How to Train Your Dog to Lay on His Side

Ever go to the vet's and your pooch is jumping about the place, pacing, not sitting still, generally misbehaving, and causing you a lot of embarrassment? Well, fear not because there is a simple solution to this behavior, rooted in teaching your pooch a bit more obedience with a new trick. In a few simple steps, using a method of your choosing, you will be able to teach your pup to lie on his side. 

Not only is this useful at the vet's for when they examine him, imagine all the uses it could have at home. When you need to take a good look at him because you think he’s hurt himself, just get him to lie on his side and this will make it a hundred times easier. Or imagine you need to clip his nails; wouldn’t it be far easier not to have a moving target, especially if he doesn’t like his paddy paws being touched?

Although some dogs naturally don’t like lying on their side particularly, this trick shouldn’t be too difficult to learn, especially if they already know the ‘sit’ and ‘lie down’ positions. Most dogs will learn this trick fairly quickly when taught consistently but in short, sharp bursts for a couple of weeks. This trick is best taught to puppies from 8-9 weeks of age, provided that they’ve been given a little time to settle in and adapt to their new environment. But don’t worry, older dogs can be taught this command as well, they may just take a little longer to pick it up. However, this command will certainly save you a lot of time by having your pooch lay still like a good boy on his side for basic grooming, such as hair brushing and nail clipping.

In order for your pooch to learn how to lie on his side, he’ll already need to have a good grasp of the ‘lie down’ position. Invest some time in getting this right with your pooch, before you attempt to teach him how to lie on his side. Get him a bag of his favorite tasty treats or cook up some chicken or sausages for him and slice them into sensibly sized pieces, to make sure you catch his attention. It would be ideal to teach your pup this command in a quiet setting, after he’s been on a bit of a walk to tire him out a bit and make sure his concentration is on you and not on playing.