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Permalink Reply by Allie May Thitte on August 5, 2012 at 12:33pm

I think it's particularly hard to teach the lay command to a low-rider dog. LOL My obedience trainer suggested something, and it worked for us, so I'll pass this tip along... try sitting on the ground, and extend one of your legs out, and bend your knee slightly so it is just off the ground. Put the pup between your legs, and then lure him with a treat from the other side of your leg, to crawl under your knee... when his belly hits the ground, treat him immediately and say whatever command you choose to use (We use down) It takes time and A LOT of patience, but now our Effie at 6 months old does a down with a quiet "down" and a quick point at the ground. Hope this helps. Hang in there! Corgis are very smart, and remember things quickly, but I'm sure he just doesn't quite understand what you are trying to get him to do yet!

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Permalink Reply by Ludi on August 5, 2012 at 12:36pm

Corgis can have difficulties with the Down command because of their build, yes. The more time-consuming, but less frustrating method is to capture his down. Perhaps when he plops down with a bone, or toy. Mark the precise moment he is in the position you want. Then, try to re-trigger the Down - if he laid down with a bone, pick up the bone and toss it so that he goes to pick it up. Training in proximity to his crate/bed will encourage the "nesting" behavior of taking the bone back to his den, where he will promptly lie down.

Alternatively, you can lure and shape the Down by getting creative with placement of the lure between the two front paws, and marking progressive movements of the head, shoulders, body and hindquarters towards the floor. I used this method as Ace rarely laid down; he was too distracted!

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Permalink Reply by Marcie on August 5, 2012 at 12:41pm

I used the under the leg method with Becca. It took some work to make her understand. I think in her mind she sees down as good for sleeping and chewing on something. Now instead of asking for a sit before giving her something I'll ask for a down instead.

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Permalink Reply by Juno on August 5, 2012 at 1:12pm

think this is the under/between the paw method. I started with putting food right in front of Junos nose then moving my hand slowly down and slightly towards his neck/chest with the treat still attached to his nose. Juno backed up as I moved my hand down betwee his paws towards his chest. bcuz of this...i changed it around so that i move lure his nose w/ treat down towards the floor first then scooting back. if he scooted back too much, i would sit him w/ a wall behind him so he can't scoot back. You're gonna have to play around with how to move the treat and position it so that your dog will lay down. I treated Juno anytime i saw his elbows drop down a little so that he knows that's what i'm looking for. This technique i used only worked for a bit. Down took the longest for him to learn....so I changed up the way i taught him. I would just put food in one of my hands into a fist and as if I'm holding a dry erase eraser for a white board, I'll pull/move my fist down til it hit the ground...Juno followed thru with this motion because he wanted food. some people use a flat palm to show the down motion for the dog to follow but there's no food there. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on August 5, 2012 at 3:23pm

I went "old school" with Sparty when it became apparent that down was not something he wanted to do. When the instructor said "down" I helped him lay down and held him there until it was time to get up. It took a few classes of that before he finally figured out that I really did want him to lay down and after that he would lay down when I asked. I was a little embarrassed that I was the only one kneeling by my dog and holding him down but once he was convinced he was a real "star" in class. I think that for a more dominant personality  "down" just doesn't seem like a useful command to the little Napoleon's out there.

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Permalink Reply by Sebastian on August 5, 2012 at 11:19pm

How I taught mine was to put a treat in your hand ...then make a fist..but leave a little bit of an opening with your thumb and index finger...enough for the dog to smell the treat but not get to it....then just repeat the command...and as soon as they get "down"praise and release your clench fist.

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Permalink Reply by Cindi on August 7, 2012 at 9:35am

As a trainer, I can tell you how I teach it.  And it has worked well.

Begin with your dog on a slick surface (like kitchen tile) in a "sit."  Take your treat, something really high-value, and place it at your dog's nose.  SLOWLY lower the treat down and slightly towards your dog.  The dog will then "slide" back into a sit with their legs facing forward.  Don't use the "down" command yet!  Continue to lure SLOWLY until your pup lays down on  his own.  Once he will "down" regularly, add your "down" command.

I've done this with all of my corgis (and I have 7 now with 3 at the Bridge).  If you need more help, feel free to email me.  dogwalkpawtalk@gmail.com

Cindi

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