Teaching a puppy a lured down

Teaching a lured down for a pet puppy or adult dog 🐾

I like to teach my pet dogs a down from a stand and a sit. Down means down, wherever you’re starting from.

In an environment where puppy is comfortable & using food your puppy likes held cupped in your hand with your thumb holding it in place (saves your fingers from getting bitten!). I use possyum dog roll or the pups usual dinner.

Give the “down” command. THEN lure puppies nose down towards their toes on a 45 degree angle. This should encourage puppy to rock backwards into that down.

Mark “good” (or your chosen marker) and reward a few times in that down position. You may need to start by splitting the behaviour down and rewarding steps towards the down - eg bending their elbows, going lower with their belly, until they are fully in the down position.

Immediately release with your release word (I use “okay”).

Over time we fade out the lure by doing gradually smaller movements after the command. We also add duration in how long we ask puppy to stay in that down before being released, and practice in different situations.

Struggling to get it?

1. Ensure you are luring back to puppies toes to encourage the rock back, not creeping forward.

2. If puppy is getting stuck in the “downward dog”, often holding the lure there or repeating the lure a little faster can encourage the full down. Mark and reward as soon as their rear hits the ground.

3. Consider splitting down the behaviour if needed. Elbows bend? Yes and reward. A little lower? Yes and reward. Until fully getting the down. Some pups just need a little more time to get it.

4. Consider using physical props to support puppy. A common one is using a low bench or sitting on the ground with legs straight in front of you. Bend your knees slightly with feet flat on the ground - creating an arch. Lure pup so they have to duck a little to get under. Mark and reward when you get that down movement, then work on moving that to the open.

Training for sports? Ensure you are familiar with the requirements for the down position in your sport and adjust to suit. The technique shown is for standard pet dogs.