My puppy won't lay down unless I use a treat. What should I do?

There are 2 commonly used methods for training. The first is luring where you lure them into the desired posture and the second is that you wait for them to naturally do the desired behavior, then instantly reward them when they do the behavior. The second way of training is generally more difficult and requires more patience and perfect timing for rewarding, so the luring technique is the one that is more commonly used. If you want to use the second technique, then I would work on clicker training Bella since that will be the best way to immediately reinforce the behavior you want. If you want to continue to try the luring technique, I would recommend a VERY high value treat (like fresh chicken or cheese) to get her to follow the treat more reliably. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

A good way to teach dogs interested in standing again or rolling over when laying down is to practice the "army crawl" this involves luring her under your legs (if she's small enough) or a chair to force her to lay down without being able to flop over or stand back up again. You can also place the chair against a wall to sort of "box her in" as well. If she isn't interested in treats, you may want to see if she likes people food such as boiled chicken, hotdog or even a little cheese as a "jackpot" or super high value reward, which can then be given when she finally does what you want to really ensure she knows she did the right thing. If she isn't treat-driven, praising her on her progress or using a toy/petting her can be rewards as well. You can gradually work her up to the right action by praising her when she is close to it, then stopping the praise and "waiting" for her to figure out a different action that is more similar (looking up how to "shape" a behavior can give you a more detailed explanation about this.)

You are teaching him the correct way, it is just going to take time and maybe a little maturity to help with attention span and focus. I would try a different trick like stay to help work on the focus. You could also catch him in the act of laying down and sa the command and govehim a treat and with time he will start to connect the two. Just stay patient. You are doing a good job! https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/teach-your-puppy-these-5-basic-commands/

Try this. Let him see the treat. Then give him the command with no hand signals. He may move through all the tricks that he knows but as soon as he does the correct one, give him the reward and repeat the trick, something like ‘good sit’. Some dogs will not perform a command without a reward. Sometimes this is because they are young or easily distracted. This may change as they get older. Important thing is to remain positive and encourage the desired behavior. Best of luck.

In the beginning when training, treats train dogs to do these commands due to positive reinforcement. At a certain point, dogs will respond to commands regardless of getting treats or not because they become conditioned to the response to the command. At this age, you will likely have to continue giving Grace treats to get the response you want. Gradually reduce the frequency at which she receives treats and try and get her to respond to a command without a treat. Rather than a treat, try praising her and telling her how good she is. Dogs like praise as a reward as well. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Then next several weeks, anytime you give the sit command have her on a leash so she can’t down. If she tires to down, stand her and walk a few feet, then give the Sit command again. Keep working. Lots of praise. She will get it.

It can be tricking to work on behavior training a dog that is not particularly food motivated. You may need to find a treat that he really loves in order to motivate him: you could try freeze dried liver treats, cutting up pieces of refrigerated semi-soft dog food into small pieces, or very small pieces of cheese. Some dogs are more motivated by toys or play time, so you could also try giving him a favorite toy as a reward. You may also want to consider seeing a trainer for tips - puppy kindergarten and obedience classes can be very helpful!