[Bremner53]

I swear I've tried everything to teach Lucy how to lie down. She is really smart, knows sit, shake, and even stays for a very short while.

Any tricks or tips??

 

[kogeki]

With Loki we just held a treat in front of her nose and brought it down to the floor while saying Down. When her belly touched the ground she got a good girl and the treat.

 

[Bremner53]

Tried that, she just trys to lick and get the treat while standing up. If I start from a sit, she will stand up.

 

[ambulldogpup]

While she's sitting for a treat hold her back (butt) down and bring the treat to the floor so she's forced to a down and can't stand up. I remember cause at obedience class Abby did the same thing as Lucy did.

 

[Bremner53]

Maybe I'll try that again. I did try it, and then she would ignore the treat and play with the hand that is touching her. I only tried that one for a little bit.

 

[bella_blue]

Try kneeling and holding a treat through your legs from behind. Pull the treat through your legs, so she has to crouch down to get it.

 

[Kate]

make sure you arent using a word that is like anyother words. Cause I know I use down for Kate when telling her to stop jumping and what not so I use the word lie to lie down

 

[bella_blue]

make sure you arent using a word that is like anyother words. Cause I know I use down for Kate when telling her to stop jumping and what not so I use the word lie to lie down

Good point. I see so many people who use "down" as both "get down" and "lie down." It's no wonder their dogs don't do what they say! We use "off" with Bella's jumping.

 

[sajoseph]

I have used two different techniques with the dogs over the years. It depended on how stubborn the dog was on which one I would use. The first, I used a cookie, of course, and told her to sit, then as I repeated "down" as I brought the cookie down in front of her and pulled it back. If she tried to stand or walk, I pushed her butt down and tried again.

The other way, I put a leash on her, and as I did the previous cookie thing, I pulled her down gently with the leash, when she reached the floor, I gave her lots of love and the cookie, and repeated it again.

Both ways were taught to me by trainers, and worked.

 

[AlaskanBulldog]

I have the same problem Bremner! I have tried everything that has been stated and still he does not get it.

I guess I will just have to keep trying. Stubborn dog!

 

[racmoo]

We have just covered 'drop' at puppy classes, ('down' for us is not jumping). Our trainer says is is best not to go into 'sit' first as that can be confusing.
For most dogs from 'stand' the handler hooks their thumb under the flat collar under the dog's chin near the chest, pulls down and backwards, and if necessary also pushes on their back above the hind legs whilst saying "drop". When the dog is in 'drop' and relaxed, release and treat/praise.
As Bella is quite strong and large i couldnt manage to get her to fall without tipping her body sideways, so the trainer said that we could try this method. From 'stand' the handler puts their foot on the lead close to the collar and steps gently down whilst saying "drop" this way the dog's head has no choice but to be near to the ground and their body will crouch backwards as it follows the head. When the dog is in 'drop' and relaxed, release and treat/praise. This method also leaves the handler in the more dominant position of standing rather than crouching alongside. We have have great success with this so far. The trick is not to lose your balance and not to stomp on the lead.
Bella is now about 5.5 months and has calmed down alot find our training classes very rewarding, and i'm sure she does too.

 

[Lisa]

Bremner, when you do training sessions with your dog are you making sure the dog is HUNGRY?? Always be sure your dog has fasted for some time and instead of using treats, use kibble (if thats what you feed) and incorporate training sessions into feeding time that way you can kill two birds with one stone. If your dog isn't hungry enough its going to be less likely to want to work for you.

 

[Bremner53]

Bremner, when you do training sessions with your dog are you making sure the dog is HUNGRY?? Always be sure your dog has fasted for some time and instead of using treats, use kibble (if thats what you feed) and incorporate training sessions into feeding time that way you can kill two birds with one stone. If your dog isn't hungry enough its going to be less likely to want to work for you.

I did skip lunch when I went to class, but she obviously wasn't really hungry cause I couldn't keep her attention with the treats.

 

[blittle]

I like to keep it simple with the different word commands. Any behavior that is not acceptable like jumping or licking gets a no, acceptable behavior gets a good boy or good girl. Dogs like Bo seem to have a multiple word vocabulary so he knows the difference between sit and sit pretty etc...

If you tell your pup to to sit, don't say sit down! Do the sit command and then work on the down command as a separate instruction otherwise they may get confused especially with a very young pup. Some dogs don't like to do the down command because of dominant tendencies, so it takes abit more work, also make sure there are no other distractions when working them. JMO

 

[LolasDad]

I had the same problem with Lola always trying to stand up and get the treat. I finally resorted to making her sit first, then give her the "down" command while showing her the treat, then i would pull her front legs forward so she would end up on her stomach. Once her stomach touched, she got the treat. This worked surprisingly well. It only took a couple short sessions for her to do it on her own. After that, the rollover trick wnet easy too. It seems like it takes forever to learn one thing and then she picks up a couple other tricks instantaneously.

 

[gazar]

I am not sure what the whole reason is other than stubborness like a child, but I thoroughly believe that dogs know how to lay down and know what the word means once they have heard it a few times. I just think they don't want to do it because it ends what they want to do. If we are doing something that I want Clara out of the way, I will tell her to go lay down. She will go to the couch and sit beside it. I will say lay down Clara and she just looks at me like "what?". I will then pick up the rolled paper and say again, Clara lay down. Boom down she goes before I even have it out of my mouth. It is just that she does not think I mean business until she sees the paper. She is still at that age (16 months) where she is testing me to see just how much she can get away with. You just have to be consistant and always follow through on the command you give them. And just so the newbies know, I have never used the paper on Clara, it is just a reinforcement tool for her and it works.

 

[RoxyV2]

If I learned anything in our puppy training class it was get good treats to get your puppy's attention... don't always use the same treat. Get something that smells good and strong!

The best ones that we found are:
Old West Premium Lamb Cuts Dog Treats
http://www.dog.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=340501+008+BEE&Cat=

Good luck!

 

[LifeIsDaPits]

We taught shadow by taking the treat and running it down his right leg. So try getting into the sit position and running the treat down her leg and saying down, make sure you keep your hand cupped so they cant snatch the treat from you. Hope that makes sense...

 

[LokersPadokers]

Some dogs don't respond as well to treats. You have to pick something that she really really wants. It could be a toy, a treat, etc. Loki has a high drive for treats and toys so we were good either way

 

[pitmommy]

I have used the technique with the dog in sit position and the leash attached to collar perferably a choker, stand one foot on the leash and with the other foot gently pull the lead to the floor, with the finger point to the floor saying down. They learn the hand signal as well as the verbal command.