How to teach lie down is an important skill in dog training. The problem lies in teaching the dog that lying down is a desirable behavior when he is tired or hungry. Dogs cannot be trained to do anything if they do not understand what it is being asked to do. You can avoid many dog training mistakes if you follow the instructions below.
As soon as your dog gets home, the first thing to do is to start dog training while your dog is still in the cage with his leash. Put a treat in his hands and let him explore his hind quarters. If he begins to investigate his hind quarters, do not immediately give him a treat, but wait until he has explored all of his natural interest areas before moving on to using treats. This is very important because dogs are naturally lazy and will often fall asleep when you are next trying to train them. Also, if they have already fallen asleep, they cannot learn anything at all.
During the first training session, use the clicker-training method. Clicking a clicker once will command the dog to lie down and to stay there until the command word is heard. Be sure not to click too close to the dog or he will wake up. Use two clickers and vary the distances between them so that the dog can learn to distinguish the sound of the clicking. When the dog starts to lie down and staying there, you can then begin to work on the commands.
In the beginning, the dog should be taught to sit on command. Start by having him sit on your lap or at your feet. Give the dog a treat and praise him profusely for sitting. However, after a few attempts, you may find that he is not able to sit simply by himself. In this case, you may find yourself clicking and praising him more than the treats he receives.
During toilet training, the dog should be given a treat every time he finishes using the toilet. Do not, under any circumstances, use punishment to try to discipline the dog when he does not follow your commands. The dog may become confused and irritated and may become more aggressive. You can also lose a bit of respect for yourself, if you are unable to properly toilet train your dog. The best thing to do in this case is to ignore the dog if he does not follow your instructions and try again another time in a while.
The next thing to do during toilet training is to get the dog’s attention by either touching him with your hand or making some other form of physical contact. Praise the dog profusely but do not give him the treat until he has made a complete roll. Continue to touch and reward him until he is sitting calmly on the potty. If he tries to take off, ignore him and move on to another command. Do not reward him until he goes to the bathroom.
Once he has the sit command down, continue to hold the leash steady at first and then lower the dog slowly until his butt is on the floor. Reward with treats and praise. Continue in this fashion until he learns to hold the leash with his paws on the floor every time. Be sure to always walk behind him so you don’t trip over him. He will soon learn that he can hold on to the leash by putting his paws down instead of up.
This technique teaches the dog to sit without using the sit command. In order to teach him to stay on his own, you will need to move onto some basic training for your dog. You should begin by holding the leash by your hip, with your body bent forward and your dog’s butt on the ground. Approach the dog from the front and say “stay” in a firm, strong voice. When you get his attention, move toward him and then say the word again, followed by “stay”. Do not move toward him or even make eye contact with him while you are saying these commands.
