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How to teach your dog to lie down

Lure from a sit down between the paws and out along the floor, mark when the elbows touch, then fade to a hand signal. Sourced steps and common mistakes.

At a glance

Base difficulty
1/5 (before adjusting for breed, age and size)
Source agreement
3/5 · moderate (how well the sources agree, not a clinical trial)
Sources cited
6
Session length
No numeric minutes in sources; one source uses 15-20 lure repetitions across a short practice; one source warns against too many reps.3,4
Research updated

Step by step

  1. Choose a quiet familiar spot with a soft surface (mat, carpet, grass); small treats. 2,3
  2. Start from a sit (or stand). Hold treat at nose, lower it between the front paws, then slowly draw it out along the floor (an 'L'); orvis: kneel so you don't hover over the dog. 2,3,4,5
  3. Mark when elbows/chest/belly touch the floor (sources differ on exact point: elbows, chest, belly) and deliver the treat down between the paws.2,3,4 2,3,4,5
  4. If elbows touch but rear pops up, move the lure away from the dog along the floor; step back so the dog stands for the next repetition. 4
  5. Do many luring reps (15-20) but keep each session short; then fade to an empty hand, reward from the other hand (hand signal = palm lowering to floor).4 2,3,4,5
  6. Add the verbal cue just before the signal; move to cue-alone when the dog is right 9/10 or 3/4; proof in new places.4,5 2,3,4,5
  7. Alternative route: lure onto a mat then into a down and deliver treats calmly between the paws; Kikopup prefers luring to start this calm behaviour. 1

When to move to the next step

  • 9/10 for cue-alone; 3/4 for signal-only4,5
  • Fewer, calmer reps beats many (do not do too many repetitions)3

Difficulty by age

Difficulty is on a 1-5 scale, estimated for 50 breed and mixed-breed size profiles. Breed adjustments are generalisations capped at ±1 level, because breed explains only about 9% of behavioural variation; your individual dog matters more.6

Age groupTypical difficultyRangeSuitable for
Puppy
8-16 weeks		1/51-250 of 50 profiles
Adolescent
4-18 months		2/51-250 of 50 profiles
Adult
~18 months-7 years		1/51-250 of 50 profiles
Senior
7+ years (giants often from ~6)		1/51-250 of 50 profiles

What changes at this age

  • Puppy: Soft surface; short; one source suggests practice after a walk or play when puppy is tired.2
  • Adolescent: Same; expect distractibility.
  • Adult: Same.
  • Senior: Use soft surface; if hesitation to lie down or get up, consider joint pain and consult vet.

Common mistakes

  • Hovering over the dog5
  • Rushing the lure so the dog loses interest4
  • Forcing the dog down (never force the position)3

Troubleshooting

  • Dog won't go down from stand: begin from sit2,5
  • Elbows down but rear up: draw lure away along the floor4
  • Dog 'sphinx' down not full relax: accept and later shape the hip roll

Where the sources disagree

Support is the share of the weighted sources that took a stance on the question.

Start position

  • from_sit: 54% support · Used in our plans 2,4
  • from_stand_or_sit: 46% support 3,5

Sit start is the majority.

Mark point

  • elbows: 38% support · Used in our plans 4,5
  • chest: 31% support 2
  • belly: 31% support 3

Elbows first, then require full body down as you progress.

Known gaps in the evidence

  • No peer-reviewed evidence; senior age adaptation is generalization

Sources (6)

Source weight (1-5) averages the source's renown and the evidence quality of the specific page; see How plans are made. How plans are made

  1. YouTube: Kikopup – The Calm Settle - for dogs and puppies · weight 4.5
  2. AKC – How to Teach Your Dog to Lie Down · weight 4
  3. Victoria Stilwell Positively – Down · weight 4
  4. SF SPCA – Down Command (PDF) · weight 3
  5. Orvis – Teach Your Dog Down (Melinda video steps) · weight 2
  6. Morrill et al. 2022 Science – Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics (PMC)