Puppy Almost Nails ‘Lay Down’ Command, but His Ears Clearly Need More Convincing

Willow is trying her best with the new lesson, except her ears seem to have their own training plan. The 10-week-old Border Collie is sitting in front of dad, watching his hands and waiting for her food bowl, when he starts working on “lay down.”

In the video shared by @adventures.of.river.and.jax, Willow follows his hand toward the floor, but right before she gets there, her ears fold back, and her head gives a funny little jerk back. She tries again, gets the same response, and leaves Dad laughing. The puppy is clearly learning, but “lay down” may need a little more training and treats.

Video shows puppy learning to lie down while his ears adorably fold back

Willow starts out sitting in the living room while Dad kneels in front of her, holding her food bowl. She is completely focused on that bowl. The text on screen explains the training situation perfectly: “The mind is saying maybe, but the ears are saying no.” Willow watches Dad’s hands closely, seemingly checking whether a treat is coming her way.

When dad glances toward the camera, she takes the opportunity to bounce around a little before settling herself back into a sit. That part is going pretty well. Dad reaches his hand toward Willow’s nose and slowly guides it down toward the floor. Willow follows the movement with her eyes, but halfway down, her ears suddenly fold back, and her head makes a quick little jerk.

Dad gives it another try. Same hand motion, same serious puppy stare, same unexpected ear flip. He can only laugh at the attempts while Willow keeps trying to figure out why sitting nicely is not enough to earn that bowl.

The video has received more than 7,000 likes, and viewers are clearly entertained by the tiny protest happening on either side of Willow’s head. One person called them “the cutest little protest ears.” Eventually, Dad lets Willow have her food, and she takes a few happy steps toward it.

For a puppy learning “lay down,” the lesson is still in progress. The sit command is already looking pretty impressive, though, and those ears are certainly making training much more entertaining.