Take a bow

The classic end-of-show bow — front end down, rear end up, striking to watch and a lovely stretch for the back.

🐾🐾🐾 · ~10 days · 5 min/session

Learn first: Stand

Step-by-step

1. Start from a steady stand

   Take your dog onto carpet or grass, ask for “Stand” and place yourself to the side, not in front. Wait until they stop shifting about and settle onto all four paws. The bow only starts from a still stand — from a sit there is no front end left to lower.

   💡 Many dogs bow on their own when they wake up or invite play. Catch exactly that moment and say “Bow” — half the trick teaches itself.

2. Lure straight down the chest

   Take a treat between your fingers and lower it slowly along your dog’s chest all the way to the floor, right between the front paws. The nose follows your hand, the elbows drop and the front end sinks. Go straight down — a forward movement just sends the dog walking after your hand. Reward the very first elbow dip, even if the rear didn’t stay up.

3. Keep the rear end up

   Slide your free arm or knee just under your dog’s belly — as a light rest, not as pressure. The belly meets your arm and the rear stays up while the front end lowers. Never push the dog down; the support only hints where the body should stop.

   💡 The bow loads the shoulders and elbows. If your dog whines, refuses or has a known joint problem, stop and ask your vet.

4. Mark before the rear drops

   Say “Yes!” the instant the elbows touch the floor, not a second later. Wait any longer and the dog has flopped into a down, so you are rewarding “Down” instead of a bow. Better to mark a half-lowered front early than a full down late.

5. Add the cue “Bow”

   Once your dog lowers reliably with your hand motion, say “Bow” right before you start moving down. After a week, pause briefly after the word — most dogs bow on the cue alone. Deliver the reward in position, low to the floor, not after they have stood back up.

   💡 A reward offered high lifts the dog up. Feed between the front paws to hold the shape.

6. Add duration and stand up

   Count one second in the bow before rewarding, then two, then three — one extra second per session. Gradually remove the belly support and straighten up to full height until the gesture is just a finger pointing down. Three or four bows per session are plenty.

Common mistakes

• Rewarding after the dog has already flopped down — that teaches “Down” with an extra step in the middle, not a bow.
• A lure moved forward instead of down — the dog just walks after your hand and the front end never drops.
• Pressing on the shoulders or back to “help” — it startles the dog and strains the joints.
• Training on slippery laminate — the front paws slide apart and the dog rightly refuses to lower their chest.

Problems & solutions

My dog drops all the way into a down instead of bowing.

You’re marking too late. Put your arm or knee under the belly and say “Yes” at the very first centimetre of elbow dip. Reward a dozen reps for the dip alone before you ask for the full shape.

My dog follows my hand but won’t lower the front end.

Your hand is most likely too far from the chest. Run the treat tight along the front legs all the way to the floor and hold it there for a second or two. If it still doesn’t work, start from a down and lure only the rear up.

They bow at home but do nothing in front of guests.

The trick isn’t generalised yet. Run a few reps in different rooms, then in the yard, then with one calm person nearby. Put the treat back in your hand for the first reps in each new place.

Reward ideas

Small soft treats delivered low, between the front paws while the dog is still in position. For an especially good bow at the end of a session — a jackpot of three pieces one after another.