I'm trying to figure out the easiest way to teach a remote down. It doesn't have to be competition quality. I want to encourage new parents to teach their dogs a remote down as a management technique to get it to stay away from the baby. (i.e. doofus feet comes lumbering into the room during baby's tummy time and mom gets the dog to lie down before he walks over the baby.)

Havana's got a good remote down, but I'm not sure how I did it! I think it's because when we had the gates up and she was in the kitchen she would pace and DH would yell "LIE DOWN!" and when we'd hear her fall over we'd praise her. I also would make her down before I'd open the gate to go into whatever room she was in. I don't know that would work so well for another dog.

I know more involved ways to teach it, but I don't care if the dog creeps forward a few feet or if it's instant, just that it happens.

The absolute easiest is to teach a down on a mat, because they can then send the dog to the mat when it enters the room, but that doesn't sound like what you want. Definately work with the dog behind a barrier or tied to a doorknob so he learns that he doesn't need to be right next to the owner. Reward the dog behind them (toss the treat) so that they are primed to move away from the owner rather than to move closer.

Sue Eh? used to have something on this - I'll go see if I can find it.

I didn't find what I was looking for but there is a bit here (it is about 1/4 of the way down the page). I also found this article by Shirley Chong on teaching a drop at a distance. I may have been thinking about that one, and attributing it to Sue, but I'm really not sure.

One thing you've probably thought about but I'm going to mention anyway is that they should teach the dog to down when they are sitting in a chair, sitting on the floor, and lying on the floor as well. I don't know about you but when my kids were babies lying on the floor I was rarely standing up near them.

I'm sooo glad I'm not the only one who's dogs can do all sorts of things that I now have no memery as to how I taught them It's so embarassing when people ask "how did you teach that?" and you really don't have an answer.
My dogs learned it for rally-o and then used it alot for herding. For rally I think they started in a sit-stay or stand stay and I started asking for downs and built up distance and different positions gradually. They also learned moving downs for rally which helps put that peice of the puzzle in too.

Yeah, I'm trying to remember how I taught Pip a remote down, she's got a very good one.

I *think* we taught it in basic obedience, and we'd put the dog on a down-stay, walk away, turn and call the dog; as the dog was coming to us, we'd take one or two steps toward the dog -- which has the effect of pausing the dog -- and give the down command, with a hand signal. And then reward lavishly.

The dog should (obviously) have a reliable down-stay and a good recall before teaching it this way. Start with the handler only about 6-8 feet from the dog, too.

I think that's what I did. It was a long time ago!

Teaching a remote down is not that hard. I enjoy teaching it. I taught all my dogs in the same manner.
I start of with the normal concept of down. Once solid...
I teach the distance hand sign for down at close range.
Next, I teach that same concept while in different close range locations all around the dog.
Next, I move onto one step away. Same process as above.
Next, I move on taking another step or two away till I hit their threshold and work on from there.

Once I can be a distance away with a non moving down with verbal and handsignal both in silence and vocal..I move back in to teach it as a drop on recall in short distances and locales. Then I add in the distance.

After I know I can do this all very well..or they can..I add in distractions of various kinds.
This is something that I work on for short spurts everyday. It is actually a fun concept to teach. I really enjoy teaching this stuff.

I have nothing to add because I've never taught a remote down, intentionally or not, but I just wanted to say welcome back cjs

Hi, Marci!

I have remote down issues, too, but with herding. When I (and with my trainer, he's even worse) tell Jack to lie down, he wants to come into me, instead of stopping where he is. *shrug* So, uh I got nothing for you, Calypso!

(PS. The old hand signal doesn't work, and I don't want want to use that on the herding field, anyway. )

I taught Quigley by tethering him to the gate in our front yard (so he could only get to the end of the leash, but not approach me any further) and then staying just out of his reach, clicking and treating sits, downs and stands.

This worked really well since it eliminated the possibility of him doing it incorrectly (moving towards me before sitting etc.) in the beginning.

From there on, I moved back further and further, tossing treat rewards to him from a distance.

He caught on very quickly.