Teaching a Puppy "Down" Command

Teaching a puppy down: Teaching a puppy the command "Down" is much the same as teaching it to sit except that the dog must learn to lie down.
Start with your puppy sitting next to your left leg and hold a treat in front of its nose with your right hand. Make sure to hold the puppy's leash with your left hand to avoid it standing or getting up.Move your left hand (with the treat) down and slightly away from your dog's head, this will force it to move down. Just before your puppy's chest touches the ground say "Down". Once it is down be sure to treat it and praise it. Repeat these steps until you are sure that your puppy understands what it is that you are trying to get it to do.
It is often difficult for puppies to learn to lie down and especially hard for them to stay down. So be sure to approach these exercises with lots of patience and nice yummy rewards for an exceptional puppy.

Teaching a puppy to stay: Once your puppy has mastered sit and down it is ready to move onto the difficult but highly valuable and important command of "Stay". Teaching this command to your puppy will help to give you more control over it and will make both of your lives happier and more enjoyable. Have the puppy sit or lie down and then stand in front of it. Say "Stay" and then take one small step backward. Immediately step forward again and treat and praise your puppy if it held its position. If the puppy tries to stand up or follow you, stop immediately and start from the beginning again. Once you can take one small step away from your puppy without it following you try taking two and then three etc…
Be sure to take these exercises slowly and don't expect too much from your puppy. Even small steps of progress now will go a long way as your puppy grows up and begins maturing. Eventually you will be able to tell your dog to stay and then walk off without it following you.