Fred Hassen's Sit Means Sit - Revolutionizing the World of Dog Training - www.SitMeansSit.com

By Fred Hassen, Head Trainer “Sit Means Sit” Dog Training

In dog training, the ‘down’ command can be integral not only to obedience training but also to pet and human safety. Rather than working hard on the ‘down’ command in a “classroom setting,” I teach on street corners and sidewalks. There are a number of reasons that I do this. First of all, I prefer my dog obedience training to be “real world” and I like to be efficient. When I teach #8216;down’ when I am out and about with a dog, I can teach the concept of down as well as teach the dog not to go into the street until invited.

There are quite a few advantages to teaching this command on corners and sidewalks.

I always believe in setting a strong foundation for future skill development, so by helping the dog to master the ‘down’ concept on a street corner, in a world full of distractions, we are making it that much simpler to achieve the next, harder dog obedience skill.

Once you start walking and ‘downing’ your dog on the corner – the dog quickly will learn that moving forward at all will bring him into the street – which will in turn get him corrected back to the sidewalk. Even a dog can figure that out pretty quickly. If you are only ‘downing’ him at corners, or on a sidewalk before you step into the street, the dog is learning several things simultaneously.

Whenever you walk into the street – he must ‘down’ (Note: you can bring a release command in case your jogging or just do not want him to #8216;down’ – I use ‘break’). But this means that you are in control and that you are teaching him not to run into the street without paying attention to you. After all, dog training is not only about obedience and manners, it is also about safety.

Later, you’ll see that you can even throw balls in the street, and he will wait until a release command is given in a ‘down’ on the sidewalk. Very quickly after that, you can ‘down’ him when you get to the corner, and continue to walk into the street. Again, the clear cut boundary eliminates the creeping, and makes it visibly very clear what he is supposed to do. You can then progress to just walking into the street and him downing without the command until you release him.

To further “proof” him, you can walk down the street, and before even coming to the end, step diagonally into the street and see if he will ‘down’ which he should do because he’ll see the clear line between the curb and the street. Not going into the street is one of the first exercises that I teach all of my clients’, it’s a true life saver. Now, the dog is learning to “down” without moving forward, and if he does – your correction is for him coming into the street without being asked.

When you then work to transfer this command over to grass or in your home, you’ll find ‘down’ is pretty firmly embedded and he should pick up the concept that ‘down’ can happen anytime, anywhere, not just in a sidewalk/street scenario. I treat dog training like I do most things in life – I teach concepts in the hardest environment and manner right away. In the street, with cars, other dogs, other humans and other smells, when your dog masters the ‘down’ command, they will truly be ready to advance to the next level of dog obedience.

Share This