Dog Training - Down Command
Dogs have a natural inclination to adhere to a hierarchy with an alpha (leader) at the top. ‘Down’ is one effective technique for imposing your alpha position.
It also has practical benefits. When a dog is ‘down’ it can’t knock over furniture or children. It also leads to behaviors like ‘rollover’ and ‘crawl’.
Fortunately,”Down” is usually easy to train. To start take advantage of spontaneous behavior. Wait for a movement from standing or sitting to down. When you see it give a unique voice command and hand gesture pair. Every behavior should be associated with a unique hand gesture that you don’t otherwise use.
When the behavior is complete, praise lavishly. At first, the dog will have no idea why it’s being praised but it doesn’t matter as with repetition the behavior will follow the command.
Most dogs won’t go own the first few times. Be patient, clear and consistent. Minimize noise and movement distractions during the training session. Try to be away from other voices.
Encourage by taking a treat or toy. “Site” the dog then move the treat to the ground just in front of the nose.
After several repetitions try just using a ‘waving down’ hand movement, palm toward the floor or ground. Never reward until the behavior is complete - Also don’t become tense or angry after failure.
For the slow learner or assertive dog, it may be necessary to use a collar and short leash - two to four feet is best - ‘Sit’ the dog and kneel down facing him.
Make the hand gesture, issue the voice command and move a treat or toy from the dog’s chin to the ground while pulling gently on the leash. The goal is to encourage, not punish.
In really hard cases, kneel nd put the leash loop under one foot and slide it under the knee of the opposite leg, facing at a slight angle to the dog. Pull the leash loop with your foot, sliding it over your leg. Simultaneously, gently take both the dog’s forelegs and pull toward you, issuing the voice command.
When the dog is in position, praise lavishly even though you executed the movement not the dog. You want the dog to associate the position with good feelings - his and yours.
Patience and commitment is key to training any behavior.
