The Down

I find it easiest to teach the down from the sit. It will make it easier for the first few reps if you move the box on the collar unit so that it’s on top of the dog’s neck, rather than under his chin. The dog will have a natural tendency to move away from the discomfort and this will help get him into a down position. But don’t do this for more than 5–6 reps. If you do it more than that the dog will have a tendency to down with his chin on the floor. Generally you want the dog to be on his elbows, with his head up, not with his chin on the floor.

If you're working a dog that searches for a living (SAR, HRD, Police dog or any kind of a detection dog) that is supposed to range away from you, please stop reading now and go read the artice on "Differences In the Training for Search Dogs." It's vital that these dogs be kept in balance and that the proper focus is maintained. Click here for that article. Differences in the Training for Search Dogs.


Tools for the Down

To teach the down, which also incorporates the down-at-a-distance and the stay, you'll need a few pieces of equipment:

1. A six foot leash,
2. A buckle collar that won’t slip over the dog’s head,
3. Some doggie treats,
4. A piece of rope about 20' long with a bolt snap on each end and
5. An assistant who is either familiar with dog training or can follow instructions.

As with the sit you can use a correction collar but it’s best not to, for the same reasons outlined in the sit.

The Process

Place the dog into a sit and use a treat to lure him into a down. Do this several times, each time repeating the command “down.” Guide him with the leash as well as luring him with the treat. Remember that as you move the treat from in front of the dog’s nose, it also has to go forward, since his head will move in that direction as he goes down from the sit. Don’t move it straight down from in front of his nose or he'll have to back up to get it.

After 4-5 reps of this, press the button as you lure the dog and guide him with the leash. I like to have the dog on my left side for this. I hold the leash in my left hand and lay the Ecollar transmitter over it. I have the treat in my right hand. Remember to release the button as soon as the dog’s elbows hit the ground. I'm fairly tall so I usually need to kneel down as the dog goes into a down to continue the luring. If the dog shows some confusion when you press the button, use the treat and gentle leash pressure to guide him into the down.

It’s OK if he pops back up to a sit or even a stand at this point. It’s also OK if he stays there. If he does praise him lightly, not so much that you make him break the down.

If he stays down, let him stabilize for a few moments. Then give him a release command, move him to another spot and repeat. Give him guidance with the food and leash as often as necessary. Fade the food out after about the 5th down or when he doesn't seem to need it anymore.

Work until you get ten good downs from the sit when he’s right next to you.

Then, use your assistant again. As before you’re going to give the command and press the button while your assistant guides the dog into a down. If necessary have your assistant lure the dog down with the food at the same time that he uses the leash for guidance.

When you get ten perfect downs from the dog with your assistant, backtie the dog as before when training the sit. Work until you get ten perfect downs from the dog. This will probably go faster than the sit because the dog is collar literate, or well on his way to it, if you've already done the recall and the sit training.

Again, take the dog to several different locations and then do your proofing.

The-Down-Out-of-Motion

Often the dog will generalize from the down and down-at-a-distance to the down-out-of-motion. This is the movement where the dog is heeling; the handler gives a down command and keeps on walking and the dog downs where the down command was given.

If the dog doesn't stop and down when the command and stimulation is given there are several ways to get this. You can have an assistant walk behind you and stop the dog when the command is given. You can step in front of the dog to physically stop him with your body, as you give the command. If you do this be sure and resume walking as soon as the dog has stopped. You can use a leash and pull backwards and then down with it as you give the command.

Common Problems

Some dogs don’t like to be put into a down position because the submission makes them uncomfortable. But you can often get around that by luring with a treat. But some will still fight it. The Ecollar is an excellent tool for this because it allows you to deliver a correction from a safe distance.

In extreme circumstances where the dog becomes aggressive when you try and place him into a down and your safety is in jeopardy, you should use, instead of a leash, a piece of strong rope about 15' long. Attach it to the dog’s buckle collar and then pass it under a chain link fence that has a bar across the bottom. Pass it under the bar. Then you can pull against it and press the button on the transmitter as you pull the dog into a down.

The chain link keeps you safe from his aggression. Keep in mind that this is to be used ONLY in extreme circumstances. In cases such as this sometimes the dog locks up his front legs and you simply can’t pull him down with the strength of your arms. In this case simply pass the rope behind your rear end and lean back against it, using your weight, rather than your strength to pull him down. After a few minutes the dog will start to sag in response to your weight on his neck. It’s a simple case of gravity v. muscles. That is the time to press the button. Until that happens just keep repeating the “down” command but without the Ecollar helping. Wait until he starts to go down in response to the leash pressure and then press the button to help him. REMEMBER to lift your finger when his elbows hit the ground.

You'll find that you need less and less pressure on the leash to get him to down. This is a sign that he’s catching on.

 

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© 2007 Lou Castle