The lie down command is a good one for you to teach your dog or puppy as it can help relax them and also will also allow you to go about your business.
You can train a dog to lie down for as long as you want them to and it will not bother them if they lie down for 2 minutes or 2 hours.
A dog or puppy that will listen to your command and lie down for you is showing great respect.
As always when training a dog or puppy it is best if you use a treat that they love as a bribe. Most dogs and pups love some type of treat and you might firstly need to establish what your dog really likes. Cheese, chicken, ham or dog biscuits may be needed so do your homework.
The first thing to do is to let the dog or puppy know you have a treat. Bring it towards their nose and let them have a good sniff of it.
Next get your dog to sit.
While they are sitting bring the treat towards their nose and lower it to the ground while saying lie down.
Sometimes when a dog lies down he may drop to one side or may even go on his back, this is ok as long as he is actually lying down.
As you lower the treat the dog should begin to dop down too. Make sure that the dog or puppy is lying fully on the floor with their nose touching the ground.
Tell them "good lie down" and give them the treat.
Keep repeating the exercise but do not over do it. After a while get the dog or puppy to do the exercise but only give the treat the odd time. This ensures that they will do as you want because they will not know which time you will give the treat.
In time you can begin to practise this exercise in other rooms in the house and you can also do it without using treats. You can even use this command when outside or while walking the dog.
As always never train your dog while you are angry or sad and do not lose patience with your dog or puppy. It is most likely that they will make mistakes at the begining.
Always keep training exercises short and do them a few times troughout the day. When the training is finished play a game with your dog or puppy so that they see training as a game or fun thing to do.