04100824 wrote:So, it sounds to me that this would be unnecessary if they already will obey a down, stay command?
but do they? If you put your dog in a down and after 5 minutes the dog has a tantrum then they don't "know" down. And personally I don't use "stay". Any command I give is to be followed until I give another command, be it "break" or to do another behavior. In my opinion, if you use "stay" and tell the dog to sit without following with stay then you are communicating to the dog that it can get up and wander away whenever it wants to. That, to me, is not obedience. Also, if you say stay after sit and the dog gets up, is he disobeying sit or disobeying stay?
Yes, the down is a way to reinforce leadership. It is an excellent exercise to contain a wild child when company is over, when you are eating dinner, when there are other dogs around, etc.
You can overpower your dog and do the work through pure dominance but that will ruin your obedience and your relationship with the dog, not enhance it.