A dog familiar and trained with the “down command” is easy to put to calm in hectic situations. The command is as easy as the sitting command. While training the puppy, he should be introduced to one command at a time to avoid the confusion. You have to convey him that you will praise him and reward him every time he obeys you. The training should never be reinforced on the little puppies. It should be taken up while he is in a play full mood. If he is hungry or tired he will not respond to or bother to hear what you are saying!

obedience down

The training sessions should be short and have to be repeated at different locations.

 

Step By Step Training

Step 1:

The down command means the elbows and the hocks of the puppy should be resting on the ground.

Take your dog to a quite place where there is no one or no thing to grab his attention. Show him the treat and slowly take the treat towards the ground making his eyes follow the movement. The moment he lays down say “down”, give him the treat and praise him.

 

Step 2:

If the dog is not lying down after repeated tries, keep the treat under a chair or a table where he has to lay down to grab it. When he lies down loudly say “down” and praise him in a joyful tone. And try not using chair the other time.

  

Step 3:

Repeat the action few times in a day till the time the dog lies down as soon as he watches the treat.

 

Step 4:

The dog now knows the action. The next day when you begin the session, say the command “down” before showing him the treat. Then follow the above steps so that the canine can correlate the command and the action.  

 

Step 4:

Practice the command every day at different locations. Once you start getting the number of positive responses more than the negative ones, you can gradually reduce the treats.

 

The day when your dog responds positively to the command anywhere, that’s it! Your dog is trained to “down” command. 

 

Training Basics

  1. Never lose your patience while training the little puppy. Keep in mind; he will make mistakes, quite many times. Never scold him or shout at him when he does so.
  2. Love, praise and patience are the conquering weapons in the training procedure.
  3. Do not impose your intentions on the little puppy. Start with the session when he is ready for it and not when you want to have.
  4. While training the dog, reduce the instances that may divert his attention. Like switch off the television, do not get involved in any long conversations. Chose the time when no outsider is expected. 
  5. Make sure the puppy is not tired, hungry or cranky before beginning the training session.
  6. Train one command at a time thus avoiding any scope for confusion.