If they still hesitate, check in with your vet to determine whether this command is right for your dog. During training, you can offer a soft surface, like a bathmat or towel, for them to lie down on. Also, on hot days, the surface may be too hot to lie down on without getting burned (reach down and touch the ground with the back of your hand to check). Other dogs may have joint pain that makes lying down difficult or painful. And any hand wave (whole hand, just a few fingers, whatever) palm-down is down. Hand up, fingers spread wait fingers closed stay. Many dogs find lying down on hard or cold surfaces uncomfortable, so they hesitate to lie down unless there is a soft spot. Yes I'm going to teach my girl to bark to a 'Cheer' command so we can watch football games together.

Do not insist on having your dog lie down if they hesitate.Positive reinforcement, aka offering treats and praise for good behavior, is safer and more effective. Being in a down position in a situation that seems threatening to the dog can lead the dog to lash out in fear.

Lying down is a vulnerable position, and dogs lying down can easily be stepped on or tripped over.

During the training period, never ask (or force) your dog to lie down outdoors when there’s a lot going on, or at home in an area where there is a lot of activity.

Instead, take a break after about 5 or 10 minutes, and try again later. If your dog is having trouble figuring out what you want, making the training session longer is not going to help.

Don’t repeat the steps over and over again if your dog doesn’t seem to understand.

For another, you can accidentally hurt your dog that way. For one thing, it doesn’t work very well (most dogs will resist).

Never use a leash or your hands to force your dog into a down position.Give your dog the treat as soon as they get the behavior right, to make it as clear as possible that lying down leads to rewards. 0:00 / 2:11 Leave it, hand signs only Dog Arf 506 subscribers Subscribe Subscribed Share 2.6K views 10 years ago Real time training clip of part of teaching leave it for deaf dogs.Hold the treat firmly in your hand until your dog lies all the way down-some pups will try to steal the treat from your hand, which is not the behavior you want to reward!.To encourage your dog to follow the command, choose a tasty treat your dog really loves.Want to increase your success at teaching your dog to lie down? Follow these tips:

Dog hand signals for leave it video