I've taken several of my dogs through dog obedience school and both were taught precisely the same commands: "come", "sit", "stay", "heel" and "down". Those orders are the dog's "basic training". Once your dog has learned these he is ready to move on to more complex commands, though only these are required for him to be a well-behaved "good citizen".

The "down" command teaches the dog to lie on the ground with all four feet facing forward. If the dog is to be left in this position for only a short period of time the head should remain up and the dog attentive. During a "long down" it is allowable for the dog to lower his head to the ground but he should still remain aware of his master's presence and ready for his next task.

Why Bother?

The "Down" command is used when you want your dog to remain still for (relatively) short periods of time. It may be required for his safety or to prevent him from being an annoyance. Good examples of appropriate times for "Down" include:

Friends who don't particularly want to be greeted/jumped on by a dog come to your house. Dog, who believes everyone who enters his master's abode deserves a doggy welcome, heads for them at breakneck speed. "Down!" stops him in his tracks and drops him to the floor.

You and Gunner are in the yard and he runs after a squirrel that is headed for the street, or the neighbor's kid whose curiosity lures him toward you.

Gracie doesn't care for storms; when the thunderclaps put her in a state of frenzy sitting her "down" calms her.

Dogs often do not know what's good or bad for them. It is our responsibility as their owners to make those judgements and sometimes save them from their instinctive actions/reactions.

How?

The "L" Method: Call your dog and have her sit in front of you. Cup a treat in your hand and allow her to smell it; once she's got the scent begin moving your hand toward the ground while commanding "Down" every few seconds. By the time your hand hits the turf she'll either have successfully obeyed your command or hunched over with her body shaped like a crescent roll. In this case you'll form the second leg of the "L" by pulling the concealed treat along the ground and away from your dog. This should bring her into position; if not, try gently pressing between her shoulder blades until she assumes the proper position.

The Placement Method

For this method you'll need your dog to be collared and you'll need a leash. Call your dog to you and have him sit. Move to his side and kneel next to him. Command "Down" and begin pulling the leash to the floor; more than likely, he'll resist.

There are two ways to overcome his resistance and you may have to use them both to finally get you dog parallel to the ground. First, try coaxing him down by pushing firmly between his shoulder blades. If that doesn't work try grabbing the front leg closest to you and pull it off the ground while pulling the shoulder on the opposite side toward you. He'll be anchored in only two places, his rear end and one front leg, and susceptible to the laws of physics. As he begins to sense that he's about to fall on his side he will likely attempt to prevent that by lying down.

Leash Under Shoe Method

(This is the one I've had the most success with; I think I learned it from one of my dog obedience school instructors.) Call Shadow, have her sit and attach a leash to her collar. While standing, run the leash under your shoe. Command "Down" and pull on the leash. It will pull Shadow toward the ground while allowing you easy access to her shoulders; by now you know what to do with them!

Bonus!

Once you get Shadow performing "down" effectively introduce a hand signal. While standing in front of her simply point to the ground in front of her while delivering the command. In no time you should have her hitting the deck without having to utter a word.

There you have it, another valuable lesson that brings you and your dog closer. If you're having fun and would like to learn more be sure to check out this great dog training manual, "Secrets To Dog Training" by Daniel Stevens. Oh yeah; be sure to get your dog spayed or neutered!