How To Teach Stand To Down
Stand/Down
From the down position, use your target to motion downward into the stand position. When your dog stands, say "Good," then motion into the down position. When your dog downs, say "Good," wait a moment and present the reward.
Repeat until your dog is standing directly and downing easily.
The goal of this exercise is to get your dog to move freely, quickly, and easily to a stand, and then into the down position. When your dog is moving into the down position, we want the elbows to touch the ground first, so carefully adjust your presentation to achieve this goal. The faster the better, so play with the speed of your presentation. Encourage your dog to go faster by giving an extra reward when they show a fast effort. Try to get your dog to snap into the positions.
Remember, reward only the second behavior, but acknowledge the first behavior as well.
Once your dog is standing and downing easily with your target motion, add the stand command. As your dog stands, say the word "Stand." When your dog stands, say "Good," wait a moment, then motion your dog into the down position. As your dog downs, say the word "Down." When your dog downs, say "Good," wait a moment and give the treat. Pet your dog on the head if he is very enthusiastic.