Leash Lessons: Lay Down

This week we demonstrate two of the three ways to teach "down". We also attempt this with a cat! And provide short videos. We also discuss the secrets of the universe via goldfish.

Nov 10, 2024

I once had a trainer tell me that teaching a dog to lie down was more important than sit. At first I thought this was odd. She went on to say this is because no matter how large the dog, it is harder for them to get into too much trouble, too quickly, if they are laying down. (They have to get their legs under them. Stand up. Then move. Which gives you time to correct it.)

There is truth in that… until you teach them to crawl. But that is a trick for a later day.

Teaching your critter to Lie Down!

Teaching “down” or “drop” or lay down is a fantastic way to help keep your critter calm and focused. Usually teaching down with dogs works pretty well, but sometime it helps to have a little extra with young puppies, as they are very flexible.

There are three ways to teach down:

Down from sit.
Down from stand.
Down under a leg.

In the videos today I demonstrate down from stand and down under a leg. For down from sit, check out our “sit” video which includes a few free downs (https://blog.casasent.blog/p/chaos-critters-leash-lessons-sit).

In one video, I demonstrate with a cat who thinks he’s a dog. Both of my dogs already know down (mostly in the case of the puppy). But I have not yet managed to teach Beleth down. We will see if he is too liquid. If you are struggling teaching a new puppy down, I have a few suggestions for using the environment to your advantage, but for now. Let’s grab those treats and start training.

Step-by-Step Basic Process

Find a quiet spot
When you are first training a new trick, it is always best to do it somewhere away from distraction. You can add those in later to make it harder with the three D’s (duration, distance, and distraction). But begin with some place quiet, where in our case our other critters won’t bother us. Make sure you have: (1) their favorite treats, (2) a clear area to work, and (3) your critter!
Get Their Attention
Hold a treat close to your pup or critter’s nose to spark their curiosity. You want them focused on you! (Or at least the treat in your fingers.)
The Downward Lure
At this point you have three choices: have your pup sit or stand. If you’re using the leg method, it may not matter.
1. From a sit or stand: With the treat in hand, slowly move the treat from their nose down to the ground, just in front of their paws. Encourage them to follow the treat with their nose, which should naturally lead them to lowering their body. Often you will see dogs start almost a play bow before their butt also drops. As I mentioned, this works for sit or stand. In the videos, you’ll see some of the differences in how the dog reacts to each. (In the stand method, they can back up, since they aren’t sitting.)
2. Going under your leg: For cats and some puppies, they’re so liquidy that they can bend down to get the treat without going into a down. So instead, we lead the treat from their nose under a leg, so they have to do a “down” in order to get under the leg and to the treat.
Celebrate (even partial success at the beginning)
As soon as your pup’s belly touches the floor, celebrate! Give them lots of praise and reward them with that tasty treat. You can mark using your voice or a clicker (although how anyone can have enough hands for a clicker has always amazed me.) If your critter is struggling a lot with down, you can start by rewarding just the front dip of the shoulders. Basically it is better to reward often and keep the critter interesting in training than to make them stressed, anxious, or bored by never giving them treat.
Repeat the Fun
Practice this a few times. What type of critter, how old the critter is, and their temperament in general will determine how to keep the practice light-hearted and enjoyable and how long it can go. For Crokell, while he is older and knows his stuff, I tend do longer overall sessions BUT I do different tricks, since he can work longer but gets bored doing in the same thing. Since he gets bored easily, I always change it up. It can be as easy as asking for the down from a different location to having him do a sit stay or come in between. For Dante, I will often do sit, down, sit, down, (puppy sit-ups), but his sessions tend to be shorter. In general, sessions should be between 5-15 minutes! You will notice in the 1 hour dog classes, you aren’t running the dog continually for the whole hour, you stop and have breaks as the instructor gives you feedback. Or at least I hope you do…
Introduce the Verbal or Hand Cue
Probably not in the first session, but a few session later, once your critter is getting the hang of lying down, it’s time to add the magic word! Say “down” just before you move the treat or point to ground for a hand cue. Soon, they’ll learn to associate the word with the action!
Practice Makes Perfect
Keep practicing in different locations and with various distractions. Each time your pup lies down, reward them! Once they have a hang of down with you next to them, add distance, distractions, or duration with a stay. But remember, only add one of the D’s at a item, and know that when you do you have just increased the difficulty.

Videos

Down from a Stand

Beleth, under the legs down

Crokell, under the legs down (This also works for teaching crawl, as you’ll see.)

Tips for a Tail-Wagging Experience

Keep it Light: Use short bursts of training for a minute or two to keep your pup excited! Aim for fun, not fatigue!
Be Encouraging: If they’re having a tough time, don’t freak out! Instead take a step back and make it easier. If that means kneeling on the floor with them, or rewarding for a shoulder drip. Just take a it slow, but make it fun too. Down can be hard for a puppy with lots of energy or for a cat that is liquid…. Every critter learns in their own unique way!
Mix Up the Rewards: Some dogs and cats don’t like treats. Or some days they want a different type of treat. Mixing it up makes it more fun.

Tips of Chaos

Never underestimate the power of a well-fed goldfish; they can provide profound wisdom if you listen closely during quiet moments.

Questioning Critters

What's the deepest thought you've had while watching your pet do absolutely nothing?

Chaos Critters

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