Teach A Dog To Lie Down

How to Teach a Dog to Lie Down and Wait


teach a dog to lie downLearning to teach a dog to lie down is very important, both for their safety, the safety of others, and in order to teach them other tricks! It's actually a pretty easy command for them to learn, and as soon as they are pros at sitting, you will be ready to start teaching them to lie down.

Once you teach your dog to lie down, you will be able to build on that quite a bit. That's not the only great thing about the command though. It is a really important step in building your trust and relationship with your dog. You see, to them, lying down on the ground is a sign of submission to you. In other words, if you can get your do to do this, you will know that they see you as a the leader. It is a really powerful because it shows you that the obedience training you are doing is paying off.

You'll also really appreciate how good "Lie down" is as an alternate behavior.

If your dog is ever jumping or getting too excited, you can tell them to lie down and they will instantly calm down. It's a great way of getting your dog's attention back and reminding them that you are in command.

The Easy Way to Teach a Dog to Lie Down

Get a treat in your hand and make sure your dog knows that you have one. They will usually sit down on their own, but if they don't, that's ok. All you need to do is slowly move your hand with the treat in a downward motion towards the floor. Your dog might first try to crouch down to see what you have but they'll eventually lie down. As soon as they do, say, "Lie Down" (or whatever command you want), and give them the treat.

It's really that simple!

The hard part is continuing to do this until your dog really gets the idea. Keep the sessions short at first, and your dog will undoubtedly enjoy getting a treat and praise each time they lie down. Once they start to get better at it, you should try to make sure you are not always giving them a treat.

You don't want them to think that they only have to do things for a treat!

When you are confident that your dog knows how to lie down without getting a treat each and every time, you can try to make things more challenging for him or her. You can try doing the command in more distracting areas like parks and places where there are a lot of people. Remember, your goal is for your dog to be completely focused and fixated on you.

A good rule of thumb for those that can't tell whether or not their dog is actually learning the command to lie down is whether or not they will do it without the downward motion in your hand. If you can simply say, "Lie Down" and your dog does it, then they know exactly what you expect of them. If you need to make the motion with your hand (and give them a treat sometimes) then they need more work.

Don't be in a hurry! If you're patient, your dog will finally learn to lie down!

If you are having a hard time getting your dog to lie down, you can use a leash in the training. Simply use the leash to gently tug their collar, which will guide their head and their body towards the floor. You don't want or need to be rough, and you need to make sure that you say your command as you do it. Be sure to also hand out a tasty treat and a lot of praise.

Even the most stubborn dogs are able to learn the lie down command after enough repitition. It's a very valuable obedience tool for you to have, so you want to put in the time until they are doing it every time.

If your dog gets really good and the lie down command, you should teach them to stay in that position until you give them any other orders. To do this, avoid doing anything after they lie down. Then say a command that they already know how to do like, "Come" and give them a treat for doing it. This is the first way that you will build on the lie down command. It's nice to have it where your dog stays in a submissive position until you tell them otherwise.

When you teach your dog to lie down, you are getting one step closer to being in complete control of them! Keep it up!

 


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