Dog won’t lie down.

[WhippetyStourie]

I am taking my 1 year old Border Terrier to dog training classes. He is stuck in the same group level as he just will not lie down (drop command). He can do everything else but can’t grasp what is wanted here. At home he lies on his side or lolls around on his back. I have never see him take the position that is expected so can’t even reward him for accidentally doing this. All the other dogs seem to sit in this position quite naturally and comfortably. Any tips?

I'd want him checked for pain. I have a year old Border and she lays down although can be sloppy unless I shape it. She can lay straight though.

Do you know if he had any health tests on his parents?

Patellas can be a concern in terriers - not that prolific in borders but can happen. That can impact movement. Also hips. Sounds like he needs a check up. A decent vet should be able to spot anything obvious.

If that comes back clear then it could be a confidence issue. A lot of dogs can struggle to lay down as it makes them vulnerable. Mine struggled for a long time in her class, despite being fine at home as she felt unsure so we took it right back to basics with confidence around the other dogs and now she is fine.

Ruling out a structural issue would be the first step though

My DDog will lie down but she is clearly not comfortable.

In my puppy training they did mention that some dogs do not find it easy/comfortable to lie down on command.

They advised not to push it-especially if dog obeying other commands and to find an alternative option if you are doing it-for example-to make the dog wait safely.

Is he a rescue. My dog is a rescue and 100% refuses to lie down. I have also never seen him voluntarily get into the lie down position that the dog training wants. He is either standing, sitting or lying on his side. He has had a thorough health check so we think its psychological.

BUT does it matter? For us the answer was no. We took him to dog training so he was controllable and safe. He is all of those things by being able to sit, wait, stay, come, leave it, drop it etc he doesnt need to lie down so we just left that bit out. Yes he didn't get the certificates but I dont think he minded.

I agree that if it's not physical and he just doesn't like the position then the trainer should adapt the exercise for your dog. I would want him checked out first though as when they are young any minor to moderate issues can be worked on non surgically and will save you a lot of trauma down the line!

Mine didn't, he'd just sit. It seemed like a non-issue. Sitting comfortably relaxed, afaik, serves the same purpose as lying, and I'd have thought would be preferable to a dog being made to lie in a position it doesn't like.

My dog didn’t sit for about four months. He was a rescue and we assumed he’d just never needed or wanted to do it before. He can now, but it took three different trainers.

Mine is quite bony, so he doesn’t love lying down on a hard floor. Could that be the problem?

Agree some dogs don’t like this position.

My male lab will do it, including a roll over if I ask, but is much more comfortable in a sit. Trainer told me that was completely normal in a lab, who may be expected to sit ‘on the peg’ waiting to be sent for a retrieve .

I don’t know much about Borders, other than I would love to have one, but this may well be common in that breed . Either way, trainer should know not to push it.

Thanks for the responses.

He doesn’t appear to be in any pain or have issues with movement but worth a checkup anyway.

He’s not a rescue but was 5 months when we got him and hadn’t done any training.

Training is on grass and the trainer said some dogs don’t like to lie on grass. But he won’t do it on the floor at home or the couch.

To progress to the next level and go on with new commands he has to do this as the new level works on lie and stay amongst other stuff. I’m not sure why it’s so important.

If you can't lure him into a reasonable down that would suggest there may be a structural issue, injury or malformation.

The good news is with the right help it can more often than not be remedied. Dogs mask pain so no other signs is not a precise indication. Things like running and jumping, ball chasing are SO rewarding to the dog it will cancel out pain whereas laying down isn't. I see many obviously lame dogs still chasing balls for example.

That would be my first thing to do as an owner of active dogs and also agility trainer. Borders are lovely and eager to please little dogs and should be able to lay down with motivation even if they don't want to do it naturally.

How are you are asking for a down?

Stupid trainers if they can not adapt to each dog! I would seriously ask them the issue with not being able to lie down. There is no reason at all why all dogs have to lie down. Greyhounds and whippets for example dont like being made to lie down so I question your trainers ability and knowledge!

Some little dogs are harder to teach a down to.

I would talk to the trainer. Our trainer just adapted things a little bit for our dog. Instead of down and stay he did sit and stay etc. There is no real reason to make a dog lie down, sitting is just as good. They cant get the certificates as they dont meet all the criteria but no reason you can't teach him other things just because he cant lie down.

Depends if its a structured course though. You'd need down to get any of the KC obedience or IMDT grades.

We chose IMDT because it takes slightly more flexible approach but down stay features throughout the grades. We were able to skip the inspection (nervous rescue) you can't skip any in kc. For kc each grade has to be passed entirely in the assessment session. Imdt allows you to tick things off gradually but you have to tick all of the current level of to start ticking tasks of the next level

Ours really struggled with an element, we discussed it with our trainer and were allowed to do the higher grades but not get the certificates just so he didn't get bored. Once we cracked that initial skill and passed that level, we could then start to tick the other stuff off in the next grade

Our trainer was supportive and encouraged some of the higher tasks so our dog (and us!) Didn't get frustrated by the same tasks repetitively

@FlamedMoth I am aware of both KC Awards and IMDT awards my comment was why a trainer would stop progression because of it!

Of course the dog should be able to move up a level and be allowed to either work on the behaviour or it be dismissed if not correct for the dog. Whether they get the certificate or not.

The "awards" mean nothing and as shown in this case are not in the best interest of the dog.

Dog training needs to be flexible and work for the dog not hinder it!

Yes, surely the aim of dog training is to train the dog (and owner) within its capabilities, not to tick boxes and get bits of paper.

Ours has failed the stay (which can be in any position) twice now but has moved on (KC GC) to silver and will retake the test when we feel she is ready. She is actually a lot more competent on most of the other stuff than the dogs that passed but she does struggle with a stay in the venue. She is perfect everywhere else, including our agility venue. So she can but she's not ready in that environment for whatever reason.

My last dog was a very nervous rescue. She went all the way through to gold and excelled at it but we could never take the tests as she would not have passed the physical exam. She still enjoyed the classes and her trainers at the time just made allowances for her. We took the tests but skipped the exam bit. She got extra biscuits which were much more fun than a certificate ;)

I personally find it fun to test what you and your dog have learnt - that's why I compete in agility - I am not actually that competitive but it gives you something to aim for and it's quite fun testing skills and having a good day out with your dog. But it's not the be and end all. It's the classes that are important.

Ha, mine refused to drop into a ‘down’ at training classes but would happily do it at home…turns out he was being precious about the grass touching his belly 😄 he eventually agreed to ‘sit’ and stretch his front legs out awkwardly so we all knew he was trying! Class trainer accepted his compromise and moved him up to the next class 😂