Dog Tricks

Most dogs love to learn: the desire to please and/or perform a job is inherent, and particularly strong in the working and hunting breeds. Unfortunately most dogs aren’t given enough to do beyond patrolling the boundaries of the back yard or fetching an occasional tennis ball.

Tricks are an excellent way for you and your dog to enjoy each other’s company. Tricks will help your dog to feel worthwhile and important and, best of all, will inspire pleasure in learning. Every time you teach your dog something new, it makes it a little easier to teach the next thing. And the great thing about tricks is there’s no pressure and no fear of failure! Have fun without worrying if your dog is well trained.

Trick training is where using the clicker shines. The clicker gives you the ability to isolate discrete  behaviours and mark and reward them. You will be able to tell how good your timing is by how quickly your dog learns the lesson. If your dog just isn’t getting it, it may be because you’re clicking after the dog has completed a behaviour, not while the behaviour is occurring. If you say “sit”, click while the dog is sitting, not after he has sat.

Break the trick down into its component parts and teach each part separately. Don’t try to cram, or rush too much in training. Work with lots of encouragement and enthusiasm — the sillier your dog is, the more enjoyable the tricks will be to watch and perform.

For your dog’s first tricks, teach something he already seems to know. Some behaviours occur naturally and predictably and are therefore easy to teach. Perhaps your dog springs up and down on his back legs when he greets you, or paws or barks — these are all naturally occurring events that your dog already knows how to do — wait until he offers them, then click and treat. If your dog likes to paw you for attention, teach SHAKE. If he comes up and throws himself on his back for a belly rub, teach ROLL OVER or PLAY DEAD. SIT UP or BEG is usually pretty easy to teach by luring the dog into position and then rewarding, although some dogs have a harder time balancing than others. SPEAK is usually very easy to capture. Once he’s mastered that, try WHISPER. Have him SPEAK several times, then whisper WHISPER to him.  Encourage him quietly so he doesn’t get too discouraged and leave … ignore him when he barks and reward when he snorts in frustration. It may take a while before he stumbles on the right response, but once he realizes that a snuffle or snort results in a cookie, it gets easier and easier.

Some Ideas for Tricks

Bang! or Play Dead — point your finger and “shoot the dog”.
Roll Over
Spin & Twist — like roll over, but on all four feet. Circle quickly to the left or right. You can use a different word for each direction.
Sit Up or Beg — the classic.
Take a Bow —  front end down while the rear is still in the air.
Shake, Gimme Five, Wave ByeBye
Cookie on the Nose — for building self-control.
Heel Funny — weave in a figure 8 between your legs.
Say Your Prayers — front paws up on the chair with nose down between them.
Crawl