How to teach my dog to lay down without using treats to lure?

Combine the treat with a hand signal, such as pointing at the floor, and a command ("Linda, down!") Praise her if she starts to, even if she doesn't get all the way down, so she gets the idea that this is what you want. Gradually phase out the treat to every other attempt, then every third, etc. until you do away with it altogether and she drops just on your command and hand signal alone.

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.)

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.

The best training treats are ones that your dog really loves and that can be broken into very small treats. This is especially important with a small dog like Bella. I have used and really like Wellness Soft Puppy Bites and Fruitables. This article also mentions a couple of other small and soft chews that would work well for Bella. https://www.rover.com/blog/favorite-healthy-dog-training-treats/ Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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!

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/

I would recommend using treats to show Blessy what you want, and to reward her when she does what you ask. If there are specific behaviors that you aren't sure how to teach, feel free to post another question and ask - we would be happy to try and help :) For more general training information, I highly recommend the book "How To Behave So Your Dog Behaves" by Dr. Sophia Yin. It has lots of details on training dogs in general, as well as instructions for training specific commands like sit, down, come, etc.