Teaching Down

[Acadianarose]

Ok, this seems crazy to me but maybe someone else’s hound does this too –

 

When I began teaching Payton down, he did not catch on to what I wanted until I brought him to his bed, tapped the treat on his pillow and said “down”. He got it pretty quickly so now I am trying to teach him down in other spots other than his bed. But he won’t lay down anywhere else. As soon as I say down, he runs to his bed and lies down or he will try to dig at the treat in my hand or lick it. I can’t get him to understand “down” anywhere other than his pillow.

 

What am I missing here?

[Sambuca]

His pillow is comfortable and greyhounds like comfort. Try using a bath mat or something that's easily portable.

[Guest Clawsandpaws]

His pillow is comfortable and greyhounds like comfort. Try using a bath mat or something that's easily portable.

Yup. When I was training sit and down, I had to start on MY bed. (Yes I was standing on it like a fool) then we went to his bed on carpet, then bare carpet, then his bed on linoleum, then the rug on linoleum, then linoleum, and now everywhere!

[Acadianarose]

I should have known...

[Guest lunasmom]

When you are holding the treat on the ground and Payton licks and paws at your hand... what does he do next if you just wait holding the treat on the ground?

 

Luna did the same thing when I was training her to lay down. If she backed up next I lured her again. If she was licking and pawing at my hand I waited. It took a couple minutes the first few times but she eventually bowed and layed down.

Edited October 29, 2013 by lunasmom

[Guest PiagetsMom]

Actually, it's not that you're missing something it's just that Peyton's learned that "down" means "lay down on his bed".

 

I made this mistake with Maya when I taught her to sit.....it was always in the same place (on a rug in our living area), and it was the only place she would sit. I had a trainer explain to me that when you're teaching a dog a command you should travel from one area of the house to another.....from rugs to flooring......a dog doesn't necessarily understand a command that he gets (Peyton learned "down" on his bed) when you try to get him to do it in another place.

 

We got past that by moving the rug from room to room at first, and then by randomly asking for a sit on the floor in different rooms. It took a while, but she eventually got it.

[Guest Rhea]

This is true for me too, Dane only knows "down" in the living room. Near or on his bed in here. oTL. I've been trying to get him to make the connection that it can be done in other rooms too, but it's slow going, partially because I've been fairly lax around here.