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Dog Training: How to Teach Your Dog to Lie Down The lie down command is one of the most crucial ones you can teach your dog, along with come, sit, and stay. If he becomes overly excited around other people or pets, you can use this command to put him to sleep on the floor. We offer training advice for teaching a dog to lie down in this post.

Why Your Dog Won’t Lie Down 

Your dog might not feel comfortable lying down for this training if he is older and has stiff joints. After speaking with your veterinarian, you can feel at ease training your dog to “dog down” if there isn’t a medical reason why they can’t lie down.

This is a good command to teach a puppy or an energetic adult dog when he is a little tired. Start off the session with a little walk or some exercising. It will be difficult to teach an over-energetic dog, lie down and stay in the same position.

Start the lessons at home, where there are less distractions, as some dogs may feel insecure on the ground, especially in busy situations.

The experts at Prettypets.life have provided six instructions below that will help you teach your dog how to lie down. This useful video will allow you to see the suggestions in action.

How to Teach Your Dog to Lie Down

One of the fundamental orders for dogs is to lie down. It shouldn’t be too difficult to teach this command, but it will require some patience.

Bring a large quantity of your favorite dog treats to the first lesson, as well as a clicker. A clicker will let you mark the moment your dog has performed the desired behavior in the right way. If you are not interested in working with a clicker or if you don’t have one, then you can use a verbal marker—”Yes” or “Good dog”—to mark a lie down. But do make sure you are using your voice markers consistently.

1. With a treat, gain the attention of your dog

• Call your dog and say “Sit” and “Stay”.
• Begin in an environment with fewer distractions.
• Begin by sitting.
• Take as many actions as necessary.

2: Hold the treat

• Use the confection as a bait.
• Place your hand on the ground.
• Pro tips:
• Get your dog to gaze at the ground first .Place your hand on the ground.
• To get his head down, use the treat as a bait.

 3: Give the down command once

• Give a clear order.
• Once down, lure your dog up with your hand.
• Put the treat right next to his nose.
• Lower it slowly, so he will go down to the floor.
• Say “Yes” or click your clicker the instant your dog has lowered itself to the ground.
• Once your dog is on the ground, you want to offer them the treat.
• Pro tips:
  • Before you give your dog the down command, you can first entice him down with a reward. Once he understands that, you can give him the vocal down command.
  • Avoid forcing your dog to lie down by pushing him away from the floor.
  • He will only push back and resist if you put pressure on his back.

4: Get him completely down, including elbows

• To keep him down, move the treat along the ground.
• Pro Tip:
• If necessary, put your dog under your legs or on a chair so that he will bend over to get the treat.

5. Praise and reward

• The instant your dog’s paws touch the floor, mark with your voice or click your clicker.
• Next, give him the goodie as a reward.
• Pro tip:
• Until you are certain that he has understood the command, don’t bother fading the lure.

Also Read : Common Dog Hand Signals for Dog Training

6: Keep practicing

• Praise him profusely as he picks up the command.
• Practice indoors, with no disturbances.
• Once he has learned, increase the distance between you and your dog.
• Pro tips:
• After some time, fade the treat lure but praise instead.
• As he becomes more knowledgeable and confident, try adding more distractions. Remember that a new command is not learned in one session. Meanwhile, you can begin teaching your dog other commands once he has learned to lie down.