Yes, you can do it. The beginning obedience training class that Hysson (see my avatar) and I took included teaching the command "wait" (which, unlike "stay," is a temporary command). We especially used it for going through doors (so the dog won't dash out the door when it's opened), but it's also useful in these circumstances. We also learned using "down" while walking, which was the start of teaching the dog to obey "down" remotely. More advanced classes teach "down on recall" which is a difficult command to teach but can save your dog's life.

I don't let my dog run ahead except in open spaces where I can see what's ahead. If I can't see ahead, I don't know what's around the corner--might be someone who's afraid of dogs, might be a horse party with skittish horses (most horses are skittish!), might be a porcupine, might be a bear or elk or moose, might be a road. Besides, when Hysson is in front of me he loves to stop dead without warning a few inches in front of me when encountering an interesting smell. It's both annoying and a danger to both of us--I've narrowly avoided falling on him a couple of times! Hysson has been trained to "walk behind" me, even when off leash, to avoid such problems.

If your dog won't either respond to "down" or come to you when called, regardless of distractions, he really shouldn't be off-leash. Hysson unfortunately regards "come" as an optional command, but "heel" brings him to my side every time! Needless to say, he is rewarded every time, too! We also practice the "down on recall" routine at every feeding! Isn't it amazing how obedient dogs are at feeding time?