This video will demonstrate training the down and hold-position simultaneously.
Starting with the puppy in a stand, using food as a lure, the instructor will take the food and move back toward his shoulders. The instructor is attempting to lure his front-end down, then his rear-end (similar to a play-bow) as opposed to the traditional sit to down training method. This method is more competitive if you have plans to do agility or obedience.
As the dog collapses into the down, the instructor will say the word “down”, pairing the word with the behavior. (Two Demonstrations in Video)
Once the puppy is in a down, the instructor will continue to reinforce the puppy for holding the down position while adding in handler motion. This helps the puppy learn that he is supposed to stay unless he is asked to move. If you notice, when the instructor says “break”, she then assists the puppy with moving by gently nudging him out of the down.
How we teach that (this starts when training the sit-stay and down-stay):
– Continue to reward the puppy for the down until you are nearly out of rewards. Place the reward on the ground between his feet to bring value to his down position instead of encouraging him to move toward your hand.
– Release your puppy by physically moving them and pairing the motion of you moving your puppy with your release word (we use “break”, but it can be any word you choose).
Questions? Let us know! Or, post a video of your training session to the Puppy Facebook Group!