In today’s Coronavirus Canine Challenge I challenge you to ask your dog to sit, down and stand (see below if you want to know how to teach these) but with a twist – you are not allowed to be standing directly in front of your dog!
Here’s some ideas to try:
– Try asking for different positions when you are lying down on a sofa or floor;
– when you’ve got your back to your dog;
– when standing on your head; (Obviously this one should only be attempted by supple, young people, so definitely not me. My replaced knees and hip would protest and I’d probably end up with other joints needing to be replaced…)
– or any other innovative position.
There are a few easy ways to train sit:
- You can wait until your dog sits naturally of her own accord, add your cue word (“sit”), praise and treat. Repeat every time you see her sit.
- Hold a treat in your hand while standing in front of your dog. He will look up at the treat and because it’s more comfortable to look up from a sit instead of standing, he will probably sit. Add your cue word (“sit”), praise and give him the treat. Repeat several times, without the treat in your hand after the first few times.
- Lure your dog into a sit by holding a treat just in front of her nose then slowly lift it upwards. Wait for her to sit, add the cue word (“sit”), praise and give the treat. Repeat three times before trying without the treat in your hand.
Down can be more difficult, especially for the breeds that have very straight hips, such as many terriers, the bull breeds, and some hounds. You will see these dogs lie down either on their sides, rather than in the common “sphinx” classical down position, or lie down on their tummies with their back legs pointing out straight behind them. To train down:
- Wait until your dog lies down naturally of her own accord. (It can help to give your dog a good chew bone or Kong if you’re struggling.) When she lies down, add your cue word (“down”), praise and treat. Repeat every time you see her lie down. It’s fine to train this as a lie down on your side for the breeds that find this easiest.
- Lure your dog into a down from a sit by holding a treat just in front of his nose then move it down towards the floor aiming between his front paws and turning your hand so your palm is pointing downwards at the same time. Wait for him to lie down, add the cue word (“down”), praise by stroking down his back and give treats by dropping them on the floor between his front paws. Repeat until he is lying down easily before trying without the treat in your hand.
- For smaller dogs or those that are struggling to understand what you want, try the under-the-leg method. Sit on the floor with one leg bent up at the knee and the other leg out to your side (out of the way). Use a treat to lure your dog under your bent knee. Your knee needs to be high enough that the dog can move under your leg, but low enough so that she has to lie down. Add the cue word when she is lying down, praise by stroking down her back and give her the treat. Repeat until she is lying down easily before moving your leg away. If you can’t sit on the floor to do this one, try luring your dog under a low coffee table or stool instead.
Stand is a bit easier! Use the Goldilocks method:
- From the sit, use a treat held just under your dog’s chin. Move the treat forward parallel to the floor just far enough for him to stand up, but not so far that he takes a pace forward. Add your cue, stroke him down his back and give the treat. Repeat, dropping the lure after the first few times.
- If your dog just shuffles her bottom along the floor, it means you’re holding the treat too high, so try with it a bit lower
- If your dog lies down (common with collies and gundogs) you’re holding the treat just a little too low, so try with it a bit higher. Aim for the “just right” place, hence Goldilocks training.
Have a go at this challenge – it’s fun and your dog’s response will make your laugh. And we all need that at the moment.
Keep training and keep safe,
Carol