The best part about the โShow Bellyโ command isโฆ a fuzzy puppy
belly! Who doesnโt like puppy bellies? A handy command that
will get your puppy or dog to flop down and willingly turn his
belly up for your petting, perusal, patching, or scratching, is
a wonderful command indeed.
โShow Bellyโ can be used to effectively groom your pup, inspect
for problems, to position your dog for nail clipping, and to
provide you access to the best spot for a doggy belly rub!
Here's how to train your dog to show his belly.
Command 12 - โShow Bellyโ
Teaching Method:
Step 1a: Begin with your pup on a leash (you
do not have to hold it). He should be attentive and ready to
learn. As always, when learning a new behavior, you are in a
quiet environment with treats at the ready.
Step 1b: With your pup watching you, give him
the โDownโ command. Smile at your
dog and praise, โGood Down!โ (You are halfway there!)
Step 2a: With a treat in your hand, remind
your pup to stay down and then say, โShaggy, Show Belly.โ Allow
your pup to sniff at the treat and follow it with his nose
while you draw your hand diagonally toward and over his hip
slowly. As his nose follows your hand with the treat, he will
drop onto his side. Repeat โShow Bellyโ and encourage him with,
โThatโs It! Show Belly!โ as he relaxes onto his side. Then
bring the hand with the treat to his nose again and lure him
onto his back, keeping your commands and the movements calm and
smooth, repeating, โShow Belly.โ
Step 2b: Once he is on his back, keep
repeating, โYes! Good Show Belly!โ while you gently and calmly
pet and stroke his fuzzy belly. Smiling, verbal praise, and
pets are enough to show him how pleased you are. Do not feed
him a treat while he is lying on his back to avoid a choking
hazard. You can treat him once he is upright again.
Step 3a: While your pup is on his back
and belly up, now is the time to quietly start exploring his
body โ run your hands along his belly and sides. Feel his legs,
starting from the underarms and going all the way to his toes.
Pat his thighs. Rub under his chin. Check out the parts not
seen at a glance. Donโt forget the tail too! Keep your
movements calm and soothing.
Step 3b: You will want to work up to a
full body exam. At first just do a short soothing rub before
letting your pup get up. You want to give him the command to
rise or release โ he should not get up without you telling him
to. If he does start to get up, just say โNo,โ and repeat
โDownโ and โShow Belly,โ using the treat in your hand to
guide him where you want him to be and rewarding him with
smiles and pets when heโs there. As he learns the โShow Bellyโ
command and relaxes into it, then you can start doing longer
exams, groom him all under, or clip his toenails while he is
relaxed and toes up.
The โShow Bellyโ command should be an enjoyable command for
both you and your dog. Besides being awfully cute, it is also a
very important command that will enable you to properly groom,
inspect, and care for him in case of an injury or wound without
a struggle. Enjoy those fuzzy bellies!
Teaching Your Dog "Down"
Now that you have effectively taught your dog how to sit, it is now time to teach him
how to lay down on command. Sit and Down are known as
controlled positions for your dog. Controlled positions tell
your dog what they should be doing when your attention is not
focused on them. For example, you may be on the phone, watching
TV, or doing the dishes, and the โDown and Stayโ command will
show your dog that this is not an opportunity to explore.
Leaving your dog with the freedom to decide what to do when you
are not focused on him may lead to him developing bad habits.
The causes of bad habits are not limited to boredom or lack of
direction, it is also important that your dog does not develop
a habit of deciding what he should be doing next. Therefore,
depending on the age of your dog, their attention span might be
limited to a few short minutes. So if you find yourself needing
uninterrupted focus on your task, you may want to put your dog
in their kennel until you are able to focus on him again.
Remember in tip 8, the
kennel is not a negative place for your dog; rather, it is
their sanctuary, as long as you use it appropriately. If you
choose to allow your dog freedom when you are not able to focus
on him and he rummage through the garbage, do not correct your
dog by putting them in their crate. By using the crate as a
correction method, you are teaching your dog that their
sanctuary is now a dungeon, and your dog will begin to resist
kenneling on command. Controlled positions help prevent bad
habits, so letโs learn how teach your dog to lay down on
command.
Command 11 โ โDownโ or โLay Downโ
โDownโ or โLay Downโ means the dog belly is touching the
ground. Note: Use when youโre going to be in one place for
more than a minute or two.
Teaching Method:
In the beginning, teaching your dog โdownโ is easiest when they
are already sitting. Once your dog understands what โDownโ
means, you can begin to fade this step out.
Step
1: Tell your dog to sit, once they sit, give them a
treat.
Step
2: With a treat in your hand, say โdownโ as you are
simultaneously moving your hand to the floor slowly.
Step
3: The moment your dogโs elbows touch the floor,
say โYesโ as you are simultaneously give them the treat.
Your dog may pop back into a sit as soon as you give the treat;
this is okay because your dog is still learning what the
command โdownโ means. Instead of correcting your dog for doing
being excited and popping up, repeat steps 1 through 3,
maximizing their positive energy.
Step 4: Repeat
steps two and three for a minimum of three consecutive times,
include step one as needed.
Step 5: Similar
to teaching your dog to sit, you will begin to decrease the
hand motion, add gentle scratching and petting his back when
Buddy lays down. This reinforces that laying down not only
provides food and verbal reward, but also offers a physical
connection.
Once your dog is laying down without targeting and hand
motions, you can up the level of difficulty by adding
the โStayโ command to
the sequence from tip #10.
Last Weekโs Lesson
Teaching Your Dog "Down
Next Week's Lesson
Teach Your Dog to "Kiss" and
"Snuggle"
Back to 20 Dog Commands You Need to
Know
All training tips in this series are from
ECAD (Educated Canines Assisting with Disabilities), a
non-profit organization dedicated to training service dogs for
veterans with disabilities. Learn more about ECAD.
