To get your dog to sit, hold a treat above their nose. As soon as their butt touches the ground, give them the treat. Once they can do this reliably, start saying the word “Sit” to help them associate it with the action. [2] X Expert Source David LevinProfessional Dog Walker & Trainer Expert Interview. 19 December 2019.
If the dog pops up while luring him down, quickly snatch the treat away. Then immediately ask him to sit again, and start the luring process over again.
Remember, don’t allow him to have the treat until he lies down. He will get confused about what it is you’re asking him to do.
The instant his body hits the floor, say “down,” use your clicker and throw a treat a few feet in front of him. He’ll have to stand up to go get the treat, so then you just wait for him to lie down again. Repeat the sequence until he seems to start connecting “down” with what you want him to do. [5] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source
Keep the treats nearby and give him one as soon as he lies down and stays, and be sure to give praise. If he refuses to lie down without seeing a treat, you can try this “fake out” trick: lure him into the lying down position with a treat just like in the first section quickly 4 times in a row. The last time, quickly do it without the treat. He will probably lie down, thinking you have a treat. As soon as he does, say your praise (“Yes!” or “Good dog!”) and open your hand to show him there’s no treat. Then give him 3 surprise treats. Start again practicing without the treats and only using the hand signal. [8] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source Practice the empty hand method for 10 minutes a couple of times each day for a couple of days.
Stop your hand an inch or two above the floor and move it out. As soon as he lies down, deliver the praise and the treat. [9] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source
Try practicing while you’re out on a walk where there’s little distraction, then work up to environments where there is a lot he’s distracted by. [12] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source
Dogs like having a job to do! And when he discovers that lying down gets him all kinds of rewards, he’ll be more likely to do it as soon as you ask. [14] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source
Spend those 15 minutes practicing new skills, but keep old ones polished by doing single repetitions at convenient times throughout the day. [15] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source
Don’t bury words like “sit” and “down” in complex sentences. When training, decide what word you will use for the action that you want, and use it clearly and consistently every time. Negative reinforcement doesn’t work![17] X Expert Source Brian Bourquin, DVMVeterinarian Expert Interview. 20 December 2019. If you hit your dog or yank his leash when he does something you don’t like, he may simply learn that you are scary and not connect his behavior with how he got hurt. It’s much easier to focus on what you want your dog to do (if he starts doing something you don’t like, you tell him to sit) than on what you don’t want him to do. [18] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source
Start with the more basic part of the skill, and then move upward in complexity for each level of mastery. [19] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source
While you may want to start a new skill in a quiet room of your house, move to different locations as soon as he starts getting it. Train your dog in different rooms of your house, in your yard, at different stops during your walks, and at friends’ houses. [20] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source
This means that you should have patience with dog training, and accept that your dog has certain traits and behaviors (chewing, mouthing, roughhousing) that are just part of being a dog. You can deter some behaviors by not rewarding them, but this takes time and patience. If you are trying to prevent certain undesirable behaviors in your dog (like digging through the trash can), consider what you can do to prevent the behavior (like putting the can in a place where the dog can’t get to it) instead of setting unrealistic expectations on him. [21] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source
