This January, as part of Train Your Dog Month, The Association of Professional Dog Trainers is encouraging dog owners to teach their four legged friends some everyday manners. Positive reward training is fun for both the dog and owner and is a great way to strengthen the bond between you. This involves rewarding your dog for each correct action and remain patient and calm, whilst not telling the dog off they doesn’t respond correctly.
Here are our recommended 7 easy tricks to teach your dog! And if you find your dog is struggling with training, you may find anxiety & behaviour herbal remedies for dogs could help.
Take a bow
We start this list of easy dog tricks with the most traditional dog trick in the code of British etiquette, the bow. Bowing is a natural behaviour for dogs; it's your dog's way of saying, "Let's play!". Teach them how to do this on command by rewarding them.
When your dog is standing, hold the treat to their nose and slowly move it to the floor, luring them to bow forward. Each time they follow your hand to between their paws, feed the treat. When they start to go down into the correct position say “bow” as you feed the treat. If you find your dog starts to lie down as you move the treat to the floor, hold your arm out under their belly to encourage them to keep standing. This dog trick can be taught with treats or a toy – it works differently for everyone!
Sit
The most well-known trick is ‘sit’ and is of course part of the National Train Your Dog Month free webinar series. This dog trick is going to need treats, a clicker or both. Sit down with your dog, holding a treat (and/or clicker). Put the treat in front of their nose and slowly lift the food above their head. As he or she lifts their head to nibble at the treat, they’ll will start to sit. When your dog’s bottom touches the ground, allow them to eat the treat. Once you’ve repeated this once or twice with food, you can try with an empty hand and give them the treat when they sit. Once your pet begins to understand this hand signal, you can start saying “sit” just before and they will begin to associate the word with the gesture.
Roll Over
This is one of those tricks to teach your dog that require luring. Before you start, make sure the treat is easy to eat quickly, so that the move from lying to rolling over is smooth. To start, ask your dog to lie down and reward them with a treat when they do this. Slowly move you hand onto their nose and over their head. As they follow your hand (and the treat inside) with their nose, they will shift onto their back as to not lose sight of the prize. Once on their back, feed another treat.
To complete the roll, move the next treat slightly out to the side of their body, so that they will have to roll all the way over to reach it. Once they have rolled and are back in the lying position, reward them with the treat. Do this a few more times and then start to introduce the words “roll” or “roll over”.
Shake Paws
Your pup will enjoy the positive attention they get when doing this dog trick. It is one of the easiest tricks to teach dogs as most dogs naturally like using their paws! If you greet your dog with a closed handful of treats, they will be compelled to paw at your hand because they can’t get to the treats with their mouth. As they continue to paw, start saying “paw” or “shake”, and after repeating it several times, your dog is sure to learn a brand-new dog trick.
Down
This one of those dog tricks that will take a bit of patience and repetition. With a treat in hand, watch your dog and wait for them to lie down. When they lay down, give your dog the treat. Repeat this over and over and they will soon learn that they get a treat whenever laying down. You can then start introducing the word “down” and if your pooch lays down, reward them a treat.
Wait
This dog trick isn’t going to require treats, but it's important to let your dog know that responding to “wait” leads to fun and games. Every time you let Fido outside, use the “wait” command. Once they learn to wait, increase how long you wait before releasing him, and it will soon become second nature to both of you. To reinforce the lesson use "wait" regularly throughout your dog's life.
You can also teach your dog how to wait for food:
Spin
To achieve the ‘spin’, this dog trick involves luring. When your dog is in a standing position, hold a treat in your hand in front of their face. Start to slowly move the treat, keeping it low so that your furry friend isn’t tempted to jump up. Move the treat outwards away from you and encourage them to wake around in a circle. When they are facing you again, feed them the treat. When you’ve achieved this successfully a few times in succession, start saying “spin”.
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Please remember, you should always consult a vet if you are concerned about your pet’s health.
