Similar to the Sit command, teaching your dog to lie down on command offers a lot of benefits. It’s a great way to promote relaxation and calmness, along with curbing unwanted behaviors (since a dog can’t jump up on people while lying down!).
What You’ll Need to Train Your Dog to Lie Down
- High-value treats. During training sessions, you’ll want to pull out the big guns. Think: boiled chicken, sardine crisps, baked beef liver. To avoid over-feeding treats, make sure to break each one into super teeny tiny bites.
- Clicker, if you’re clicker training!
- A quiet, distraction-free room.
Training Steps
Eliminate Distractions
In a quiet room, kneel next to your dog. Whenever you begin a training session with Fido, picture an imaginary bubble around the two of you. For new commands, it’s essential to keep that bubble small.
Show the Treats
With a treat in your hand, first, direct your dog to Sit.
Beginning with the treat directly in front of your dog’s nose, slowly lower your hand to the floor. This should prompt your dog to lower down to the ground. Be patient!
As soon as your dog’s elbows touch the floor and he enters the Down position, immediately give a reward marker (either click the clicker or say a verbal marker, like “Yes!” in an upbeat tone) and offer the treat. Follow up the treat with praise and petting.
Keep in mind: You shouldn’t need to press your dog’s body down to the floor. Let it come naturally.
Repeat this process several times, until your dog begins lying down at the sight of the treat moving toward the ground.
Add the Cue Word
Now that your dog is getting the hang of things, add in the cue word. Once your dog is sitting and you’re holding the treat in front of him, say the word “Lie Down” or just “Down” and begin lowering your hand. Again, once your dog is fully lying on the ground, give the reward marker, treat, and praise.
No Treat in the Hand
The next step is to repeat the same process with an empty hand. As you cue your dog to Lie Down, I recommend pinching your fingers together (as if you’re holding a treat) and do a similar hand gesture. Once you cue your dog to Lie Down and his shoulder’s touch the ground, offer a treat (one you were hiding in your other hand).
Change up the Location
Once your dog is mastering this command in a quiet room, change up the location. Practice in other rooms and eventually outdoors. This will naturally increase the number of distractions present, but that’s a good thing. Ultimately, you want your dog to listen to your command despite their surroundings.
Go Slow
Keep training sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes max. Since pups have short attention spans, it’s better to keep sessions shorter and carve out pockets of time throughout the day to train.
