Down/Off

[whitefootwolf]

I have an almost six month old light yellow Labrador Retriever puppy named Calypso. She's a very rambunctious little hellion (right now, she and her favorite kitty are play the "Drive Mommy Crazy Game".) and I love her to bits

Comments

[miss_teacher]

You can call each command whatever you want. So if you are already using "down" for something else (get off the couch) then for lying down on the ground you could use "relax", "settle", "hit the deck", "pickles". lol, it can be anything you want just as long as you remember it and it will naturally come out of your mouth.

[whitefootwolf]

Dude, the idea of saying "Hey, can you get me some pickles from the fridge?" and having my dog lay down is far, far too amusing! <3

[dr_brat]

Most trainers use "down" for "put your hips and elbows on the floor," yes, but you can use whatever you want as long as you're consistent. Some people use "platz," "place," "drop." But actually, you can use whatever you want as long as it's different from the word you use to mean "get off of that."

[whitefootwolf]

Hmm, okay. I think my main concern is if we go farther with our training (I think that she'd enjoy Agility and it'd give us something fun to do!) that we'd have a non-standard word for 'hips n' elbows on the floor' and she'd get confused.

[dr_brat]

Well, since in competition you are the only one talking to your dog, you can use whatever command you want. If you say "pickle" when the dog is supposed to lie down, and she does, you're golden.

Harry and I do obedience. The standard command for heeling is "heel." I say "let's go" and nobody has objected yet. In Agility, I've heard people use various commands for a down on the table - as long as the dog does its job, the judge doesn't care what you say (well, short of cursing).

[miss_teacher]

And many people never even use the down command in agility. They teach the dog an automatic down at the table. Same with some dogs who down after getting off the a-frame or dogwalk.

So, OP, don't worry about the words you use as long as you are consistent with them. No trainer in her right mind will get mad you are using something different from her or any other client. And it won't mess up any future training.

[coendou]

I use "off" for getting off of furniture, etc and "lay" for laying down. I noticed that my husband and I automatically use "down" for things like "get your paws off the counter" or "don't jump up on me" so I picked other words for things that weren't those.

[whitefootwolf]

Thank you! They are awesome, giant dogs (Thor is a good 100lbs and the vet thinks Calypso will be nearly his size). I <3 them!

Thanks for this--that's exactly the situation I'm afraid of running into with Kippy. Most of the dogs we know and play with use the command 'down' for 'lay on the floor' so I think I'm going to work on switching.

[stormfairy]

Use the words that come naturally!

Just consider two things: consistancy, and that the word has some degree of sharpness, so that the dog can hear it. Some good letters to use (in English) are "S", "T" and "K"/"C" (as in cut), and "A" (as in cap) and "I" (as in tip). Short vowels good for quick obedience, while long, dragging vowels encourage slowness, and could be used for things like "go lie down".

And if your trainer uses a different word, let him/her use his/her other word, and you stick to yours - it makes no difference to the dog, as long as the usage is consistant, and after all: a trainer is a trainer, not a supreme being.