February 25, 2025
Nothing is sweeter than a dog that knows how to do tricks. It is fun to have that bond, but the basics provide a built in safety catch. If your dog can sit and stay, it can be an invaluable tool if they get loose.
The basics of training
There are three main elements to teaching your dog tricks:
- Patience
- Repetition
- Reward
Patience is needed when training a dog to do a trick. If you get frustrated, your dog will pick up on that. It takes time for them to learn what you are asking them to do.
Repeating the trick with them with the same hand signals and commands helps set in their mind what you want them to do. Don’t overdo how long you work with them each day on a trick. You don’t want them to lose interest.
Dogs are very food oriented. Rewarding them with a treat, along with praise when they do it right is key.
Sit
Teaching them to sit is an important first thing to teach. It gets their attention on you, then they wait to see what you need them to do.
Teaching Graham (a rescue) to sit and stay was invaluable. When he slipped his collar when we first got him, it saved him from harm.
Shake hands
Shaking hands is just a given trick to teach! It is cute. After some practice, they will have that paw up to shake before you even finish saying the command.
Lay down
“Down” is another trick that has value as well as, a cute factor. It is a bit harder to teach. Start from a sit and gently put their front paws out in front of them with the command. They pick up on it fairly quickly. However, the “stay” command is important to keep them from popping right back up.
Oliver does well with the down command. Graham, is still learning. Once Oliver had the down command mastered, I went on to teach him rolling over. Rolling him over with my hands and saying the command to “roll over” helped him learn this trick.
Spin
One of our favorite tricks is “Spin.” The boys both know how to do it and will do it in unison! They are very treat motivated!
Also
Our dogs know the command “Move over” in the car, so when one of us get back in the car, they will get up from that seat to make room for us to sit back in our seat. Oliver knows how to jump through a hoola hoop. You can coax them through the hoop with a treat while saying “jump”, which will lead to them jumping through!
Doing tricks stimulates their mind and is very rewarding!
Want to learn more?
https://www.dogster.com/dog-training/how-to-teach-dog-tricks
Enjoy some fun time with your dog!
Kelly