Obedience · West Highland White Terrier
How to Teach a West Highland White Terrier to Lie Down
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Short answer
Teach your West Highland White Terrier to lie down by luring them from a sit with a high-value treat to the floor, marking the moment their elbows touch, and rewarding immediately. Consistent, positive reinforcement appeals to their food motivation and channels their spirited temperament into calm impulse control.
Teaching a West Highland White Terrier to lie down is one of the most valuable obedience skills you can build. Westies are confident, spirited dogs with moderate trainability and energy—but they can be stubborn and prone to barking, digging, and acting on prey drive. The "down" cue serves as a powerful foundation for impulse control and settling behavior, helping you manage that spirited temperament in everyday situations. Since Westies respond well to positive reinforcement and have food motivation, this training method leverages treats and praise to make lying down rewarding. With consistent, short training sessions matched to their 45-minute daily exercise needs, your Westie will learn that calm behavior pays off—and you'll gain a tool to prevent unwanted barking and redirect excess energy.
How to do it
Step-by-step
Tick off each step as you practice it — your progress is saved on this device.
Step 1: Lure with a high-value treat from sit position
Start with your Westie sitting in front of you. Hold a small, tasty treat close to their nose, then slowly move it down toward the floor between their front paws. As their nose follows, their rear will naturally stay down and their body will lower. The moment their elbows touch the ground, mark it with 'Yes!' or a clicker and reward immediately.
Step 2: Add the verbal cue 'down'
Once your Westie is reliably lowering into the down position, begin saying 'down' just as you start the lure, so they learn to associate the word with the action. Say it clearly and calmly—Westies are sensitive to tone and respond better to neutral, confident commands than excited praise during the cue itself.
Step 3: Reward heavily at the moment of success
The instant all four elbows are on the ground, mark the behavior and deliver a high-value treat. Westies are food-motivated and spirited; consistent, immediate rewards reinforce the behavior faster than delayed praise alone. Use especially tasty treats (small pieces of chicken, cheese, or commercial training treats) to make down more rewarding than jumping or barking.
Step 4: Extend duration gradually
Once your Westie is lying down on cue, begin asking them to hold the position for longer. Start with 2–3 seconds, then slowly increase to 5, 10, and 20 seconds. Give treats intermittently while they hold the down, and keep sessions short to prevent boredom—Westies need variety and mental stimulation.
Step 5: Proof the behavior in different locations
Practice in multiple rooms and outdoors once your Westie reliably performs down at home. Introduce mild distractions (toys, outdoor sounds) gradually. Westies have high prey drive and barking tendency, so expect that external stimuli will challenge their focus; be patient and reward extra generously in distracting environments.
Step 6: Use down to build settle and impulse control
Once reliable, use the down cue to prevent jumping on guests, redirect barking, and calm your Westie before transitions (meals, walks, playtime). Reward calm lying down with continued attention and treats, teaching them that being still and quiet earns rewards—a key way to channel their spirited, confident nature into household harmony.
For the West Highland White Terrier
Pro tips
- Keep training sessions under 5 minutes with Westies; their spirited nature means they can lose focus or get bored quickly, especially if the reward isn't exciting enough. Two to three short sessions daily beat one long slog.
- Reward with movement and engagement, not just treats—Westies are confident and social, so pairing a treat reward with a quick game or affection (if they want it) keeps them keen. Rotate rewards to prevent boredom.
- Practice down as an incompatible behavior to redirect barking and prey drive: a calm, lying-down Westie is not barking at the mailman or chasing a squirrel. This transforms training into a real-world life skill for managing their stubborn, high-barking temperament.
Owners ask
Frequently asked questions
My Westie is stubborn and won't follow the lure. What should I do?
Westies can have a stubborn streak, so break the behavior into even smaller steps. Start by rewarding just the slightest lowering of the head, then reward progressively deeper positions over multiple sessions. Ensure you're using truly high-value treats (pieces of chicken work well), and try training when they're mildly hungry but not starving. Keep sessions to 2–3 minutes and end on a success.
My Westie lies down but pops right back up. How do I get duration?
This is normal, especially for energetic Westies. Start with just 1–2 seconds of lying down before you reward—yes, truly that brief. Gradually increase duration by one second at a time over multiple sessions. Reward generously while they're still lying down (toss treats right to them) rather than after they get up, so they learn staying down earns the reward.
Should I practice down before or after my Westie's 45 minutes of daily exercise?
Train after a portion of their exercise (20–25 minutes) when they still have energy but aren't at peak excitement. This helps their focus. If you train when they're overtired, they may nap instead of engage; if undertired, they'll find the training less rewarding than playing. Two short sessions (morning and evening) often work better than one long one for Westies.
My Westie barks constantly. Will learning down help?
Yes—down is one of the best tools to interrupt and redirect barking. A lying-down Westie cannot easily bark, and the behavior is incompatible with jumping or reactive behavior. Practice rewarding calm down heavily, especially in situations where your Westie usually barks (doorbell, outdoor sounds). Over time, they'll default to lying down as a way to earn rewards instead of barking for attention.
Spotted a mistake or something out of date? Email us — we review every report, fix the guide and update its date. Our guides are general education, not a substitute for a certified trainer or veterinary behaviorist.
