Tunnel Down
Positions · 9 steps · by Push Drop Stick
Your Dog will learn to lie down from a sit position using a low tunnel prompt and a food lure.
The tunnel method is ideal for small or short-legged dogs who struggle with the standard method because they can easily follow a lure all the way to the floor without bending their front legs.
Training steps
Make friends with the tunnel
Setup: Your Dog is near a tunnel made by your propped-up leg.
Sit on the floor and prop one leg up to make a tunnel. Scatter a few treats around the opening and just inside it, and let Your Dog eat them at their own pace. No luring through yet. You are building a happy, relaxed feeling about ducking near your leg.
Success: Your Dog willingly eats treats around and inside the tunnel opening.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lure Your Dog's nose into a tunnel
Setup: Your Dog is sitting in front of a tunnel.
Sit on the floor and prop up one of your legs to make a tunnel. With Your Dog sitting in front of it, hold a treat inside the tunnel just in front of their nose, then slowly pull it back to prompt them to push their nose in. Treat the moment their nose enters the tunnel!
Success: Your Dog follows a lure far enough to get their nose in the tunnel.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lure Your Dog's head into the tunnel
Setup: Your Dog is sitting in front of a tunnel.
Lure Your Dog deeper this time so their whole head goes into the tunnel, then give them the treat while their head is inside.
Success: Your Dog follows a lure far enough to get their head in the tunnel.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lure Your Dog's head through the tunnel
Setup: Your Dog is sitting in front of a tunnel.
Lure Your Dog so that they have to crouch into the tunnel. Give them the treat on the other side.
Success: Your Dog follows a lure far enough to get their head through the tunnel.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Reward the dip
Setup: Your Dog is sitting in front of a tunnel.
Lure Your Dog's nose down toward the floor inside the tunnel and mark and treat any downward fold, such as elbows bending or the chest dipping, even if they do not lie all the way down. This pays for the effort and bridges the gap to a full down.
Success: Your Dog bends their elbows or lowers their chest toward the floor.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lower the tunnel
Setup: Your Dog is sitting in front of a short tunnel.
Lower your leg to make the tunnel shorter, then lure Your Dog's head into it. The moment they lie down, give them the treat!
Success: Your Dog lies down in the tunnel.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Start fading the tunnel prompt
Setup: Your Dog is sitting in front of a short tunnel.
Lure Your Dog's nose into the tunnel, then down to the floor, then pause and wait. If they lie down, give them the treat!
Success: Your Dog lies down with their nose in the tunnel.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Treat to the floor
Setup: Your Dog is sitting in front of a short tunnel.
Lure Your Dog's nose down and deliver the treat right onto the floor between their front paws as they lie down. Paying low on the floor keeps the down rewarding while you fade the tunnel.
Success: Your Dog lies down with the treat delivered to the floor.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Finish fading the tunnel prompt
Setup: Your Dog is sitting in front of a short tunnel.
With Your Dog sitting in front of the tunnel, hold a treat in front of their nose (not in the tunnel) and slowly move it straight down to the floor to encourage them to lie down. As soon as Your Dog's chest hits the floor, give them the treat!
Success: Your Dog lies down in front of the tunnel.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Great work! Your Dog can now fold all the way into a down using the tunnel. That is a big win for a small or short-legged dog who finds the standard fold tricky.
Now that lying down feels easy, move on to the Down from Sit plan to put it on a hand signal and the verbal cue 'Down'. Keep rewarding low, with the treat delivered right between Your Dog's front paws, so the floor stays the best place to be.