BowDog lowers front end with rear staying up
The play bow: elbows down, rear up. Dogs do this naturally as a play invitation, but doing it on cue requires isolating the front-end dip from the full down. Timing the mark before the rear drops is the key.
Also known as: Take a Bow, Curtsy
At a glance
- Tier
- 3 · Advanced
- Time to fluency
- 2–6 weeks
- Practice
- 3× per week, 5 min each
- Equipment
- Small soft treats, Optional: a raised hand or arm for belly support
Prerequisites
Your dog should know these words first:
How to teach bow
Lure
From a stand, draw a treat straight down between the front legs
- Move the treat down and slightly back between the front legs
- Mark the instant the elbows touch before the rear drops. Timing is critical
- If the rear keeps dropping, slide your hand or arm under the belly to support it
- Some dogs bow naturally when stretching. Capture those moments too
Hand Signal
Downward sweep stopping at knee height
- Same motion as the lure but with an empty hand
- The stop point matters. If your hand goes to the floor, the dog goes to a down
- Remove the belly support gradually as the dog learns to hold the position
Verbal Cue
Add the word once the bow position is distinct from down
- Make the cue clearly different from your down cue
- Say the word, sweep, mark the bow
- A bow is a great session-ender or greeting trick. Use it to bookend training
Success criteria
- Unlearned
- Goes to a full down instead of holding the bow position
- In progress
- Bows on the word alone, holds 3 seconds
- Mastered
- Bows cleanly from a stand on verbal cue, holds until released
Common mistakes
- Marking too late, so the rear drops and you reward a down
- Luring too far forward, which pulls the dog into a walk instead of a dip
- Not supporting the belly when the dog cannot hold the rear up yet
- Confusing the cue with 'down'. Keep the words and gestures clearly different