How to teach your puppy the command "Down" at the very first lesson? If you have an adult dog, you will learn how to teach your dog to lie down right after a few simple, consistent actions.
This is one of the simplest commands, which are often used in life. Ability of the animal to lie down at the command will be useful during a visit to a veterinarian, on a training platform while carrying out other commands.

How to teach your dog or a puppy to lie down?

You can start training even at the age of one month, but remember: up to 3 months it is forbidden to use punishment! Work only on positive reinforcement.
The command "Down" is usually given a work-out to in combination with other commands, so check out how to train dogs correctly. After that, take a collar, a leash, treats and go to the place where you usually have training sessions. Of course, you can train a dog at home, but then the dog will carry out commands only there, turning into an unruly beast outside.
When the dog is sitting by your left leg (the leash is in your hand), take a treat and then move it at the dog's snout, then pronounce the command "Down" and slowly move the treat down. Most likely, the dog will lie down to get to the treat. If yes, excellent! It's time then to praise him by saying: "Down, down, well done".
If the dog has changed the position without your orders, no delicacies! For example, the dog lied down at your command, and then sat up of its own free will, and then stood up. Then immediately pull strictly the leash down while pushing the left hand on the dog's back, as if to help it to lie down. The dog should be punished for a willful performance of commands.
It is better to work for reward, punishing repositioning without orders. However, there is one more useful method. When the dog is by your left leg, sit down and take its two front legs just below the elbows. Then give the command "Down", and immediately stretch them forward. Then give the animal treats without delay and kindly praise it.
If the dog stands up more and more often without your order, it means you necessarily have to be stricter. Once the dog got up without command, immediately pull the leash down hard to put it down. The dog got up again? Again make a jerk, but stronger, and so on. You need to find the ideal impact pulling force not to hurt the dog, but noticeable enough to execute the command. Besides, you may want to read about negative reinforcement training and practice it.
It may happen that the dog is not seduced with a treat, and sitting stone-still. Or it stands up and just bows his head to get to a treat. Then no reward! Just give a command "Down" and pull the leash down. Be more severe if the dog does not perform a Down! You can give a treat only when the dog lies down without jerk, but at your order.
Sometimes it may occur that the dog does not want to lie down at all. It seems to have "frozen" paws and does impossible things to sit or stand. Then you need to try to teach the dog a Down when it wants to lie down by its own will. For example, you see, at home or on the street that the dog is going to lie down. Then immediately, ahead of the curve, say the command "Down". It will turn out as if you order the dog to lie down.

What is worth remembering?

Reward the dog accomplishing a Down half the time. That is, make the dog lie down for a treat, but do not give it at once. Give food next time when the command is accomplished.
Do not give commands too often. Give the command "down", and after 8-15 seconds another one, and so on. The main thing is that the animal performs orders. Do not rush to get maximum amount of the executed commands per second it is not required.
Tell the command just once. There is no need in repeating it twice, because then the dog will obey after a second or third time.

That's all. Now you know how to train a dog to perform a Down. The next step of training is to perform this command at a distance and by gesture. But more about that in the next article, at the moment there is no sense that his head hammer. When the dog performs easily commands being by your feet, you can teach it to work at a distance. It is better to work from simple to complex. Thus you slowly but surely will achieve the desired results.