“Up” (stand) to Down

The Goal

For your dog to start from a standing position, then fold into a down position without moving their legs and simultaneously keeping good posture.

Instructions

Start from a stand. I call this position “up.” You can repeat the cue as much as you like, then treat your pup when they stand.

Now using your treat hand with treat as a lure, get your dog into a down. You can always refer back to Puppy Foundations for detailed instructions and a video on this! Basically, you are going “down a ramp” into the dog’s face.

When your dog is in a nice down position, reward with another treat.

Tips and Tricks

Try to keep “feeding” your treat hand with your free hand so when you aren’t re-loading when you actually need to reward your dog – which can work as unintentional lures out of position.

And ask Emma if you have trouble of course!