How Can I Elongate A Split-second Drop?

[LoremIpsum]

My puppy Martha is having trouble learning "drop" for lying down.

PROBLEM ONE

I taught her to lie down by using a treat lure from a sit position — I directed her nose down with the treat. But she's never learned to do it after hearing the command — that is, she still won't drop UNLESS I lead her nose down with a treat, just as when I was teaching her. If I just say "drop" she stares at me, uncomprehending.

In all other respects she's a quick learner — usually only needing a day or two to understand what's required of her — and at only ten weeks old she can come, sit, stay, leave [food], take [food] and down [off the couch or table] on command. So why doesn't she connect "drop" with the action of lying down?

PROBLEM TWO

Even when she does it using the treat, she only stays dropped until she gets the treat. Then she gets straight up. How can I get her to stay down until I release her? (Which she can do from a sit.)

By the way, I started training without a clicker, but I've just got one. (Only yesterday, but I think she's got the hang of it already.)

Am I asking too much of a ten-week-old puppy?

[Bubbly]

From one of my favorites - "The Levels" Sue Ailsby

DOWN

The dog must Down from a Sit or Stand with no more than two cues - hand and voice, voice and body language, two voice cues, etc. It is not necessary for the dog to stay in the Down position, simply to lie down.

DISCUSSION:

Not quite as handy a cue perhaps as Sit, but close to it, and the beginning of putting the dog over on her side for grooming and nail cutting. Not to mention that it's a major part of Go To Mat, a behaviour which would probably keep half the year's total of dogs out of the Humane Society! Down is the easiest position cue for dogs to understand, so the easiest one to ask a puppy for when you just need her off your head and shoulders for a moment.

EASY BEGINNINGS:

This is an ideal behaviour to capture. Even the most active dog lies down a billion times a day. If you're desperate to have the dog lie down (please, God, just let the kerflushinner puppy lie down for ONE MINUTE!), click when she does and toss a treat between her paws so she can eat it without having to get up. Continue to click and toss every few seconds while she's still lying down. If you're more interested in teaching the dog to lie down on cue (the two aren't mutually exclusive, you can start with one and switch to the other later on), click when she lies down and toss the treat slightly off to one side so she has to get up to get it. This puts her in a perfect position to offer you another down to get another treat.

You can also lure a Down, but that's easier to do when she already knows how to Sit. From a Sit, hold a treat in your hand, put it right up to her nose so she can nibble it a bit, then very slowly move it down and then forward. If she rises out of the Sit, you moved your treat too far forward and not enough down. You're aiming for a spot on the floor slightly in front of her front paws. For more information on how-to lure, see the Level One Sit.

PROBLEM SOLVING:

WHEN I CLICK, SHE GETS UP AND COMES OVER TO SEE IF SHE CAN GET ANOTHER TREAT: Sure, that's reasonable. Just ignore her. If you're having trouble ignoring her, train Zen for a couple of days before you go back to Down. Pretty soon she'll get bored with hanging around waiting for you to drop a treat. She'll wander off, and sooner or later she'll lie down again. Click and toss another treat.

I WANT A FOLD-BACK DOWN AND SHE'S JUST FLOPPING DOWN: If she's a puppy, relax and click what she's offering you. Put a cue on the flop down such as Park It. When she's got some control of her legs, you can teach her the fold-back Down by luring her nose back between her front legs toward her back feet, then put your Down cue on that behaviour. Or you might find that the down she offers you is the one you wanted all along.

ADDING A CUE: When the dog is offering you the down that you want, clearly knowing that the offering will result in a click, you can begin to tell her the name of the behaviour. Give your cue while she's giving you the behaviour. When you've paired the behaviour and the word a hundred times, try asking her for the behaviour when she's not thinking of it. If you get it, click and treat. If you don't, that's OK, pair it another hundred times and try again.

CONTINUING EDUCATION: Play with the behaviour. Teach it from the beginning in different rooms, indoors and outdoors. Teach it in your car, on carpet and hard floors. Teach it with you standing, sitting, and lying down.

[DeltaCharlie]

She is only 10weeks old, they are rather impatient at that age LOL

I would wait until she is offering the drop herself without being lured before worrying about how long she stays down there for. She needs to know the actual behaviour and the cue for it. Then you can start delaying the reward, so instead of clicking/rewarding immediately, wait half a second, then a second, then 2 seconds and so on.

As for the couch, I wouldn't be allowing her to jump off it herself, that height is too dangerous for developing bones. If she gets on the couch/bed/table(?) I would be picking her up and putting her on the floor.

[Kelpie-i]

Don't worry to much as she is still young and will get the hang of it soon enough, having said that however......

1. She probably hasn't made the connection between the verbal and action.

2. Luring is fantastic but can be problematic if you don't remove the lure quickly enough. Rule of thumb: 10 successful repetitions with the lure then commence fading.

Try 2 or 3 reps with lure in hand afterward position your hand as though you had a treat in it and use exactly the same action you would to 'down' her. As soon as she is goes into position, give the command "Drop" or "down", whatever you are using. Give the treat with the other hand.

To keep her down, throw the treats on the ground directly in between her feet so that she eats the treats and remains in position. Continue to do this, giving plenty of treats first up then start to minimize the number of treats and the timing of them. You will find she stays in position longer.

Don't forget to use a release word so that she knows when to get up!

[LoremIpsum]

Thanks all. Brilliant advice. I'm going to switch to The Levels way of things. And not worry so much.

DeltaCharlie, you're right about the couch. I am very mindful not to let her jump up or down off the furniture. The cue "down" is for when she jumps up and puts her front paws on me or the couch or the coffee table, which she's always trying to do to get her nose into whatever's there (such as my dinner) or for me to pick her up and plonk her on the couch. But she's not allowed to jump at all.