Having your puppy in a quiet down position is one of the most effective ways for you to reinforce your leadership and helps your puppy relax in a very comfortable position while under your control. While puppy is in the quiet down position, make every effort to prevent any escape from your control - preventing any “getting up” is essential if puppy is to recognize your leadership. When puppy “wins” by getting up and then is put back in position, you are teaching puppy to get up and receive attention by being put back down again.

· Begin exercise by having puppy in a sit position at your side or front.

· Keeping the target (your hand with the “million dollar food reward”) about 1/2 inch from puppy’s nose, move the target slowly toward the floor keeping close to puppy’s chest and front legs. Go slowly enough to make sure puppy’s nose follows the target toward the floor. Then, whichever method works best for you and puppy to achieve a down position, either:

A) Continue moving the target forward along the floor, with puppy’s nose and front feet following at 1/2 inch until puppy is lying on his chest and abdomen on the floor. Continue moving the target directing puppy’s nose away from your body and around towards puppy’s hip. Praise puppy in a soft, high tone of voice as puppy rolls over on his underside hip (putting puppy’s body in a “C” position) with puppy’s rear legs pointing away from your body. Puppy’s rear legs are no longer ready to spring up or kick off your body and puppy is comfortable. Puppy may lie on his chest or side.

or....

B) Continue moving the target directing puppy’s nose away from your body and around towards puppy’s hip. Praise puppy in a soft, high tone of voice as puppy rolls over on his underside hip (putting puppy’s body in a “C” position) with puppy’s rear legs pointing away from your body. Puppy’s rear legs are no longer ready to spring up or kick off your body and puppy is comfortable. Puppy may lie on his chest or side.

· As puppy goes into this position, quickly place one hand over the shoulders of the puppy to hold puppy in position and reward with food from your target hand. If helpful, place your other hand on puppy’s hip.

· If puppy struggles and/or cries, withdraw all attention - verbal, petting, eye contact.

· The first several times, hold puppy in this position only long enough for puppy to relax. Extend length of time by 30 second intervals to 2-3 minutes the first week. As puppy begins to calmly accept this position, reward by lifting your hands 1 inch above puppy’s body, but ever ready to quickly apply pressure to keep puppy in position if puppy tries to get up.

· Then you may gradually increase the length of time up to 60 minutes.

· You may praise softly and gently as puppy is lying quietly.

· To end the exercise (puppy is calm and quiet and you are holding puppy in place), reward puppy sometimes with food and always with quiet praise. The exercise is then completed by giving puppy’s release word.

· Congratulations! Puppy now accepts lying quietly at your side whenever the occasion warrants!