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Along with “Sit,” “Leave it,” and “Come,” the cue for “Down” is one of the basics you should teach your dog. It means “lie down.” Many people mistakenly use it for “Off,” which is the cue for getting a dog to stop jumping on someone. That only has the potential to confuse a dog. A pet in the act of inappropriately jumping on someone is not going to understand why you suddenly want him to lie prone on the floor.
“Down” is actually easier to teach than “Off” because you’re not asking your dog to comply when he’s already excited. It’s a good cue to teach in the early stages of training, perhaps when you first bring home a new dog as a puppy. You want to get your pet used to following your lead so that he pays attention in situations that involve his or another person’s safety. But a dog can learn “Down” at any age. There are a number of ways to teach it correctly. Go with the one that feels right for you.
Magnet method. For “Down,” the magnet method often works quite well, meaning that a treat will work as a magnet to “attract” your pet to the position you desire. As with any training session, make sure you have a delicious morsel of food between your fingers and a heaping portion of goodwill. You never want to bring any crankiness or impatience to training, or your dog will not be able to learn effectively. He needs a positive atmosphere.
With your dog facing you, hold the food right in front of his nose. Then slowly lower the treat to the floor and subsequently draw it away from your pet. Think of the down-and-away motion as if you’re making a capital L. Your pup will respond by lowering and then extending his neck to follow the treat. His front legs will extend, too, and his body will lower itself to the ground. Voila! He has complied, and you should reward him by releasing the treat and telling him, “Good Boy!”
After a couple of successful completions, preface the exercise with a verbal “Down” cue. He’ll soon figure out that lying down on cue results in praise and other “goodies.” Rewards should initially be given for every successful completion but then phased to an intermittent, random schedule. Just the knowledge that a treat might be dispensed will become enough to get him to comply. If your dog has trouble understanding, you can have him sit first and work from there for the “Down,” says the head of the Tufts Animal Behavior Clinic, Stephanie Borns-Weil, DVM.
Capture Method. With the capture method, you capture the moment at which your dog happens to be engaging in the behavior you want to occur. When you see him lying down, say “Down” and immediately reward him with a food treat and praise. Have the food treat in your hand before you give the verbal cue. Even just a few seconds between saying the word and rewarding for complying are enough to make the dog unable to “get” the sequence: Cue-Response-Reward.
Clicker method. With a clicker that you can purchase at a pet supply store or a party goods store, make a single click — just once to elicit the sound — and give your dog a food treat “for free.” Repeat several times. The dog will come to understand that the click and the food are paired.
Now, in the same session, proceed directly to stage two. Anxious for more food (remember, you’re making sure it’s really delicious, not the usual dog biscuit but something more on the order of a tiny piece of meat in order to keep motivation and attention high), your dog should start jumping around your legs, sniffing and begging. Finally, he gives up, perhaps at first sitting but then lying down. Bingo! Click the clicker (just once, always once), and proffer another treat and a short, clipped dose of hearty praise. After a couple of rounds of that, add the voice cue: “Down.” If you don’t, he’ll think that every time he decides to engage in that behavior, he’ll get a click and a reward from you. It’ll take a bit for the routine to become second nature, but he will most assuredly get the hang of it.
Placement method. This method is somewhat controversial because it entails moving the dog into position rather than letting him learn for himself what you want. He may come to expect that you’re always going to be hands-on about cues. We lean away from the placement method for that reason, but it can work as a means to an end. After a couple of times moving your pet into the “down” position and cheerfully giving him a food treat, bring the word “Down” into the sequence. A light bulb will begin to go off in his head.
There you have it. Within a day or so, your dog will have learned a new cue, and your bond with him will be that much tighter.
