How do I get my puppy to lie on its side?
Puppies often resist learning to lie on their side because they struggle to settle down or stay still for more than a second. This makes basic obedience training and capturing calm nearly impossible when they are constantly full of energy.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
How do I get my puppy to lie on its side?
- 1Practicing on carpet instead of hard floors for better tractionDid this help you?
- 2Holding off on training that specific command until the puppy gets a bit olderDid this help you?
- 3Feeding meals piece by piece while sitting on the couch only when the puppy is not barking, whining, biting, or humpingDid this help you?
- 4Ignoring protestations while playing video games and praising or showing physical affection once the puppy plops downDid this help you?
- 5Looking into structured training methods like Relaxation Protocol, matwork, or place trainingDid this help you?
- 6breaking the trick into tiny steps like rewarding for shifting weight or leaningDid this help you?
- 7trying to train when the dog is already sprawled out on the couchDid this help you?
- 8guiding them into a lay down and coaxing onto their side by rubbing their tummyDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I’m trying to teach my 3 month old some chill.”source ↗
“I'm trying to teach my 15-wk-old Labrador puppy to lay on her side.”source ↗
“She hates learning this trick. She won't settle on her side for more than a second, if she even gets into the correct position at all”source ↗
“he’s just literally never calm unless he’s asleep basically he just goes goes goes until he drops so I can barely capture calm when he’s like almost never calm haha”source ↗
“Yes absolutely we just have an issue with him demand barking, biting and humping if we aren’t paying attention to him”source ↗
“when I go to lure her on her side she s just kinda stiff and doesn't know how to lay over. Any tips maybe regards to training?”source ↗
“Had a dog that would go full statue the second I tried to lure her sideways.”source ↗
“now he is 9 months and when I start to lure him sideways, he goes halfway then fully flips back the other way. He won't do a full roll over anymore 😅”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3Puppy won't settle down or fall asleep without me
- 13How to teach a high energy dog to settle
- 16How to handle puppy night potty breaks in a two story house
- 7How much should a puppy sleep and stay awake?
- 42How to get a puppy to settle down indoors without barking
- 4How do I teach my puppy when to stop playing?