![]() Always do whatever the dog doesn't know before what the dog does know. Once he'll drop immediately into a down when you give him the hand signal, do what Samba said - say the word, wait a beat or two, then use your hand signal. In the beginning I start with my palm going all the way down till it touches the floor while I'm sitting with the puppy, and fade it to where I can simply point to the ground with one finger from a standing position. Gradually fade the signal to something more subtle. I wouldn't even worry about getting a solid verbal command until he fully understands your hand signal without food in it, so start there. Once they've followed the lure into position a couple of times, I use the lure motion with an empty hand and treat from the other hand. I use a food lure to teach behaviors to my pups, but I only keep the food in that hand as long as absolutely necessary - usually that's within the first brief training session or two. For instance, if he gets back up before you click and treat, he may think he earned the treat for getting up, not lying down.I completely agree with Danielle about the lure. Avoid any lag time between the click and the delivery of the treat, otherwise you run the risk of your dog not understanding which behavior earned them a treat. Pro Trainer Tip : The faster you click and then provide a treat the better (one click, one treat!). Repeat this a few times until your dog begins to anticipate the movement of the treat and starts to move into a downward position, with his belly touching the floor. The second their belly touches the floor, click, and provide the reinforcer (treat). Your dog will likely try to "follow" with their nose, resulting in them lowering their front legs, then their back legs. Hold the treat in front of your dog's nose and slowly lower it downward so that your dog's nose is pointing between their paws and the treat touches the floor. Luring is when you use something your dog will follow, like a treat, to move them into a position. Ask your dog to "sit" and then when he is sitting in front of you, use a treat to lure him into a lying down position. It's easier to begin if you've already taught your dog how to sit on cue. If you use a different marker, just do that instead of clicking.) (For the purposes of this article, we'll use the word "click" to indicate when you mark a behavior. The more accurate and quick your mark is, the more effective your teaching becomes. If you don't have a clicker you can use a consistent word like "yes" or"good" or a visual signal like a thumbs up, but pick one and stick to it. A clicker is a great example of a conditioned marker. Your dog should be able to decide which type of reinforcer, treat or piece of food, they want to have.Ī marker (or conditioned stimulus) is a sound or signal that pinpoints (marks) the exact moment your dog did something that earned them a reinforcer (the treat). Foods like cut-up hot dogs, small pieces of cheese (if your dog doesn't have a sensitive stomach), lunch meat, or store-bought training treats are all good options. For 99 percent of dogs this is some kind of food or small, tasty treat. Things to Have Ready Before You Start Really Good Reinforcers and a MarkerĪ reinforcer (or sometimes called a "reward") is something your dog loves and easy for you to give. When you follow these simple and quick steps, and create opportunities for positive reinforcement, your dog will learn to lie down on cue in no time at all! That's because teaching your dog the behavior of lying down is so useful in a variety of contexts.Ī down cue can be used as the building block for your dog to learn other fun behaviors and tricks like " roll over" or "go-to-bed." It's also the foundation for teaching your dog to relax or rest by you when company comes over-or when you want to take your pup with you to a restaurant patio. When teaching dog training classes, especially for therapy dogs, "down" is one of the top five cues I like to focus on.
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