How to Teach Your Dog to Lie Down?

How to Teach Your Dog to Lie Down? A Complete Guide for Beginners)

All breeds of dogs should lie down on the ground when given commands by their owners, and this is one of the very basic commands to teach your dog. A few basic commands that should be taught are fetch, sit, down, quiet, and up. 

The down command has more importance than any other command. You can use this command when you want your dog to just relax and not panic in hectic situations out of fear or to keep you staying and lying down in a position for longer periods. One of the easiest commands to teach your dog is "how to sit" and how to lie "down."

 If your dog knows how to sit, then he will face no problem learning how to lie down. Some breeds of dogs with shorter legs and Greyhounds cannot sit or lie down properly and find it to be very uncomfortable. Try to avoid training these breeds. 

It does not matter whether you are going to a puppy or an older dog. Training them to lie down is very handy, and they will be trained easily. So, are you ready to embark on a journey to learn how to teach your furry friend about lying down? Let's get to it. Read below.

What is a "Down" Position?

Now, some people may ask what is a down position. It's a position in which the dog lies on the ground while his chest, elbow, and hooks are touching the ground and he should stay there for longer intervals of time and should only release the position when you give them the command to do so.

How to Teach Your Dog to Lie Down?

Teaching your furry friend to lie down is easy yet time-consuming, and by following the steps below, you can get what you want.

1. Get the dog to sit.

This is a pre-requisite to do before training your dog to lie down because dogs sit first and then lie down. No dog can lie down directly.

• Stand in front of your dog.
• To make it stand still, take a treat in your hand above its nose.
• Wave it in front of your dog to grab its attention.
• Take the treat closer to the dog, which makes your dog sit.
• As soon as your dog sits, give it a treat.

2. Lure your dog into a lying position with a treat

• Make sure your dog is sitting
• Wave the treat in the air to grab your dog's attention again. 
• Move the treat to the floor in front of your dog.
• Make sure he follows the treat with the nose by smelling it.
• As soon as his nose and chest touch the ground, give it a huge pop "Good Boy" followed by the treat in your hand.
• If your dog just lies down for a few seconds or tries to stand up after taking the treat, do not give a treat or snatch the treat right away.
• Your dog should lie down on the ground as long as you want them even after getting the treat.
• Repeat this over and over again until you get the desired results.

3. Pat on your Dog's shoulder when he lies down

• As soon as your dog lies down put your hand on your dog's shoulder
• It will give you two benefits; the first is the appreciation and love for the dog.
• The second is the most beneficial one which is that it will prevent the dog from standing up. It will force the dog to stay in the lying position even if he wants to get up.
• The luring position should be L-shaped concerning your hand.

4. Make your dog pass through a tunnel

The perfect way of training your dog to lie down for a longer time is to pass it through a tunnel or any narrow thing where the dog can only lie but can't stand up.

After your dog passes the test, make sure to give your dog a treat. Do not give a treat until he passes through it.

TIP: If your dog is resisting or feels fear of passing through the tunnel, put a treat at the end of the tunnel and it will lure your dog to pass through it.

5. Praise and Give Treat

• Always make sure to praise your dog. You can use clippers to make sounds or you can just shout words like "Yeah" "Yes" or "Good Boy".
• Do not forget to give a treat to the dog after every improvement. It will boost their confidence and they will try to improve their selves.

6. Say the Word "Down"

• Once your dog is trained to lie down.
• Start saying "Down" every time your dog lies down.
• Make sure to use it every single time when give a command.
• This is essential as it will train your dog to just follow your words and eventually, you will get the results.
• Once your dog is trained you will no longer need treats or commands, just say down and your dog will lie down.

7. Give a release command at the end of the practice

After your dog is lying down, you have to give it a command to stand up again. You can use words like "ok" or "Up". You can also clap your hands.

8. Keep Practicing 

Keep practicing this with your dog so that they do not forget the lesson. Practice this for as many days as you want until you get the desired results.

9. Command with no treat

Now it is time to practice with no treat in hand.

• Command the dog to lie down on the floor.
• After he lies on the floor, give it a treat first.
• Do this for 10 minutes.
• At the end of the training, give a command to lie down but this time do not keep the treat in your hand.
• After your dog lies down, show him your empty hand.
• After some time give your dog a double treat.
• Give your dog this training multiple times.
• Your dog will get the idea that I'll get treat double treat later
•  You will get the desired results in such a way.

10. Take it on the road.

• After practicing inside.
• Take your dog outside in the open world where there are a lot of distractions and watch your dog's focus.
• Make sure that your dog follows your commands outside too.
• This will take time but eventually your dog will start following your commands.

11. End the Session on a good note

If you see that your dog is tired and needs rest, end the session right there. Do not burden your dog. Give the dog the feed and treat that he deserves. Do not keep practicing the whole day otherwise, your dog will lose interest. Keep practicing until your dog is completely involved in it.

Conclusion

Every dog can be trained to lie down if given proper training and time. Follow the steps given above and you will be able to train your dog for how to lay down. See you in the next guide where we will discuss how to train a dog to fetch. Good Luck. We hope your dog will get trained by far.