You’ve just gotten a new dog, everyone is excited, and the kids can’t wait to take it out for a long walk. But, after the first outing, you realized he would need some tricks to be able to communicate effortlessly. Teaching tricks to your dog creates a form of connection between both of you.
Amazingly, dogs of all ages, breeds, — whether they are playful or sedentary senior can learn new tricks. Apart from the everyday commands we’re used to like ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ which are actually important in teaching them basic manners and keeping them out of trouble, man’s best companions are capable of learning all sorts of maneuvers and crowd-pleasing feats. Dog tricks are more than just a way to entertain friends or a crowd; according to experts, both dogs and their owners find the trick-training process actually beneficial.
Have you been considering teaching your dogs some new tricks? Keep reading to learn how you can successfully teach your best friend.
- Capitalize On Their Natural Instincts
It is in the dog’s natural drive to hunt and that makes spinning in circles an easy trick that any dog can learn. Capitalize on such natural instincts when you want to train a puppy and another sense you could focus on is how they rely on their nose to find prey. That could lure him to move in all various ways and directions. These steps can further help you train him or her how to spin in a circle:
- Put a treat in your hand and let your dog sniff it out.
- Move your arm in different directions or preferably in a wide circle around the dog. That gives him a nudge to spin.
- Encourage your pet to follow his nose and move in a circle.
- After your dog has understood this trick, you can graduate to using the word spin or making gestures with your arm in a circular manner hand or arm gesture to evoke the behavior.
- You could use the opportunity to teach a similar command such as moving back or reversing; train your dog to circle back and spin in an opposite direction.
- Have A Treat At Hand
If you had ice cream or your favorite snack when you were a kid for every time you completed a task, would you not have been motivated to get more chores done? Most certainly! While your parents might use discretion so you don’t get sick, you would fancy learning an interesting task. Well, the same method can be used to teach your dog new tricks.
There are several tricks that your dog can learn using treats. For example, you can show him a tasty treat, allow him to have a taste before raising it above its head. This would cause most dogs to lean backward; eventually learning how to get into a sitting position. When they do sit, give them a big smile and then, the treat. Just as you set them in a sitting position using the treat, you can train them to lie down. This time around, move the treat downward rather than above their head.
Teaching Your Dog to Catch, Paw, Roll Over Using Treats
By using treats, you can teach them a whole lot more using almost the same strategy. To train them to paw, get them in a sitting position with the treat in hand. Place it close to their face or under their chin. You’d see them try to paw at your hand to get the treat. Praise them whenever they attempt any new trick and make sure to give them the treats too.
Teach your pet how to catch by dropping treats in their mouth for a start, then proceed to increase the distance at which you drop or throw the treats. Repeat the process over and over.
Place the treats low to the ground to encourage and entice your pet to roll over on their side. For the first time, you might want to sit on the ground using your legs to support them on their back between them. Don’t forget their treats.
- Use Available or Substitute Tools
Apart from using treats to train your dogs, you could use supplies and tools from the mall or things around you to train them too. For example, you want them to learn how to crawl through a tunnel. You don’t need to take them to an actual tunnel to teach that, the space formed under the row of a few chairs can act as the tunnel. This method is a great exercise to condition your dog.
Teaching your dog new tricks isn’t actually a difficult procedure. If you’re familiar with positive reinforcement, you can get them displaying new tricks in no time.
