After your canine has found the “sit” command, it’s time to indicate “down.” This command is an important part of your obedience teaching foundation. Start in a well-recognized place, like your personal residence or yard, the place there aren’t any tempting distractions.
The best way to coach “down”: The meals lure approach
The only technique to coach “down” is to utilize a tasty meals cope with or piece of kibble, every to lure your canine proper right into a down place after which to reward them for obeying the command.
- Holding a tasty cope with in your hand, ask your canine to sit down.
- Waggle the cope with in entrance of your canine’s nostril and lower it straight down.
- As shortly as your canine’s abdomen hits the bottom, reward them and provide the cope with.
- Repeat the prepare a lot of situations.
- As quickly as your canine is quickly lying down when you lure them with the cope with, introduce the verbal cue. Inform them “down” merely sooner than you progress the cope with from in entrance of their nostril proper all the way down to the bottom.
- As your canine begins to get the maintain of the “down” command, begin to provide treats sporadically — only for the quickest, crispest downs. Finally, you might half out meals treats totally.
If it’s not working
Your canine stands up as a substitute of lying down: In case your canine stands up, merely preserve the cope with throughout the palm of your closed hand until they lie down. In case your canine begins to ease proper all the way down to the bottom, coax and encourage them. And as shortly as their abdomen hits the bottom, reward them and provide the cope with.
Your canine lowers their head to the bottom and raises their rump throughout the air: Switch the cope with in the direction of her chest, and her once more end ought to come back down.
The best way to coach “down”: The under-the-leg approach
1. Sit on the bottom alongside along with your canine to your side. Maintain one knee drawn as a lot as create a tunnel giant sufficient in your canine to crawl by means of.
2. Keep a cope with throughout the hand reverse the side your canine is on. Put your hand beneath your drawn-up leg to level out your canine the cope with. Then slowly drag the cope with alongside the bottom and away out of your canine, once more by means of the tunnel you’ve created for them beneath your leg. Your canine should lie proper all the way down to crawl by means of the tunnel in the event that they want the cope with. As shortly as their abdomen hits the bottom, reward them and provide them the cope with.
3. Repeat the prepare a lot of situations.
4. As quickly as your canine is quickly lying down when you lure them with the cope with, introduce the verbal cue. Inform them “down” merely sooner than you progress the cope with from in entrance of their nostril proper all the way down to the bottom.
Superior “down”
As quickly as your canine has the maintain of the “down” command, you might slowly make it harder. Stand 1 foot away out of your canine when you ask them to lie down, then 2 ft away, and preserve rising the house. Inform them “down” when your once more is turned; when there’s one different explicit individual or canine throughout the distance, then fairly shut by, then correct subsequent to your canine; when you’re bouncing a ball; when there’s kibble scattered spherical them; and so forth.
Add a model new drawback offered that your canine is responding reliably. In case your canine will get confused, take away the issue and try as soon as extra, shifting further slowly this time.