How to Train Your Dog to Lay Down

Teaching your dog to lay down on command is particularly valuable when you are out in public. What if you are walking your dog and someone wants to stop to talk to you? Putting your dog in a down keeps him still and less engaged so he won’t get distracted. This means you can chat with your friend and not worry about getting pulled off your feet.

If you want to be able to take your dog out on adventures with you through daily life, this is a must-know skill. I will show you how to train it in 2 easy steps utilizing marker training and food luring. Your dog will be laying down on command in about a week.

What is the down command?

“Down” or “lay down” is used as a verbal command to get your dog to lay down. Dogs should be able to get into a down from sitting or standing, but it is easier to train from a sit. I love to put Ezra in a down if I need him to be still while I go grab something or talk with friends. With practice, he should also exhibit a down when commanded from a distance. This makes it helpful for any busy dog mom.

Why should I train my dog to lay down on command?

There are so many reasons to train your dog to down on command. Here are the top benefits:

• It’s a foundational skill to teaching your dog to stay.
• If you ever want your dog to be off-leash trained or hike on a long line, he should know down.
• It’s one of the required skills in order to teach your dog how to do dog tricks, like push-ups.
• A lot of dogs don’t like to exert the energy to quickly get up from a down, so this is a good skill to use in training against leash reactivity.

2 No Brainer Steps to Train a Dog

This is a very simple skill that you can train a young puppy. It is easier to train this skill if your dog knows sit first and is marker conditioned. I recommend to leash your dog to train this one so you can refocus the dog easily, but it’s not required. Then grab a treat and you are ready!

Step 1: Sit your dog, grab a treat, and begin food luring.

• Get your dog into a sit and focus on you.
• Grab your treat and put it in front of your dog’s nose. It’s OK if he starts licking your hands, that’s good. It shows he really wants that treat. But try to be ~5-8 inches away from him.
• With the treat in your hand, point your finger to the ground. Start lowering your hand to the ground.
• Your dog’s nose should follow. He may not follow all the way or all the way down. That’s OK.
• Mark the small behaviors as you need to, but move your hand to the ground.
• Your dog may not lay down right away. He may bend over and try to get you to release the treat. Don’t give in. Once he lays down, mark the behavior and pay with a treat.
• Repeat a few times so your dog is familiar with it and end the session for the day.

Step 2: Make smaller hand movements, and add the command.

Our goal in this section is to point to the ground to signal the dog to lay down. Once our dog gets the hand of the hand signal, we will add the verbal command “down.”

• It may take a few days for your dog to truly understand the movement. But you see he associates putting your hand on the ground with a down, start phasing it out.
• Start by only moving your hand halfway to the ground. Pause there. Wait it out. Your dog may start licking your hand, and that’s ok. Don’t give him the treat.
• Once he lays down, emphatically mark the behavior and pay with a treat. Practice at this distance a few more times.
• If he doesn’t get it, that’s OK. Go back to putting your hand on the ground and practice a few more times to jog his memory.
• Any time he makes two mistakes in a row, go back to a previous behavior and practice it more.
• Once he recognizes this is a down hand signal, point to the ground while standing. Wait him out to see if he lays down. Once he lays down, mark the behavior and pay with a treat.
• If he doesn’t get it, that’s OK. Go back to the halfway point and practice a few more times to jog his memory.
• Once he seems like he’s getting the hand signal while standing, start to add the verbal command before point. Then practice, practice, practice. Don’t forget to mark and pay.

Conclusion

I love this skill because it’s so easy to train with food luring, marker training, and some patience. All you have to do is:

• Sit your dog.
• Then grab a treat and point to the ground ~5 inches from the dog’s nose.
• Start to move your hand to the ground to lure your dog to the ground.
• When he lays down, mark the behavior and pay with the treat. Then repeat!
• Keep practicing over a few days, then slowly minimize your movement.
• By the end of a couple days, you should be able to point to the ground while standing to get the dog into a down.
• Then add the verbal command before pointing, and keep practicing some more!

How long did it take you to train your dog to lay down? Comment and let me know!