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| Obedience: The Down Command |
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Down Command
Puppy Dog Training for Obedience
The down command is the next lesson we are going to learn. Just like the sit command,
this is a necessary building block on which you are going to build other commands and
skills.
The down command puts your dog into the submissive mode. He is the underdog with
you standing above him. You may notice when dogs play, that one will end up in the
submissive position while the other is standing over him. As puppies, they are setting
their dominance over each other. This is what you should be doing.
Tip: when playing or romping on the floor, never let your dog get on top of you
because, in his mind, he is in the dominating position.
The down command puts the dog into a “stay” position and is very good for controlling
high spirits. I usually have one of our dogs at my feet when I am sitting down. It’s quite
natural for them to lie next to the leader of the pack.
When I get up to go across the room, they may want to get up too. Use the down
command to get them to lie back down. Go across the room for whatever reason and
then return. It’s a great way to introduce him to the down command.
Let's introduce down as a command
The technique I use involves the use of his collar. Note: lots of people prefer to remove
the collar when they are at home. The upside to that is that the dog feels more
comfortable but the downside is that if he gets out of the yard or wanders off for
whatever reason, he has no visible identification, in which case he will probably end up
in the pound, if he’s lucky. Even if he does have a collar and tag, it’s a good idea to
have him micro chipped.
Okay, I digressed.
The technique I use involves the use of his collar.
You will need to follow this technique quite a lot as this may not seem natural to him at
first. My dogs never lie completely straight with their legs straight out but tend to go into
a relaxed mode. That’s fine for me and is all I want. If you prefer a more exact
technique, then please look at one of my reviews.
1. Once you have both mastered the technique you can move to a more public place
where there are other distractions.
2. Always, when you move away from a confined place, such as your yard, your dog
needs to be on a leash until you are comfortable that you have complete verbal control
of him.
3. Increase the time that he is in the down position and then start to move away from
him as you did with the sit command.
4. Try doing other things when you have put him in the down position. I take my dog
into the yard and get him into the down position, and then I start doing some weeding in
the flower bed. I am still close enough to him and always keep an eye on him. If he
starts to get up, repeat the command. When I think he has had enough, I will give my
release command, which for me is “ok, let’s go”.
5, The session is now over. You could immediately go to another place and repeat the
same thing. The point here is that he knows you are still around and can feel
comfortable in the down position.
6. You can now extend this, by going out of his line of vision for a short while. Make
sure that he sees you going because he doesn’t suddenly want to find that you are
missing and come looking for you.
7. Some people like to introduce other distractions such as food or a bouncing ball
which are very good to increase the obedience level. The links that I have put on this
site go into it in more detail.
Remember when you are giving these commands; always be consistent with the
command that you are giving and the reward that you are giving. Don’t give rewards for
non compliance. If you are serious about giving your dog good training at home, I highly
recommend that you use Dog Training Mastery or one of the training packages on the
review page. By the time you finish the course, your dog will go straight down until you
issue the release command.
Go from the Down command to the Stay Command
Puppy Dog Training for Obedience
The down command is the next lesson we are going to learn. Just like the sit command,
this is a necessary building block on which you are going to build other commands and
skills.
The down command puts your dog into the submissive mode. He is the underdog with
you standing above him. You may notice when dogs play, that one will end up in the
submissive position while the other is standing over him. As puppies, they are setting
their dominance over each other. This is what you should be doing.
Tip: when playing or romping on the floor, never let your dog get on top of you
because, in his mind, he is in the dominating position.
The down command puts the dog into a “stay” position and is very good for controlling
high spirits. I usually have one of our dogs at my feet when I am sitting down. It’s quite
natural for them to lie next to the leader of the pack.
When I get up to go across the room, they may want to get up too. Use the down
command to get them to lie back down. Go across the room for whatever reason and
then return. It’s a great way to introduce him to the down command.
Let's introduce down as a command
The technique I use involves the use of his collar. Note: lots of people prefer to remove
the collar when they are at home. The upside to that is that the dog feels more
comfortable but the downside is that if he gets out of the yard or wanders off for
whatever reason, he has no visible identification, in which case he will probably end up
in the pound, if he’s lucky. Even if he does have a collar and tag, it’s a good idea to
have him micro chipped.
Okay, I digressed.
The technique I use involves the use of his collar.
- 1. Standing or kneeling beside him and slightly in front of him put one hand
between his shoulder blades and gently press down while pulling down and
forward on his collar and at the same time issuing the down command. His legs
will start to go out in front of him because he wants to stay up. As soon as his
belly hits the ground, tell him what a good boy he is.
2. Release your grip on his collar but maintain a slight caressing pressure on his
back. I like to kneel down with him so that it seems more like a joint effort.
3. When I am finished with the command I’ll issue my release command, “ok let’s
go” and give him a slight smack as I get up.
You will need to follow this technique quite a lot as this may not seem natural to him at
first. My dogs never lie completely straight with their legs straight out but tend to go into
a relaxed mode. That’s fine for me and is all I want. If you prefer a more exact
technique, then please look at one of my reviews.
1. Once you have both mastered the technique you can move to a more public place
where there are other distractions.
2. Always, when you move away from a confined place, such as your yard, your dog
needs to be on a leash until you are comfortable that you have complete verbal control
of him.
3. Increase the time that he is in the down position and then start to move away from
him as you did with the sit command.
4. Try doing other things when you have put him in the down position. I take my dog
into the yard and get him into the down position, and then I start doing some weeding in
the flower bed. I am still close enough to him and always keep an eye on him. If he
starts to get up, repeat the command. When I think he has had enough, I will give my
release command, which for me is “ok, let’s go”.
5, The session is now over. You could immediately go to another place and repeat the
same thing. The point here is that he knows you are still around and can feel
comfortable in the down position.
6. You can now extend this, by going out of his line of vision for a short while. Make
sure that he sees you going because he doesn’t suddenly want to find that you are
missing and come looking for you.
7. Some people like to introduce other distractions such as food or a bouncing ball
which are very good to increase the obedience level. The links that I have put on this
site go into it in more detail.
Remember when you are giving these commands; always be consistent with the
command that you are giving and the reward that you are giving. Don’t give rewards for
non compliance. If you are serious about giving your dog good training at home, I highly
recommend that you use Dog Training Mastery or one of the training packages on the
review page. By the time you finish the course, your dog will go straight down until you
issue the release command.
Go from the Down command to the Stay Command
