Luring Sit, Stand and Down

We used to stare at our dogs, ask them to sit and then push their behind to the ground. Instead, we’re going to train it slightly differently to form a stronger foundation for learning this behavior. We are going to use a process called luring. Luring just means I’m going to use something the dog wants, in this case food, to get him to move his body into the position I want.

Make sure your dog is standing and that you have your clicker ready. Now, place a piece of bait in front of your dogs nose and move it over his head slowly toward his tail. He’s going to move his head up and back to follow the bait. Once his head starts moving, the rest of his body will follow. As soon as his butt hits the ground, click and treat him for a sit!

Then put another piece of bait in front of your dog’s nose and slowly move it to the ground. As soon as your dog’s elbows hit the ground, click and treat for a down!

Lastly, put another piece of bait in front of his nose and move it away from the dog’s body. Your dog will get up to follow the food and as soon as his back let are straight, click and treat for a stand!

If you dog won’t follow the bait you’ve got, then your bait isn’t good enough. Find something tastier and try the exercise again.

Practice these moves in this order many times. Sit, down and then stand. During this time, do not reward him for sits that you haven’t asked for. If he walks right up to you and sits, don’t pay for that. Only give him the bait if you’ve asked him to sit by luring him into the position.

When you're done, read Fading The Lure for instructions on the next step involving hand signals and verbal cues.

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Frequently Asked Questions - Sit, Stand and Down

My dog follows the bait to the ground for down but won't actually lay down all the way.  What do I do?

This is very common for dogs who can move their head all the way to the ground without laying down.  This is often an issue for small dogs.  The way we get passed it is to build a bridge with our leg.  Sit next to your dog and make an arch with your leg.  Put your arm through and place your bait on your dog's nose.  Lead them through your leg.  They will follow the bait and as soon as they get far enough through the arch, they will lay down.  Be ready to click as soon as they do.  Repeat this exercise five times, then try it without your leg.  If it still doesn't happen, do it another five times until your dog understands what will earn them a tasty treat!

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Green Paws Training Options

We teach and practice Sit, Stand and Down in our Puppy Manners and Basic Manners group classes. 

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Books and Tools

There are no books or tools to recommend for this behavior.

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