Teaching Your Dog to Lie Down
Read this lesson first, and then practice it with your dog.

1. Load up your pocket (or a bag or pouch) with treats.

2. Take your dog to an area where there won’t be a lot of distractions.

3. Put a treat in your hand and ask your dog to sit.

4. With your dog sitting and you squatting or sitting next to him, hold your hand with the
treat about an inch from his nose and slowly move your hand straight down to the
ground. Important: move your hand straight down, right below your dog’s nose, being
very careful not to move it away from him as this will cause him to get up and move
toward it. We don’t want that. (If that happens, just start over.)

5. Your dog should follow the treat down with his nose, and then lie down completely.
You may need to hold the treat on the ground for a few seconds before he lies down. It
may also help to tap the ground with your other hand. Be patient.

6. As soon as your dog lies down, immediately give the treat and verbal praise
(“Good!”)

7. Walk a couple of steps away to a new location.

8. Repeat Steps 3 through 7. Practice this a few times.

9. Did you notice you haven’t told your dog to “Rest” yet? Just as you learned with the
Sit command, do not give the verbal command until you can get him to lie down
consistently by moving your treat-filled hand down to the ground. Once you’re sure he’s
going to do this properly the next time you do that, say “Rest” in a calm, low voice a split
second before you start moving your hand. When he lies down, immediately reward
your dog with the treat and “Good!” praise.

10. Repeat this process five times, saying “Rest” in a calm, low voice just before he
does so and rewarding his correct response.