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Quick Steps for Polishing the DOWN Skill
Last week, I was working with some of the inmate handlers and noticed they were still using food along with a full hand signal to the floor to get their dogs to lie down. I like to fade the presence of the food as quickly as possible and, for the comfort of the human, also like to quickly fade the hand signal used.
As soon as a dog is following a food treat to the floor and dropping into a DOWN position, you can fade the food in your hand, usually during the first or second training session. The trick is to make the same hand signal with confidence (cuz, boy, can the dog tell if your movement is uncertain because the food is no longer present!). Once the dog is lying down, a treat can be quickly delivered by your other hand.
When that is going well, you can begin to gradually trim how far you make the hand signal toward the floor, until you’re left with a snazzy little pointing gesture while maintaining an upright position yourself. This can usually be done in just a few short sessions.
So the question is, when do you like to add the verbal cue, DOWN, and specifically how do you add it so that the dog ultimately understands how to perform the DOWN on just a verbal cue or just a hand signal?
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13 Replies
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I typically like to add my “down” cue once the dog is consistently laying down with just a very subtle hand signal. I say the cue confidently 1 to 2 seconds prior to the hand signal. After 3 sessions (each session lasting about 5 minutes and usually across at least 2 or more different days) of doing this I will say my cue and wait 5 seconds, if the dog does not respond to the verbal cue within those 5 seconds then I will offer a subtle hand signal. Most dogs will have already paired the verbal cue with the behavior at this point due to repetition but occasionally they will require more time with the subtle hand signal before reliably performing the down on the verbal cue alone. If that is the case I may wait 7 to 8 seconds between the verbal cue and when I provide the hand signal to see if they offer the behavior so I may capture it but I am very closely watching for any signs the dog is disengaging due to frustration or confusion.
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Hi @Alexis , what a well-thought-out plan! Thank you so much for sharing.
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“for the comfort of the human, also like to quickly fade the hand signal used.” Have you actually had clients request to fade the hand signal? I am curious as to what their reason may have been.
I never want to fade to hand signal completely. I encourage my clients to keep it. The reason: when the dogs become aged and deaf, the good old hand signals are there as a backup system.
Alexis does have a great plan that works for me, too.
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Hi @jenz ! Yes, the full hand signal of pointing all the way to the floor is faded, which is very helpful for geezers like me who don’t want to always have to lean all the way over to make a signal. ????
I like to pare it back to just a finger point and agree it’s nice to have the option for both a verbal and a signal.
Your point about having hand signals in case the dog ever loses their hearing is such a great one!
Hand signals are also helpful if you’re on the phone, at a distance from your dog, or if you’re on a film set and need to direct your dog’s behavior without speaking.-
Thanks for clarifying that it is modified to “this”- sorry I missed that! That makes sense to me. Well, I better start working on telepathy then! I didn’t think about me getting old and not being able to do “this’ anymore! Yikes…. recalculating my thoughts and plans now….????
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This is great stuff. My hand signal for DOWN is a raised right arm, straight up from my shoulder. Palm open like a “stop”. It’s something my girls can see from a distance, should I ever need it.
I prompt the behavior during recalls or play. I toss food at the dog’s feet, then use a verbal cue to get the whole DOWN behavior. After a few reps, the raised arm becomes a predictor of a food toss and the dog stops, looks at the ground…. and I wait a sec. If they don’t lie down after a couple seconds, I use the verbal cue. Soon I have a “drop on recall”.
But how did I get the DOWN in the first place? Food lure, like everyone else. I’m like you, Virginia, I fade out the food within the first session or two. Puppies get this so quickly!
I also usually make DOWN a default behavior for lots of things. I like it better than SIT because it’s “stickier”. So, when my dogs don’t know what else might “pay” in the moment, or if they are simply trying to regulate their own emotions, DOWN is the go-to position. I teach it very early in our work together, using a flirt pole.
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I agree, @catherine ! I use that hand signal. I think it’s more universal than a point. But we all know how the world of dog training varies. It’s what’s cool about the world, right? As long as your dog understands…
@virginiad I also fade food out quickly. But I am happy to pay still, any time, from behind my back. I really agree with @jenz about the visual signal! To me though, visual cues are MORE important than our own verbal language.
My reasoning: First, dogs are better at visual cues, so why not make it more natural for them to follow cues?
Secondly: I remember those times when chaos at home (example sequence: yelling to kids not to be late to school, the landline phone is ringing, someone is texting me, dogs are chasing around…) WHO has leftover voice?! A simple hand signal feels calmer and less emotional! You can do it while yelling at your kids. ????
Funny anecdote of a verbal cue fail: years ago, Christmas time, my parents had my ex and I over with his mother’s side of family including two elementary aged girls. My mom, being a somewhat loud Germanic descent, bigger woman, was trying to get my Beagle, her English setter and my brother’s mid-sized mutt (all female) to settle down…She boomed, “GIRLS, LAY DOWN!” And instantly, the two daughters of my ex’s aunt’s dropped to the floor, wide-eyed and silent. Funny enough, but our dogs kept the chaos and totally ignored her voice. We all laughed so hard as my mom, suddenly soothing and gently cooed, “Not you girls, THOSE girls!”
They probably wouldn’t have listened if she did a quiet simple hand gesture, but maybe…dogs listen to the quietest of people, I think.
I wanted to share an illustrated visual cue chart that I’m drawing for my clients. Hope you like it. So far, I’ve only finished 3 basic cues: Sit, Down & Stand. I’m using my favorite dogs/puppies in this project and hoping to have more: Stay, Wait, Touch (options for open palm, two fingers & fist) plus maybe Leave It and Drop It.
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Hilarious story, @bernerlabreclectus !! ????
And I love your drawings showing the hand signals. They’re wonderful!
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Thank you, Virginia!???? that means a lot.
I’m trying to bring my art business and dog business together. Ha! Just think an illustrated guide can be helpful. I appreciate you taking the time to comment, @virginiad . ☺️
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@bernerlabreclectus , I really admire artsy people! Wish I could draw like that.
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Always enjoy reading your input!
Great story about the humans listening and not the pups….I bet the dogs were like… “glad she is not yelling at us like that…” ???? These
Love and appreciate your creativity about combining art and training! Nice work!
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@bernerlabreclectus What a funny story! I literally laughed out loud. Thanks for sharing that.
AND WOW ARE YOU SKILLED! I knew about your musical prowess, but not about your ability to draw. These are amazing.
I agree about hand signals. Whereas they used to be a thing of mystery, it totally makes sense that the dogs pick them up often more quickly than verbals because they watch us so closely, all the time anyway.
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