“Down”

Using our walk tonight as a training opportunity. Athena has cost me a lot of money on professional training and it has taken a lot of work to get us where we are. Getting your dog to respond to non-verbal commands and focus on you and respond appropriately to given commands doesn’t happen overnight. Athena has learned that a quick, non verbal check on the chain means I want her in a down. Doing lots of down-stays and box work mean I can trust her while out on the rail trail to stay put as I walk away. Athena is already pretty human and food obsessed so keeping her focus isn’t generally a challenge. Our release words are “ok” if we’re moving or “ready” when I want her to connect with me and she knows the difference because we’ve worked hard on this.

In my limited experience so far, I’m finding too many people giving commands as more of a question and repeating down. Down. Down. Etc. and wondering why their dog isn’t listening. If you want your dog in a down, say it like you mean it. And if you have to ask your dog more than once or twice for a command, you need to step back and re-evaluate your tone, behavior and your dog’s body language in response. Your dog doesn’t naturally know what the words “sit” and “down” mean. These should be taught non-verbally first. We talk too much to our dogs and the meaning behind our commands get lost. Try working with your dog and not saying anything but lure them into the position you want. It may be easier than you think.