Lying Down

Name: Alice
Date: 2006-05-25 08:47:44

I have a 3 year old female Beagle, Shelly, who has a deformed front leg (caused by a birth defect). I have had problems in training her to lay down on command. I have tried leading her into a laying down position from a sit, but she stands up every time. I have tried to keep her bottom on the floor with my hand while I bait her with a treat in front of her nose (down and forward), but I have been unsuccessful in this. I have even tried to use the more archaic form of training, in which the human manually puts the dog in a sit and then pulls the front legs out in front of the dog to get it to lay down, but my Beagle vehemently refuses to let me do this. I admit that I am always afraid of hurting her leg because it is very fragile (very low bone density). I also don't like to "man-handle" her to get her to do what I want. Shelly is a very friendly and submissive dog when she meets people and other animals. She does pull heartily when she is on leash. Please give me some pointers. Thanks.

Date: 2006-05-30 18:51:01

Alice Shelly has a wonderful owner! You say that when you lure her into a down position she gets up right away? I would try the lure again but go very slowly and half way down give her a treat and then have a treat in your fist on the ground. If you break the behavior up into small pieces they will pick up on what you want them to do. You could also use a clicker or try to have her lay under your leg or under a chair to get the treat. I would also use very tasty treats since this is a difficult behavior for her to accomplish with her leg. If you need assistance please give us a call or make an appointment and the trainer can work with you one on one. In regards to pulling on the leash you can try stopping and standing still whenever she pulls and then get her attention and once the leash is loose start walking again. This will take time but once she understands that pulling will get her nowhere she will usually stay close to you and her reward will be the walk. The trainer can also help you with this as well if you want to stop in the store or make an appointment to meet with her. Good luck.

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