Jan 20 • GENERAL
Why Down Stays Are One of the Most Powerful (and Underrated) Training Tools
The down stay isn’t just about your dog lying still, Its about teaching neutrality and impulse control in a way very few exercises can.
When a dog holds a down stay, they’re practicing:
- Choosing calm over movement
- Observing the world without reacting
- Regulating their own emotions without constant direction
That’s huge.
Neutrality doesn’t mean your dog is shut down or disengaged. It means they can exist around stimulation without feeling the need to do something about it.
Dogs that struggle with reactivity, over-arousal, or “busy brains” often lack this skill.
A properly trained down stay:
- Builds emotional endurance
- Teaches patience in real time
- Creates a default calm state
- Transfers into real-world situations (cafes, classes, waiting rooms, sidelines, etc.)
The magic isn’t in forcing stillness. It’s in teaching the dog how to self-settle while staying mentally connected. Over time, that calm becomes a habit—not a command.
🔥 Want to take this further?
I will be opening access soon to a brand new course focused entirely on building focus, neutrality, and calmness—for dogs that struggle to switch off, stay engaged, or regulate themselves around distractions. STAY TUNED !
And as always let me know if you got any questions !
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Why Down Stays Are One of the Most Powerful (and Underrated) Training Tools
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