My 3.5 month old Newfoundland puppy will not comply with the down command and has even bitten me when I give her a correction for this. Any advice you can give me on this would be appreciated.

Hi Ed,

I have a three and a half month old Newfoundland pup and have recently ran into some problems while training her on the down command. Up until this point she has been very easy to train, learning sit in just a few minutes and generally being a very well mannered dog. I'm using a 12' training line and a prong type collar as well. She understands the down command but simply does not want to perform it and even bit me a couple of times while I have administered corrections. I have been trying for a few days now to get her to learn this command and she has only done it on her own a couple of times. I always praise her via petting and verbal praise whether or not she has done the command on her own and I'm always sure to end the training sessions with a good play. I am also always keeping in mind that she respects me as the 'alpha dog' and I am very mindful of any dominant behavior she might have. I always walk through doors first and things of that nature. Any advice you can give me on this would be greatly appreciated.