Beginning down on platform

Goal:

• Have puppy lie down on a low, stable platform with all four feet on the platform

What you need:

1. Non-slippery floor

2. One large, low, stable platform

3. Cookies

4. Your puppy

What to do:

1. Put a cookie on the floor or in a bowl, away from the platform for the puppy to eat

2. Lure puppy to stand with all four feet on the platform

3. Mark + treat

4. Lure puppy to follow the treat to lie down on the platform

5. Mark + treat

6. Throw reset cookie behind puppy

7. Repeat steps 2-6

Troubleshooting:

• Some puppies may naturally follow the lure to lie down, whereas others may not

• For some puppies, I may lure them into a sit, mark + treat the sit, then lure them to follow the treat into a down

• At this stage, it does not matter how the puppy gets into a down position, my goal is to encourage them to lie down with all four feet on the platform

• At this stage, I am also not worried about their down position yet. We will work on the proper position/posture after puppy can readily lie down on a platform

• If puppy consistently falls off the platform, I would use a larger platform to help the puppy be successful

What the progression may look like:

1. Puppy sits on platform for 1 second

2. Puppy sits on platform then follows the lure and moves their front feet forward

3. Puppy sits on platform then follows the lure, moves their front feet forward but stands back up

4. Puppy sits on platform, follows the lure, moves their front feet forward and lies down with some feet off the platform

5. Puppy lies down with all four feet on the platform but is a bit crooked

How many reps? How often?

• Learning phase: 3-5 reps/session, 2x/week

• Maintenance phase: 3 reps/2 sets/session, 2x/week