978 491-5922 Book now
  1. Home
  2. How-to guides
  3. How to teach a dog to lie down

Down, step by step

How to teach a dog to lie down

Down is the cue that turns a busy dog into a resting one. It is harder than sit because lying down is a vulnerable position, and some dogs are reluctant to fold on a cold floor, in a strange place or with a person looming over them. There are three ways in, luring, shaping and capturing, and most dogs need only one.

Enquire about training See pricing
A woman bends toward a German shepherd lying in a grassy field, holding a treat near its nose.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026 · by the Dogtown team · reviewed by Gabriella Pope, Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist

Before you start

Start with a tired dog, a soft surface and the right height for your body

Timing helps more than technique. The AKC's trainers suggest working on down after a walk or a game, when the dog is ready to rest anyway; a dog full of energy has every reason to stay upright. Pick a rug, a yoga mat or a dog bed rather than tile or cold concrete, since many dogs are reluctant to lie on a hard, slick or chilly surface. On a Cape Ann winter morning, the floor by the back door can be the coldest spot in the house.

Then think about your body. Bending over a small dog to lure it is awkward for you and looming for the dog, so kneel or sit on the floor beside a little dog, and crouch for a big one. Have treats ready in the hand nearest the floor. Keep the marker word you use for sit, and pick a release word now, because a down without a release ends whenever the dog decides it has had enough.

  • A walk or a game first, so the dog is ready to rest
  • A rug, mat or bed instead of a hard floor
  • Kneel for a small dog, crouch for a big one
  • Marker word and release word chosen

The steps

Lure to the floor in seven steps, paying while the elbows are down

The lure is an L: down from the nose to the floor between the front paws, then slowly away along the floor. As the dog follows it, the front end drops and the rear usually follows. Mark the moment the elbows touch and feed on the floor between the paws, while the dog is still down; the AKC points out that a treat delivered after the dog sits up rewards sitting up. Then release, toss a treat to reset and repeat.

Most dogs need the full lure for only a few sessions. Then the empty hand makes the same L, the pay comes from the other hand, and the motion shrinks to a pointing finger. The word goes in front of the signal last. If your dog follows the lure halfway and freezes in a play bow, pay that bow for a few repetitions and then wait a second longer for more; you are shaping without meaning to, which is fine.

  1. 01

    Ask for a sit, then hold a treat at the dog's nose.

  2. 02

    Bring the treat straight down to the floor between its front paws, then slide it slowly away along the floor.

  3. 03

    Say yes the instant both elbows touch, and feed on the floor between the paws.

  4. 04

    Say your release word, toss a treat a few feet away, and repeat five or six times.

  5. 05

    Repeat the L with an empty hand, paying from your other hand once the dog is down.

  6. 06

    Shrink the signal to a pointing finger, then say down once just before it.

  7. 07

    Feed two or three more treats at the floor, a few seconds apart, before each release, so the down begins to last.

A golden retriever in a red bandana lies on a blue raised cot in the Dogtown play yard.

Shaping and capturing

For dogs who will not fold, shape the down in small pieces or capture it

Shaping breaks the down into pieces and pays each one. The AKC's sequence rewards a look at the floor, then the head lowering, then the elbows bending, then the full down, starting with a step the dog can do easily. Another route is a bridge: sit on the floor with your knees raised and lure a small dog under them, or use a low stool for a bigger dog, so it has to lie down to reach the food. Never press on the shoulders.

Capturing needs no lure at all. Keep a few treats in your pocket through an evening, and every time the dog lies down by itself, mark and drop a treat between its paws. Within a few days many dogs start lying down near you on purpose, and you add the word as it folds. Capturing suits anxious dogs and dogs who freeze when a hand comes toward them, because nobody asks them for anything.

  • Shaping: floor glance, head down, elbows, full down
  • The bridge: your legs for a small dog, a stool for a large one
  • Capturing: mark the downs the dog offers on its own
  • Hands off the shoulders and back

Mistakes we see

Downs fall apart when the treat arrives late, the release is missing or the dog is pushed

The push-up down, where the dog touches the floor and springs back up, comes from paying late or holding the lure too far out. Feed on the floor, between the paws, every time. The missing release is the next problem: if the dog decides when the down ends, it will not last through anything. Build a down that lasts by feeding at gentle intervals while the dog stays down, a few seconds, then ten, then thirty, and always end with your release word.

Forcing a down by pushing the shoulders or pulling the leash under a foot is the mistake that does lasting harm. AVSAB's 2021 position statement names forceful manipulation, including the dominance down, among the intimidation techniques trainers should avoid, and says the learner must always feel safe. A dog pinned into position learns to dread hands near its shoulders. And watch for pain: a dog that used to lie down easily and now refuses may be sore, which is a question for your vet.

  • A treat delivered after the dog pops up
  • No release word, so the dog ends the down
  • Pushing on the shoulders or stepping on the leash
  • Ignoring a new reluctance that may be pain

When to call us

Call us when the dog will lie down only at home, or will not lie down at all

A down that lasts is worth having on Cape Ann. It lets you sit for ten minutes with a sandwich at Halibut Point State Park, where dogs must be on a leash, and it gives a tired dog a way to rest beside you at the Gloucester Dog Park at Stage Fort Park, a fenced off-leash park with separate small-dog and large-dog areas. On a nor'easter day when walks are short, five-minute down sessions in different rooms make good indoor exercise for the brain.

Ask us when your dog refuses to lie down outside the house, shakes or pants when you ask, or cannot hold a down for more than a few seconds despite weeks of short practice. A private session, from $94, lets a trainer watch your timing. Bright Beginnings, for pups from four months, builds focus and foundational behaviors over 4, 6 or 8 weeks, and Brave & Balanced supports young dogs whose reluctance comes from worry. Our trainers answer the training form within the hour on business days.

At Dogtown

Programs that teach down

Bright Beginnings, Brave & Balanced, AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy and private sessions from $94, all fear- and force-free.

Australian shepherd sitting attentively during training Dog TrainingFrom $94 per session · Explore Dogtown trainer playing with a small doodle on the outdoor turf Dogtown AcademyNewFrom $69 · Explore

Every price on one page

Asked and answered

Questions people ask about this

Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.

Why will my dog sit but not lie down?
Lying down is a more vulnerable position, so some dogs hesitate, especially on a hard or cold floor, in a busy room or with a person bending over them. Move to a rug, kneel instead of bending, and try after a walk. If the lure still fails, shape the down in small steps or capture the downs your dog offers on its own.
Should I teach down from a sit or from standing?
From a sit, at first. The dog has less distance to travel, so the lure works faster. Once down is reliable from a sit, practice it from standing too, which is the version you need when the dog is wandering the kitchen. The AKC notes that luring from a stand is harder, so expect to go back a step when you switch.
Can I teach down to a young puppy?
Yes. Puppies can learn a lured down in their first weeks at home, and the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy test includes down on command with a food lure allowed; our S.T.A.R. Puppy program takes puppies from 8 weeks to 6 months. Keep sessions to a couple of minutes, work after play when the puppy is ready to rest, and use a mat rather than a slippery floor.
How long should my dog stay down?
As long as the situation needs, built up gradually. Start with a few seconds and a treat at the floor, then ten, then thirty, releasing before the dog gets up on its own. A ten-minute down beside you with a chew is a realistic goal for a picnic or a café. Our page on teaching a dog to stay covers adding distance and distraction.
Is it a problem if my dog rolls onto one hip during a down?
No. A dog that shifts onto one hip has relaxed into the position, which is what you want for a long down. Formal obedience may ask for a tidy, upright down, but at home a comfortable dog is a dog that will stay put. Pay the relaxed down just as generously as the upright one, and save precision for later if you want it.

More questions? Read the full FAQ

Sources

Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.

Keep reading

Dog training at DogtownHow to teach a dog to sitHow to teach a dog to stayHow to teach place at home How-to guides All guides

Next step

Fold, rest, release.

Tell us whether your dog will not lie down at all or will not stay down. The training team replies within one hour on business days.

Book online Customer inquiry Call 978 491-5922
  1. 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
  2. 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
  3. 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
New customers FIRST15 15% off your first daycare visit · use at checkout

Follow along

Daily photos and report cards.

@dogtowndogdaycare on Instagram

Call Book now