I love teaching tricks to dogs for so many reasons. It’s a fun way to interact with them, it gives them mental exercise, it can help teach a dog a skill that may be practical, and it’s low pressure training because it’s “just for fun.”
One of the secrets to teaching a dog a trick is working with what they naturally do. If the dog has a tendency to perform a particular behavior, then it will be easier to turn that into a cute trick that is performed on cue than trying to get a dog to do something that is foreign.
For example, a dog who tends to use his paws a lot naturally is a great candidate for high-five, wave, or shake.
Dogs who tend to creep when lying down or even when they are supposed to be in a stay are easy to teach to crawl.
Dogs who sleep on their backs usually don’t mind that position even when they are awake, so they are often quick to learn to rollover or to go belly up.
Spinning on cue is easiest to teach to dogs who naturally go in circles when they are excited. (However, I don’t like to teach this to dogs who spin and spin when they get revved up because I’m worried it will develop into a habit that they will have trouble stopping.)
Part of training is teaching a dog to perform a certain behavior and another part is teaching them to do it on cue. If your dog already exhibits the behavior, then all you have to do is put that behavior on cue. And that’s another reason I like teaching dogs to do tricks—it’s often half done before I even start!
--Karen London
Thanks for sharing. Now i know that my dog must be in the mood when teaching a trick.
Posted by: dog food | April 17, 2012 at 11:37 PM
I love teaching my dogs tricks mainly so I can show my friends that they can be good, sometimes! Both of my new pups have learned sign language for 2 commands; sit and down. Since I would typically make them sit for a treat, I began to pair that with a raised finger and voila! silent command learned. Then I paired down with the movement of the raised finger pointing down and now people think my pups are geniuses!
Posted by: My pet's care | April 04, 2012 at 02:52 AM
Simply say "Kiss me" anytime your dog licks you. As an incentive you can put peanut butter on your face for him to lick off and say "Kiss me" while he is licking it off. After a while your dog will "kiss" you anytime you give the "Kiss me" command.
Posted by: dog food | March 04, 2012 at 08:16 PM
Hmmm...fascinating insights. I will watching Sheeba more closely now to see what tricks her natural habits lend themselves towards. Thanks for the idea!
Posted by: Siobhan Mulligan | August 27, 2011 at 04:01 AM
Keep adding new activities to your dog's training. This will keep their mind stimulated. Provide adequate play time as well. Dogs need to play and also need to be walked. This keeps them from getting bored. When a dog is bored, they get into more trouble. If they don't have things to do and toys to play with, they may decide your couch cushion is the perfect chew toy.
Posted by: Dog Training Collars | August 04, 2011 at 04:12 AM
Dog behavior training works best when you stay calm. If you get upset and excited, the dog will also. Stay calm and avoid yelling and never hit your dog. Using treats as a training aid is much more beneficial. You want your dog to respect you as the leader. You do not want your dog to fear you. Keep training sessions short. Fifteen minutes is long enough. Keep it at the same time each day and eventually your dog will learn to understand what you want.
Posted by: shock collar | August 04, 2011 at 03:47 AM
With any trick, split it into small segments and educate each at a time. If it is a sophisticated sequence, start with the final element and train this first. Then add the earlier aspect to the start and build up from there. This course of is called reverse chaining. It helps the canine to learn as he at all times ends with the familiar part. Shaping is also important. As an alternative of ready for the whole end result before rewarding your dog, you reward him for getting nearer and nearer to your goal. Every time, it's essential to ask him for somewhat more. The same processes still apply for instructing each element.
Posted by: dog clicker training | July 28, 2011 at 02:15 AM
Great food for thought. Thanks!
Posted by: Cheryl | May 27, 2011 at 12:04 PM
I love teaching tricks to dogs because of what it teaches the humans. It serves as a good reminder that it should ALL be fun and games. My students love the training as much as their dogs do.
Posted by: elizabeth deitz | May 02, 2011 at 12:51 PM
Very sensible article. I don't think we teach dogs much we just ask them to do what comes natural to them.
Posted by: Tom F. | April 21, 2011 at 11:31 AM