotely looked like a dog attempting to lay down.

At first, and this no lie, she was getting treats for simply LOOKING at the ground! And if you can imagine a "flip book" of pictures that show a dog laying down that's what our training sessions would look like. Each session she would get a little bit closer to laying down. It took about 4 (maybe 5) sessions lasting anywhere from 3-10 minutes each. And I didn't introduce the cue ("lay down") until she was doing exactly what I expected from a "lay down."

And these days, she can hold a down for several minutes while we're playing catch (her FAVORITE past time.) No too shabby for a dog that didn't get ANY type of training till she was about 6yrs old!

Most dogs are super smart and whenever I get a little frustrated I remember what a dog friend of mine told a while back: these dogs continue to learn INSPITE of us!

Good luck I'm sure you'll do fine! And if you have any Q's about the "technique" I described (marker training) check out this website -

www.clickertraining.com (tons of freebies!)

Donovan

[Lorina]

I used the luring method, but instead of just moving the treat down, I moved it down and away a few inches. My dog is very, very short, though, so laying down doesn't take as much "effort" as it would a dog with longer legs.

Many dogs do not like to be pushed/forced into position, and may get testy if you do so.

[Renoman]

Personally, I've found that if you show the dog what down means, they catch on quicker. While the puppy is in a sit, I say the word down while gently sliding his front legs forward so he slowly, goes into a down. He immediately gets a treat and a good boy. Usually, it takes only a couple of times before puppy gets the idea and will assume a down position on his own. Getting same puppy to hold a down takes alot more practice.

[TooneyDogs]

Another thing you can try is make a low bridge that the puppy has to crawl through. Lure with a treat and praise for going down. Don't make it a long tunnel...just a low bridge. You can sit on the floor and raise your knees to make a bridge.