# Need help with "Lie Down"



## HarleyTheGSD (Feb 13, 2012)

I need to teach Varick how to lie down, but I can't get him to do it. I've tried luring. Absolutely does not work. I've also tried pushing down on his shoulder blades, but all he wants to do then is play. Once I can actually get him to lie down, I'll be able to teach him with no problem. 
Advice?


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

The way I did it was dropped a treat between his paws and said "down"every time I caught him doing it on his own.
He figured out what it means and then did it on command.
Same with pee and poo, LOL


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## HarleyTheGSD (Feb 13, 2012)

Sunflowers said:


> The way I did it was dropped a treat between his paws and said "down"every time I caught him doing it on his own.
> He figured out what it means and then did it on command.
> Same with pee and poo, LOL


Well, I tried to do this, but he'll just stand and eat it. If I hold it on the ground, he just stands and paws at it.


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## AngelaA6 (Jan 20, 2013)

You could also pick up his front legs and genty lay him down. Kinda like a gentle friendly leg sweep

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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

The only thing that worked with my Lacy in training 'down' (just use one word!) was for me to sit on the ground. Have a high value treat in my hand. Ask him to 'sit'. Reward. Ask him to 'look'. Reward. (Go through a few of the things he already knows and is really solid on.) Then put my cupped hand on the ground with the treat in it and say "Down". 

He'll dance around. He'll dig on your hand. He'll go through all the tricks he already knows. Ignore them all. Don't keep repeating down (that'll be nagging). At some point he'll get frustrated and lay down with your hand in front to try to work out the treat. "GOOD DOWN!" and reward! 

Any time he walks away, show him the treat and say "Down". As soon as he comes back to the treat, cup your hand again. Make sure your voice doesn't sound harsh or frustrated. Use the same tone as you'd use for other tricks. 

Put it in your mind that this is going to take awhile. Be patient. Let him figure it out what you want. Keep your hand on the ground. Turn on a favorite program on TV. 

Once he does it, maybe do it once or twice again. You don't want him to get bored and start ignoring you. Just make sure that you are on the ground and your hand is on the ground. 

You'll just have to remember that once he gets "Down" you'll need to readjust the command. At this point (for my Lacy) I can be standing and point a finger towards the ground and my Lacy will down. I don't need to say "down".


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## HarleyTheGSD (Feb 13, 2012)

Thanks for the tips!


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Lilie said:


> The only thing that worked with my Lacy in training 'down' (just use one word!) was for me to sit on the ground. Have a high value treat in my hand. Ask him to 'sit'. Reward. Ask him to 'look'. Reward. (Go through a few of the things he already knows and is really solid on.) Then put my cupped hand on the ground with the treat in it and say "Down".
> 
> He'll dance around. He'll dig on your hand. He'll go through all the tricks he already knows. Ignore them all. Don't keep repeating down (that'll be nagging). At some point he'll get frustrated and lay down with your hand in front to try to work out the treat. "GOOD DOWN!" and reward!
> 
> ...


:thumbup: Delgado was especially stubborn with the "down" command as well. I did exactly what Lilie did, Delgado learned who truly was the more stubborn one  lol 

Also, I used it ALL the time. Where I would normally ask for a sit, like walking out the door or playing fetch, the ante was upped to a down. He knew he had to give in to get what he wanted. Even now, he still offers the sit as his "go to" command but it will go to a down pretty quickly too without being asked.

Patience, it does pay off in the end!


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## FlyAway (Jul 17, 2012)

Sometimes you get a puppy who really has a hard time with down. Oops. Looks like your dog is not a puppy anymore. They get it eventually. 

Yep, patience.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Shade said:


> :thumbup: Delgado was especially stubborn with the "down" command as well. I did exactly what Lilie did, Delgado learned who truly was the more stubborn one  lol


I know!!! I was at the point where I had no idea what I could do to help him understand what I wanted. Physical contact made him lose his mind (play). So all I could do was wait him out. Let him figure it out. 

I did have to use my other hand to ward off unwanted puppy teeth. But after awhile his total focus was on how to get the treat out of the hand. At that point I knew it was going to work. 

I did make the mistake of exploding with joy "GOOD DOWN!!!!!!" when he finally laid down. I scared the poop out of him. I had to make a mental note to remain calm when the light bulb went off in his brain!!!!


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Lilie said:


> I know!!! I was at the point where I had no idea what I could do to help him understand what I wanted. Physical contact made him lose his mind (play). So all I could do was wait him out. Let him figure it out.
> 
> I did have to use my other hand to ward off unwanted puppy teeth. But after awhile his total focus was on how to get the treat out of the hand. At that point I knew it was going to work.
> 
> I did make the mistake of exploding with joy "GOOD DOWN!!!!!!" when he finally laid down. I scared the poop out of him. I had to make a mental note to remain calm when the light bulb went off in his brain!!!!


Oh the stink eyes and huffs I got in the beginning  I knew if I spoke dog I'd be learning new swear words  lol 

He would look at me, then the treat, then me again and you could literally see the wheels turning "what trick can I do to get that treat...sit! no...spin! no...paw! no....I'll wait it out and do nothing for several minutes....dang it!!!!! FINE! I'll down! Happy now?! Oh you are happy...maybe I'm onto something here..." :crazy:


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## Okin (Feb 27, 2013)

The only way I have been able to teach it to both of my dogs is to have them sit, then hold a treat out and kinda of slam the treat to the ground and say DOWN. If I do it slowly they will just paw at my hands. If I do it really fast and they know there is a treat they will go down. You have to make sure that the treat is far enough from them that while sitting they can't get to the treat without either going down, or standing up and going for it.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I've done a couple of ways, put your treat in a closed fist, palm side up right in front of his nose, let him sniff it if he doesn't 'get' that you have a treat..Lower your hand to the floor, straight down right in front of his front legs, while saying 'down', say it ONCE, (you can start with a sit or standing) Leave your hand on the floor in a closed fist, and say nothing..You might have to wait him out, as soon as his body hits the floor, open the fist..GOOD DOWN.

Another way, is free shaping, always keep treats ON YOU, say nothing, command nothing, when he lays down, "GOOD DOWN" and treat..I have done alot of free shaping with my dogs, whenever they 'do' something that is 'good', put a word to it, and treat..before long they figure it out,,they aren't dummies.


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