Training Your Dog the ‘Dead’ Command
This is the command to the dog when you want him to lie on his right side.
The main object of this exercise is to get the dog in a position that will allow you to examine his underparts, including his feet, to ascertain whether he has any sores, cuts, thorns and so on that require attention, without your having to struggle with him unnecessarily. It also impresses people with the discipline a handler has over his dog, but this is only incidental.
The dog should be placed in the down position to begin this exercise. The handler stands at the head of and facing the dog, and makes sure that the dog’s legs are not likely to impede him as he rolls over on to his right side.
In other words, see that the back leg on that side in particular is tucked under the body. Bending slightly over the dog, the handler takes a grip on the middle of the lead with his left hand and draws the lead as far as he can towards the left, at the same time using his right hand to push the dog’s chest gently so that his whole body rolls over on to his right side. To give the dog confidence, start by feeling his tummy all over, and his legs, as though to soothe him, with the right hand. But keep the lead taut while you are doing this since with a dog experiencing this for the first time you can never be sure that he will like it, and if he doesn’t he will struggle and may bite. The few seconds given to tautening the lead in the left hand may enable you to draw away the right hand in time to avoid a bite. With a difficult dog use a muzzle until you are confident he won’t bite.
Practise this several times during obedience training, making the dog roll over as described until he knows what is expected of him each time you command him to go dead. Gradually give up pushing him over so that he obeys the order when you give him the signal by motioning the right hand from your right to your left side. Eventually cease holding the lead in the left hand and use the signal with the right hand only.
To perfect this exercise, use the long line, stand farther away from the dog until you can command him to go dead from a dozen yards or so and can rely on him to be left in this position for several minutes. The word of command `Dead’ should be slurred whenever you want the dog to adopt this position, no word, of course, being used when the signal only is given.