# Down



## WereWolf (Nov 16, 2007)

Tiago ( my 9 week puppy ) now has learned sit and shake hands and we are going to the next step which is down.

I made some 5 minutes an hour ago trying to make him move towards my hand while i was holding a threat and with my other hand i push him from behind his neck towards the ground whil i say down. He seems to have understood the concept but still seems there is much more work to do. I make him move while i push him downwards because its a lot easier to push him downwards while moving. after he is in down position i praise him and give him a threat.

I need advices if possible, I am open to all methods.


----------



## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

You do NOT want to force him down. You want him to 'offer' to go down and reward the movement. The pressure on the neck/shoulders ultimately can be a negative thing for our puppies cause it's 'making' them down. Instead you want him to WANT to go down. LOVE going down. Offer a 'down' all the time cause it's a good thing he wants to do, not a kind of stressful position he's being forced into.

This is really really really really important for ALL training with such a teeny puppy. Way later, with an adult dog? You can start having a bit more strict training. But with a young puppy you want ALL training to be a big fun game. Cause you aren't just 'training' at this stage. There is also a huge 'bonding' that you are doing at the same time. And if you make it too much a 'boss/underling' situation from the start. You won't have a willing partner in the training as it goes on. But a reluctant and avoiding and kind of stresses partner. 

And what all the compulsion ultimately results in is a S L O W dog that will drive you crazy! Rather than FAST dog that slams into a 'down' or 'sit'. And tears over to you at mach speed when released from a 'stay'. 

I always recommend clicker training with puppies. Because it forces us to learn a new skill as well as the puppy. And this means we aren't just focused on all the puppy is doing 'wrong' cause the fact we are also learning something new puts some pressure on us. So we are BOTH learning. The click is much clearer to a puppy, and they learn much faster. Fact that it also 'forces' us to have the food/toy for reward is also why they start learning so fast.

Hey I have a friend with a 9 week old German Shorthair Pointer who she's had for only 2 weeks. Been doing tons of short clicker sessions during that time. And you wouldn't even believe how FAST this puppies 'down' and 'sit' are. So adorable! 

http://www.clickandtreat.com/Clicker_Training/ClickStart/clickstart.htm

http://www.extendedyears.com/behavior/50006.php

http://clickertraining.com/

http://www.clickersolutions.com/articles/index.htm


----------



## kaslkaos (Jan 15, 2003)

Congratulations for taking the time to learn more about dog training.
Here's one more site for puppy training.
http://www.dragonflyllama.com/%20%20MAIN/indexdog.html
It's meaty. More of an on-line training book. Best printed off and read at leisure. It offers a complete guide to purely positive basics. I'm with Maggie in that little puppy's need purely positive training. They will just love to work with you and will want to be trained as it is a fun game. 
Ps. using you'll have fun too, as your puppy has fun.


----------



## big_dog7777 (Apr 6, 2004)

I cannot agree more with MRL. After he sits and you reward that, put a treat in the palm of your hand so he can see it. Then close your hand and put it by his nose so he can smell it. Then move your hand to the ground and say down. He will be licking, nuzzling, and maybe even mouthing thrying to get at the treat. Keep saying down. Once his elbows hit the floor "mark" the behavior with either vocal praise (yes, or good in a very happy tone) or a clicker and open your hand so he can take the treat. All of this should happen the very second that his elbows hit the floor. Repeat 100 times over a week. Then, give him a down command without moving your hand to the floor, and watch him hit the deck with ears and tail up, and bright eyes focused on you waiting for a treat and whats next. You cannot get that from pushing a puppy down. You want him to feel he is pushing your buttons to get what he wants. This attitude and methodology should be a part of any training you do with him.


----------



## WereWolf (Nov 16, 2007)

Thanks guys once again i am learning so much from these forums !

I will check all the links and use the methods you explained to me , i will tell you about our results in 2 weeks time


----------

