For rock solid stays, all position holding cues such as sit/down/place the stay should be implied. Condition your dog to hold the position until told otherwise. Use the word “FREE” or “OK” to release your dog from Down.
Give the cue for Down and click and treat when your dog’s elbows touch the ground. Make sure to feed the treat low to the ground to keep your dog from bouncing up to reach the treat. If your dog stands up, calmly tell her, “nope” and repeat the cue “down”. As your dog gets back into position, say, “good” but be careful not to immediately feed her a treat. Keep anchoring with praise and the occasional treat.
When getting your dog to hold any obedience position, saying something like, “good , good ….” works well as an anchor to keep her where you want her. This strategy is very useful when there is distance between you and the dog. When training your dog to hold a Down from a distance, periodically walk up to her, feed her a treat and then walk away again.
As your dog progresses, she will hold Down for longer and longer periods of time. Be sure to treat your dog BEFORE you release him from the Down command. This keeps the dog from releasing herself in the anticipation of that final treat.
