When your dog jumps on someone, do you say “down” to tell him to get off of the person? When your dog gets on a piece of furniture he’s not supposed to be on, do you say “down” to tell him to get down? And when you want your dog to lie down, do you also say “down”? If you answered yes to two or more of these questions, you are accidentally confusing your dog! We humans can understand that the word down could mean different things in different contexts, but dogs aren’t capable of figuring that out. For best results, you’ll want to be totally consistent with your words. Let’s break down the options and which words I recommend for those three contexts.
“Down” - The obedience command to lie down
This sweet pup is showing off his “down”
This is the command I use when I want a dog to lie down. Some people use “lay” but I prefer “down.” If your dog has been through my board & train program, they’re trained to understand that down means lie down where you are and stay there until further notice (it has an implied stay).
Since this is a very important command for good behavior, you’ll want to preserve this at all costs! That means you’ll need to get out of the habit of saying “down” when your dog jumps up on something they shouldn't be on, or when your dog jumps on people, etc.
“Off” - Use to disembark from something (optional)
I don’t typically teach the off command in my training programs but that doesn’t mean you can’t teach it to your dog at home. If you want a command that means to get down from something, I suggest using the word “off.” It makes no difference to your dog—you can use the word “bacon” for all your dog cares—but “off” makes logical sense to us humans, which means it’ll be easier to get into the habit of saying it.
That said, if your dog jumps up on something and you never want him to do it again, it would be much clearer if you said “no” instead of “off.” No indicates that the dog has made a mistake. If it’s consistently paired with a consequence such as a prong collar correction or an e-collar correction, then the dog will learn to respect this word and you’ll eventually be able to use it without a correction (this is called voice control). So, if you have a particular couch that the dog is forbidden to be on, “no” will send your dog the message that she shouldn’t get up there again. If, however, your dog is usually allowed on the couch but you just want her to get down in that particular moment, you can use the word “off.”
“No” - Use as a correction for jumping
Polite greeting manners are certainly a part of my board & train program, especially for dogs who struggle with jumping on people. When your dog comes home from training you’ll likely need to tell your dog “no” for jumping so that your dog understands that you are prepared to enforce the rules I’ve established. “No” is the word to use in that context, and it’s very important to use the right words! You should say “no” instead of a separate command like “off” because what you’re really saying in that moment is “this behavior is not okay and you shouldn’t do it again.” By the end of your dog’s board & train program they know what that word means and they respect it—all that’s left for you to do is follow through at home. Definitely use the word no anytime your dog makes a mistake and/or does something he shouldn’t do again.
Here’s a chart to help you remember which word to use!
