sphynx down

[KB88203]

I have a rescue border, male, neutered, 1 yr old, a long way away from being anything but a silly guy. We are working on down and he will not lay down in a sphynx down, he wants to lay on a hip. I prefer the sphynx down, as when we are ready for signals in utility, this is important. Any sugggestions?

[Shawna]

Teach him his other obedience commands and work on him getting faster and faster between commands (keep it fun, make it a game). He will automatically switch how he lays to be ready for the next command.

[airbear]

Originally posted by KB88203:

We are working on down and he will not lay down in a sphynx down, he wants to lay on a hip.

A couple of things: some dogs are not comfortable in a sphynx down because of their hips/knees. Some GSDs, for example, cannot fold into this type of down because of angulation issues. You may want to have him checked to see if there is something structurally that prevents him from doing this kind of down.

 

Another thing is how you have taught him to down. I have found with my two dogs (one has a big butt, one has no butt) that if I ask for a down from a sit, I get the sloppy down. If I ask for a down from a stand, they fold neatly into place. One way to proof this is ask them for a down from a stand, then a stand from the down, and again and again. We call this 'the accordion' and it seems to drill into them that down means fold.

 

Once they are 'folding' nicely, you can work on the down on recall and other higher-level skills.

 

One last thing: I find my dogs' energy level has a lot to do with the type of down they offer. If they're bored, tired, stressed, whatever, they seem to collapse into a heap. If they're excited about what they're doing, they drop into a sphynx down and hold it well.

 

Have fun!

 

Kristi, Bear and Wicked

http://www.airbear.ca

http://www.runwickrun.ca

[Shawna]

This is just my own opinion.

 

It is very true that a proper positioned down can be painful, however it is also true that many young dogs are just lazy and don't like to do it. This is not to say that you shouldn't get your dog checked, if you want to, go ahead, you might want to try a few things first though if no other symptoms are showing up.

 

 

Another thing is how you have taught him to down. I have found with my two dogs (one has a big butt, one has no butt) that if I ask for a down from a sit, I get the sloppy down. If I ask for a down from a stand, they fold neatly into place. One way to proof this is ask them for a down from a stand, then a stand from the down, and again and again. We call this 'the accordion' and it seems to drill into them that down means fold.

The size of a dogs butt has absolutly no bearing on what kind of down he will give you. Also by repeating the same commands over and over (drilling) you take the pleasure out of the work and many dogs will give you less rather than more. Sits to downs and downs to sits can become a game when you add a toy (same goes for stands to sits to downs and any combination of the three). Don't ask for them in any particular position (ie. only in the heel position), just ask for them randomly and where ever. When the dog is reved up and expecting the toy he isn't going to flop over on his hip even from a sit command, he's going to be ready to leap up to get the toy. Before long lying in the proper position becomes a habit and they will hold it indefinatly.

 

One last thing: I find my dogs' energy level has a lot to do with the type of down they offer. If they're bored, tired, stressed, whatever, they seem to collapse into a heap. If they're excited about what they're doing, they drop into a sphynx down and hold it well.

Many trainers who use the "drill" method say you can't do any serious training for more than 15 minutes before the dog reaches "saturation". If the dog is having fun there is no reason you can't do serious training for 3/4 of an hour or longer depending on YOUR ability to keep it enjoyable not the dogs ability to absorb material. Therefore your training sessions are not only more productive but more fun and the dog looks forward to them with anticipation instead of hesitation. I've seen more dogs dread training classes because they have been drilled incessantly. By making it a game you will not only get cleaner faster responses but the dog will give you 100% and then some.

[KB88203]

Thanks for all the great hints for the sphynx down. I think the majority of my problem lies in that he is such a puppy in a full grown border collie body. Even though he is a year old, he will sometimes still sit sloppy in the puppy sit, etc. I read somewhere recently that border collies often don't mature unitl 3 or 4! WOW! My papillons are mature at 6 months. Much more serious than my silly, wonderful BC.

[Shawna]

One other thing, if you decide to work with a toy make sure he can see it for the first few times you work with him. After he learns that obedience is a game you will ask for more and more commands between play sessions. For instance, at first you may throw the ball for him every time he properly executes a command. Then you will wait for two or three before throwing and then maybe throw in a toss after one. By varying the times you throw you will keep him fresh. Then after he understands this is a game use a hidable toy like a soft squeeky that will easily squish into your pocket. (A friend whose dog prefers tug-of-war uses a short piece of hose tucked into the back of her pants.) When he is working well the squeeky will miraculously appear for a rousing game of fetch and then as quickly disappear for more "work". This in itself becomes a game for most dogs "When will that squeeky come back!" Throw in tons of praise (make it big!!) and soon the dog will be working for praise alone with the added benefit of a surprise game. This way the dog will learn to focus on you as well as obey any command anywhere in a heartbeat without ever having (or looking like he has) been beaten into obedience.