Train Your Dog To Lie Down [Step-by-Step]

Among the basic obedience commands that dog owners should teach, training their dog to lie down should be near the top. This simple cue can be deployed in so many scenarios – from creating a sense of control when guests visit your home, to safety when out in public places.

Teaching a dog to lie down is a great way to calm an overstimulated dog, or to create a sense of calm in a situation that could cause them to become overexcited.

Even better – teaching your dog the ‘down’ command is simple, straightforward and easy to implement. We’ll outline how you can train your dog to lie down in this article.

What you’ll need to teach your dog to lie down

While it is possible to teach your dog to lie down without any equipment aside from your voice and a hand command, the process will be more effective if you prepare these items in advance.

Training treats – These should be cut into relatively small pieces. The training treats should be sufficiently motivating for your dog to perform the behavior.
A comfortable surface – To begin with, you’ll want to encourage your dog to lie down on a soft surface like a towel, bath mat or rug.
A clicker – While not strictly necessary for teaching a dog to lie down, the clicker encourages consistent responses that your dog can easily acknowledge. Using the clicker during training is a great way to build and repeat more complex behavioral cues, and using it during this activity will help you to practice.

How to teach your dog to lie down

Step 1: Lure your dog down

With your dog near or on the comfortable surface, take a treat in your hand and hold it up to their nose (note that while some owners will teach a down from the sit command, it can actually be more natural for the dog to perform this behavior from a standing position – but either works!).

Slowly, bring the treat down between your dog’s front paws. You’ll likely notice that they follow the path of your hand with their nose. As you bring the treat closer to the ground, pull your hand away from their nose. To be able to obtain the treat, your dog will have to get themselves into a position where they are lying down.

Step 2: Click, reward and praise

Once your dog is in the down position, push the clicker and give them the treat. Give them positive encouragement to demonstrate that they did a good job.

You’ll want to repeat this a few times to ensure your dog truly grasps the concept.

Step 3: Remove the treat from your hand

In this step, you’ll repeat the process from the first two steps, with one key difference – as you lure your dog into lying down, this time, your hand will be empty. If they complete the behavior, make sure to have treats ready in your other hand to reward them. You are teaching your dog that the hand command is their cue to lie down.

If your dog doesn’t lie down without the treats, you have a couple of options. You can revert to using treats, but in much smaller quantities. You can also give encouragement when they make incremental improvements, such as their elbows hitting the ground. Patience will be key here – this is the part where you (and your dog) may start to get frustrated.

Step 4: Pair the command with a verbal cue

Once your dog is performing this consistently, you can begin to use a verbal cue to instruct your dog to lie down. Do this by saying “Down” or “Lie Down” a split second before using your hand command. Continue to click, reward and praise. Over time, you can reduce the frequency of using your hands, until your dog is responding entirely to your voice.

Step 5: Generalize the behavior

Once your dog is lying down consistently in a one-on-one setting at home, you can build on this behavior by generalizing. There are a couple of ways to do this. Firstly, have other members of your family work on this behavior with the dog. This ensures that they know that the command doesn’t just need to come from you – it is expected when anyone gives it to them.

Following that, introduce other environmental changes to further proof the behavior. When guests come to visit, use it as a training opportunity to put your dog in their down command. Taking your dog for a walk in public? Use this time to practice. This can be challenging for some dogs, particularly if there are constant distractions such as people or other dogs present.

Troubleshooting when teaching your dog to lie down

Teaching your dog to lie down should be relatively simple, but there may be instances where you encounter issues during the training process. Here’s how to mitigate some of the most common problems when teaching your dog to lie down.

Don’t overuse treats when you begin teaching this command – instead, use them sparingly. This prevents your dog from becoming over-dependent or expecting an abundance of treats every single time.
Don’t physically force your dog into a down – this doesn’t teach them anything, and could actually result in them resisting and making them less likely to perform the behavior.

Be patient! As with most things in dog training, progress can take some time before you start to see results. Incremental progress is better than none! Some dogs will take to this behavior quickly, while others will need more time.

Training this command outdoors can be tricky, particularly on surfaces like grass, gravel or dirt. It may take time for your dog to become accustomed to the new context.
Even when this command has been taught, your dog may be reluctant to perform it for a number of reasons. For example, the ground may be very hot (or very cold). The surface may be too hard. Your dog may also have joint pain or an injury that makes it difficult for them to lay down. Understand your dog, and don’t force them to lie down if there seems to be an underlying reason that means they don’t want to.