Dog Training Commands

Lie Down
Teaching your dog to lie down starts out similarly to the sit routine. Command your dog to lie down. You should then force the dog to lie down by placing your hand above his shoulder blades and pushing down. This can be very tricky. Some dogs my hold their front legs very rigid that it is too difficult for you to push them down. If this is the case, you should push down on the shoulder blades while you lift up on of their legs. You may want to wear gloves and long sleeves because the dog may resist you by flailing its paws. When the dog is in the proper position, you may reinforce the dog, but don't allow him to move until you pet him underneath the chin, which signifies he can get out of whatever position he may be in.

After teaching the dog to lie down using this method, the next step is to teach him to lie down without pushing his front down. You should pull the leash diagonally toward the back. The first few times, you should push down on its front so he knows to lie down. After that, he should associate the diagonal pull on the leash and the command with the proper action.

After you dog learns this, you can teach him to lie down by just using words. To do this, you should command him to go down quickly several or more times a minute.

Stand
Teaching your dog to get up from lying down or the sitting position is very similar to the previous methods. Hold his collar and give the command. Pull forward on the collar slightly. As the dog stands, reinforce his behavior, and make him stand still for about 20 seconds. If the dog tries to move, jerk the collar in the opposite direction until he stands still. After he stands still for about 20 seconds, release him by petting under his chin.

Stand, Stay
After you dog consistently obeys the stand command, you can teach him the stay command. Have your dog stand. Walk around your dog while one hand is firmly holding his collar prohibiting him to move, while the other hand is petting and reinforcing him for not moving. After you dog stands without moving, you can try walking around him, without petting him.

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