Down
Level 2: Adding a Cue

You will learn:

• Add a cue​​

Your dog will learn:

• Offer behavior​
• Respond to a cue
  

The goal of this exercise is to add a cue to your dog's ability to offer a down position.

uses for this behavior

• Stay
• Settle on a mat or in a crate
• Down when cued from a distance
• Drop on recall
• Fun tricks like roll over or play dead

Make it a game!

• Capture spontaneous downs, click, then treat, just as the dog's belly hits the ground.
  
• If you don't have a clicker handy, use a mouth cluck or "YIP!", then treat.
  
• Practice in different rooms of the house and outdoors in environments with minimal distractions.​

Training Steps:

Step 1:
Once your dog is offering you downs as soon as you sit down to work on "TV Downs", begin to add a cue to this behavior.

Click Points

• ​Belly hits the floor

Tag Points

• Wait for down
• Toss treat to reset

Step 2:
As your dog lies down, say "down". There is no need to use a hand signal. Keep your body still. Click, then treat, each correct response. Repeat several times.

Click Points

• ​​​Belly hits the floor

Tag Points

• As your dog lies down, the tag point is: Say "down".

Step 3:
Now begin to give the cue just before your dog starts to lie down. Say the cue only once. Then wait for his response. Click, then treat, each correct response to the cue. Repeat several times.

Click Points

• ​Belly hits the floor

Tag Points

• Say "down" once. The tag point is: Wait.
• Wait for a pause. The tag point is: Say "down".​

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