Shake your paw, get on two legs or catch a snack in the air… With these ten tricks for dogs, you and your dog will be popular Houston dog training. The best thing is that dog tricks not only entertain those around you, but they challenge your furry friend physically and mentally. In addition, training strengthens the bond between the two.
When a dog obeys a command and turns in a circle or says goodbye by waving its paw, it is guaranteed the admiration and applause of those who see it. But what is much more important is how your furry friend feels when doing it. Fortunately, most quadrupeds are curious in nature. They like to be busy and they love to let off steam. And if they also get a reward, whether it’s a treat or a pat of recognition from their human, then everything is fine.
Have fun learning dog tricks
Trying tricks for dogs brings many advantages to the relationship between the dog and its human. This makes many people with dogs set ambitious goals. But before you start training you must be clear that not all tricks are made for all types anddog breeds. Although most quadrupeds have a certain will to learn (especially if they also receive a reward), their size, physical constitution and weight prevent learning some tricks. Furthermore, furry dogs, like people, have preferences and dislikes. If your faithful canine friend does not like to lie on his back, it is better that you do not practice rolling or wallowing, and if he does not like jumping, then do not try the trick of catching a snack in the air.
A fundamental requirement for practicing tricks with dogs is that it be fun for both your dog and you. Plus, success will come much faster if you have fun. If you insist on an exercise while your furry friend would prefer to be lying on his bed, no one will have fun.
The important thing is the process
Teaching these dog tricks should be a positive experience for your furry friend. Forcing it is out of the question. Move forward slowly and always practice the tricks step by step. You must be patient with your furry friend and respect his learning rate. This doesn’t mean you should give up if your dog doesn’t cooperate or the trick doesn’t work the first time. Sometimes it takes a little time for the dog to understand what you want from him. It is important that you observe your furry friend well and learn to evaluate his behavior. If you see that you lose motivation it is better to finish the training and continue at another time. Over time you will know if he is focused on the exercise or if he prefers to do something else.
Training tricks makes your dog gain trust in you, because you react to his needs. Therefore, the success of tricks is not only measured by the perfect execution of the exercise, but also by what is achieved during joint training. Constant and gradual practice, as well as celebrating small successes, promote self-confidence and strengthen the bond between you and your dog.
The importance of motivation in dog tricks
Mutual trust, reliability and clear orders are the basis of success for training a dog, the same thing happens when learning little tricks for dogs. But to excite your dog with new rules of the game and tricks, something more is necessary. Although some dog breeds have an innate desire to please, they are also a bit selfish, as they know that the desired behavior will bring them advantages, while undesired behaviors are ignored or even punished. It is possible to observe how dogs of breeds that are considered stubborn think about whether following their caregiver’s command will bring them some reward or not.
Successes and rewards
This need for recognition comes in handy when teaching tricks for dogs. Dogs choose what gives them the most success. It is a great motivation when they know that at the end of the exercise a treat awaits them. positive reinforcement, whether in the form of a snack, a caress or a long-awaited dog toy, will help you both achieve the desired results more quickly than when you force or even punish him for not performing an exercise as you expected. For dogs to learn what behavior is correct and for which they receive recognition, it is important that you give the reward immediately. Dogs live in the present and relate the reaction of their reference person to the current situation.
It is also important to end each training session with a successful experience. If you find that an exercise overwhelms your quadruped, it’s best to go back. Give him an order that you know he can safely follow and reward him for it. Then you can end the training and make sure that next time he does his best.
Before starting training dog tricks
The basis for successful training of the following ten dog tricks is for your dog to obey the commands.basic commands such as “sit”, “plas” and “quieto”. Don’t start tricks before your dog can safely execute these commands. Make sure the timing of starting training is right. If the quadruped is tired or hungry, it is very likely that he will show little interest in performing the feats. It is also important that you let him rest after eating, so that he can digest his food well. I’m sure he will be excited to start the practice when he is satiated and rested.
The 10 best tricks for dogs
give the paw
A classic among dog tricks that serves as a basis for other exercises is the paw shake. Although this trick seems easy to learn, it requires a little patience (and a few snacks) until your dog responds to the command with both legs.
This is how it’s done: Order your dog to sit and kneel next to him. With the palm of your hand, lift one of the paws and say loudly and clearly the command “give me the paw.” Repeat this process until your dog gives you his paw on his own as soon as you say the command. Then you reward him with a treat. Another option is to hide a snack in your hand and put it nearby. Your furry friend will try to access the treat and it is very likely that he will use his paws to do so. If he puts his paw on the hand you have the treat in, you give him the reward while clearly saying “give me the paw.” After a while, your dog will have internalized this exercise and will give you his right and left paw as soon as you put the palm of your hand on him.
High five or say hello
High fives are a very casual gesture and are no longer used only as an expression of success in sports. It’s no surprise that this dog trick is becoming more and more popular with dogs. If your dog already masters shaking his paw, he will learn this exercise quite quickly.
This is how it’s done: Put your hand vertically (not horizontally like when you give your paw) and say the command “give me your paw.” Give a treat as soon as your dog raises his paw and touches your hand vertically with his paw. He will probably be a little confused at first because you give him the reward without your furry having put his paw on your hand, but over time he will get used to this new exercise. As soon as it has become a little routine you can add the command “high five” or “high five.”
Later you can try it from a distance. Move further and further away from your dog during exercise, so that when he raises his paw, he can reach your hand. Reward him as soon as he raises his paw, as he will learn that that is enough. So, when you are far away and you raise your hand vertically, he will raise his paw and greet you.
get on two legs
One of the most popular dog tricks is the two-legged trick in which the dog sits and raises its front legs, putting the weight on its back. Depending on the dog’s dexterity, it may take a while for the dog to maintain balance in this position. The important thing is that your furry friend stays sitting on his butt.
This is how it’s done: Like the previous two exercises, getting on two legs begins with “sit.” Move your dog close to a wall and order him to sit. Ideally, he should sit with his back towards the wall to help him maintain his balance and prevent him from getting up too quickly, since to do so he will have to lean back a little. Show him the snack and hold it over his head with your hand. Do not lift it too much, as your dog will try to get up. As soon as your dog stands up a little and raises his front paws to reach the treat, you should say the command “stand.” As a reward you offer him the candy. On the other hand, if he gets up, order him to sit (“sit”) and put the snack away until he can lift only his front legs.
The step
This exercise comes from dog dancing. Stand in front of your dog and lift your leg, alternating left and right. The dog, sitting, raises its front legs in synchronization with its handler. It seems that both are marching in place at the same time.
This is how it’s done: A requirement for this trick is that the dog masters the exercise of giving the paw. Make your furry friend sit and when you say “give me your paw,” instead of raising your hand, raise your right leg. Many dogs that have already internalized the command will raise their paw instinctively and in sync with your leg. If at first this confuses your dog and he does not follow the command, it is important that you support him and stretch your hand on your leg. Praise him as soon as he lifts his paw at the same time you lift your leg and give him a treat. Now repeat the exercise with the other leg. Repeat this several times and reward him each time he takes more steps, that is, give him a snack when he has raised his paw two, four, six or eight times in a row in sync with your legs.
touch an object
The goal of this dog trick is for the dog to touch an object with its paw and throw it. Once he masters this, he can even be taught to close a door with his paw.
Here’s how: Put an interesting object (like a plastic bottle or stuffed animal) on the floor and have your dog focus his attention on it. Now wait and see what happens. If your dog approaches and touches the object with his paw, you should praise him and give him a treat. Repeat this process by showing him an object and praise him as soon as he touches it with his paw. The next day you can enter the command “touch”. Whenever your dog touches the object, say the word “touch.” After a couple of days it will have internalized that signal and you can apply it to other objects.
To teach him to close doors you have to point to the door of the room and say “knock.” If the dog knocks on the door, compensate him. To get it to close the door completely you must extend the command to “touch and close.”
roll or wallow
Starting from the command “lie down”, in this trick the dog should turn on its back until returning to the initial position, lying on its belly. Since there are dogs that do not like to lie on their back, this exercise requires quite a bit of skill and some patience. Of course, rewards with treats help, especially those that your dog really likes, but does not receive frequently.
Here’s how:have your dog lie down in front of you with his butt and elbows touching the ground. He puts the special treat in front of his mouth, almost touching it, but without your furry friend eating it. Slowly move your hand in the direction you want him to turn, raise your hand a little behind his head, so your dog will try to keep his muzzle close to the snack and will turn automatically. If your faithful canine friend hesitates about turning on his back, you can help him a little with your other hand and turn him to the correct side.
Crawl or crawl
It’s fun to see how your dog crawls on the ground rubbing his belly and moving slowly. You may need a few training sessions until your dog masters this trick, since crawling is not a natural movement for dogs.
This is how it’s done:make your furry friend lie down and kneel next to him. Place your hand gently on his back and with the other hand you put the snack in front of his snout. Now slowly move your hand away with the treat. If your dog wants to get up to chase the reward, gently press him to the ground while saying the command “drag” or another similar word.
When he manages to move forward, even a very short distance, you should praise him and give him the snack. Repeat this exercise until your dog crawls once you tell him to. If he masters this movement after a few days you can remove your hand from his back and sit a little distance from the dog. Hold the treat low to the ground and say the command. As soon as he starts crawling you have to praise him. If he tries to get up, order him to lie down again. You can give him the reward once he has crawled to you.
Spin
The goal of this exercise is for the dog to turn on itself (left or right) while standing. This exercise is also quite unusual for some dogs, but most will follow the instructions if they receive a reward at the end.
This is how it is done: Place yourself in front of your quadruped and, as in the rolling exercise, place the reward near its snout. Guide your hand in a circle behind his head so that, to follow your hand, the dog has to turn as well. Say a command like “turn around” or “turn.” Once the dog has turned around, you give him his reward. Repeat the exercise as many times as necessary until your dog turns even from a distance. To do this, move further and further away from the dog until it turns around with just a circular signal from your hand and the command.
leg slalom
Similar to step and twist exercises, the between-the-legs slalom is a popular move in dog dancing. But even dogs with less desire to dance have fun with this trick. Of course, your dog should not reach above your knees, otherwise you will not have stability when it crosses your legs.
Here’s how: Stand next to your dog, with your legs extended enough for him to pass. If your dog is to your right, you should have your left leg forward. In this position, place your left hand with the treat between your legs (as close to the floor as possible) and guide it back to the left side. Your furry friend will follow this movement and pass through your legs to the left side. Now take a step with your right leg and repeat the exercise from the other side. You can use a command like
“pass” or “slalom.”
At first you should give him the reward as soon as possible, over time you can go further and further in slalom until you give him the treat. Once he has understood the exercise, he will do it even without you rewarding him for it.
Balance and catch a snack in the air
This trick promises action and shocked looks from the audience. However, it is not so easy to execute and requires a little skill on the part of the dog and a lot of patience on the part of the human and a little skill to execute this exercise perfectly.
This is how it’s done: The first step is to practice that the dog. To do this you must throw your dog a treat horizontally in his direction and say the command “catch” or “get ». As a reflex he will try to catch it. If he succeeds, he has already received the reward. If the treat falls to the ground you should pick it up immediately before your dog catches it. Over time you can move further and further away and throw the treat further to the right or left, so that your dog has to jump to catch it.
To complicate this dog trick a bit, you can practice rocking the treat. To do this, gently hold your dog’s jaw closed with one hand and place a snack over his nose with the other. Say a command like “hold” or “straight” and release your dog’s nose without dropping the treat. If he manages to keep his head still for a while, swinging the snack, reward him with the treat. As soon as your dog masters both catching and maintaining balance, you can combine both exercises. To do this, place the snack on his nose and order him to maintain his balance. Next, say the command “catch”, which will make your dog try to reach the snack over his nose by jumping.
BEWARE! This trick requires a lot of practice until you get it right. You must be patient and encourage your dog to try again. If he doesn’t come out, he goes back and practices catching and swinging the treat separately.