Down Under With Sidney

I have been working on the down with Sidney. I could get him to bow down his front end by putting a treat on the ground between his front legs. But when I would push down on his rump, I got opposition reflex. Next I tried sitting on the floor and bending my knees. I would them lure him under my legs. Once under, I would lower my legs on top of him, then click and treat. Then I put the treat in my hand and made a fist. I put my fist on the floor and slid it toward his front legs. Wow, he went down so I clicked and treated. Then I put a name to it, down. Now he throws himself down on the floor without me asking. Oh how the clicker works wonders.

In obedience, you want to teach your dog to down from a standing position with the front hitting the ground first followed by the rear. In the Open class, dogs do a recall with a drop. If you teach the dog to sit first, then go down. He may remain in the sit and not go completely down. If this happens, then you NQ and blow your entry fee.