I was certainly relieved when I was put in an awful situation where, had I not taught Lunik to "down" on command, she could have ended up seriously hurt or even dead. I had her off leash in an area that is fairly quiet, although there is a small track that runs through it. She was off running around, and I saw her heading straight towards the track, with a car coming. I called her name and followed with a short, sharp "DOWN," at which point she immediately dropped to the floor. I held her there with "stay" until i could reach her and put her leash back on. Had she not learnt this command, I may not have been able to get her to stop.
You may find it easier to sit on the floor with the dog for this exercise, so you do not hurt your back by constantly bending.
It is easier to begin teaching this from a sit, but once the dog has learned what you want it to do, you should vary the routine, so the dog does not always sit before it "downs."
Have the dog sit in front of you. Hold a treat in front of its nose, and slowly lower it towards the floor between the dogs paws. The dog should take its head down. As it does this, slowly pull the treat along the floor, away from the dog's body. If you do this too quickly, the dog may stand up, so make sure you do it slow enough so that the dog can keep its nose in contact with your hand.
As soon as the dogs chest is on the floor, click and reward. Repeat this exercise until the dog is lying down reliably. ONLY then can you add the verbal command. Repeat the exercise, and when the dog lies down, say "down," (or whatever you choose as the command) in a nice tone. Click and treat. You should repeat this until the dog has learnt the verbal command. If you think your dog has learnt the command, try it. If it does not respond, DO NOT keep repeating it. Go back to teaching the command (by using it before the click) until it will.
Once the dog is doing this reliably, you can remove the lure, and replace it with a similar gesture, such as pointing at the floor. After practising this, you will be able to stand in front of the dog and point / speak the command. With Lunik, all I have to do is flick my finger downwards and she will immediately lie down. However, she is a very fast learner, so it may take a while to get your dog to this stage. Remember, all dogs are different, and some will take longer to learn than others.
If you are having trouble using the above method, try this.
Instead of having the dog in front of you, sit on the floor with your knee bent so it forms a "bridge." With the dog on one side, use your opposite hand to lure the dog under the "bridge" of your leg. It may take a few attempts for them to understand what you want, but be patient.
Again, as soon as their chest touches the floor, click and reward. Keep repeating until the dog picks it up. Then follow the above exercise.
It may take a little longer, but this is definately a very useful thing to teach your dog, even if it just to get them to lie down in the house, so you can have five minutes peace!
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