Teaching your dog tricks is a great way to get closer to your dog. Even if you don't speak your dog's language and vice versa, simple tricks and commands will reinforce the feeling of a shared understanding. In addition to activating your dog mentally and physically, the same training techniques will also be an important part of raising your dog from puppy to adult. In this post, we will cover the basics when teaching your dog tricks, simple commands and tricky things to practice.
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Teaching the dog tricks
When teaching your dog tricks, a concept called positive reinforcement is used. This applies regardless of whether you are teaching the dog simple commands such as "give paw", "sit" or teaching the puppy to walk nicely on a leash. When we use positive reinforcement, we reward the dog when it does something we want, so that it finds it fun to continue with this behavior. Most four-legged friends will appreciate rewards in the form of treats, but the reward can also be praise, cuddles or a quick tug-of-war with a rope toy. Positive reinforcement creates a healthy, fun and motivating learning experience for both of you, rather than coercion and negative reinforcement where Fido only listens to you because he is afraid of the consequences.
Patience and repetition
The basics when you start teaching your dog simple tricks are patience and repetition. Although most dogs are happy to learn new things, there are great individual differences. Some dogs learn quickly, while others need more time to understand the premise of the crunchy treats!
When the dog does not understand immediately
If your dog does not immediately understand what you mean, it is easy to lose motivation. Try to take a break and resume later. Maybe it actually wanted to eat the most? Try to finish with a command it already knows and give a reward so that you finish on top. Respect the dog's needs - this will create more trust in you and make training more pleasurable.
Divide the training into smaller steps - break the tricks down into smaller parts
Even simple dog tricks start small. In this way, it becomes easier for the dog to understand what to do. If you break a dog trick into smaller parts, for example as in the "roll around" command below, it may be a good idea not to teach the command word until the dog has done it correctly. In this way, the dog does not get confused about which part is the actual command.
The importance of proper timing
We can learn a lot from our animals, and one of those things is to live in the moment. Dogs react immediately to events and stimuli around them. If you yell at the dog because it peed inside while you were away, it will not connect the events. Therefore, timing is one of the most crucial factors in dog training. Give an immediate response when the dog performs the desired behavior so that it can more easily understand the connection between action and reward. Even a couple of seconds delay in timing can actually create confusion and uncertainty about what actually triggered the reward. Was it because it was looking at you or because someone came in the door? An example is if you learn the command "sit", but fumble with the treat bag when you give a reward. During these seconds, the dog may begin to lose the connection between the action (sitting down) and the reward (the treat).
Simple commands and tricks to teach the dog
Common tricks to teach the dog are giving paws, sitting, covering and rolling around. These dog tricks will make any audience smile, followed by tail wagging triumphs!
Sit
The command "sit" is a good place to start when you want to teach your dog tricks. Sitting is something all dogs do during the day, so the trick is to get them to connect the word with the action:
- Have some treats ready, find a quiet place and get your dog's attention.
- Stay close to your dog while holding a tempting treat directly above his head. Don't hold it too high above his head, as this will make him more likely to stand up on two legs.
- When Fido sits down, timing is essential, so praise the dog and give the treat as soon as his bottom touches the ground.
- When the dog sits every time you have the treat temptingly over it, you can verbalize the command.
- Remember command and action come before the treat.
Give paws
"Give paw" is a relatively easy trick to teach the dog. There are several ways to train your dog to give paws, but here is one method where you say the command while doing the action:
- Now that you have taught your dog to "sit", you can first make it sit.
- Sit in front of your four-legged friend and lift one paw while saying "give paw."
- Repeat this step and eventually the dog will lift its paw on its own.
- When Fido gives his paw, you must reward immediately.
Tires
- It may be easiest to start training when the dog is in the "sit" position.
- Hold a treat in your hand and move it all the way down to the ground so that the dog follows you down and not forward.
- Reward the dog as soon as the dog's elbows touch the floor.
- When the dog covers itself every time you move the treat towards the floor, you can introduce the command.
Roll around
This exercise requires some patience, as not all dogs are used to lying on their backs. Break the exercise into smaller steps!
- Now that you have taught your dog "down", you can have him lie down with both elbows on the ground.
- Introduce the treat so that it barely touches the muzzle, but don't let go just yet!
- Keep the dog in contact with the treat the entire time as you slowly move your hand up and to the side where the dog should roll.
- Fido will follow the treat with his muzzle with his head up and at best lie on his side. Give the treat!
- Introduce a new treat while the dog is lying on its side and slowly move the arm so that it lies on its back. Release the treat when it's on its back!
- Time to introduce another treat. You should first hold this in front of the muzzle and then place it a few cm away, so that the dog has to roll all the way around to get it.
Now it's just a matter of practicing!
Dog training as part of upbringing
It is a good idea to start training your dog from a puppy. With positive reinforcement, you can not only teach your dog simple tricks, but also raise your dog to be obedient, social, and a well-adjusted dog. Start training your dog from a puppy so that good habits and desired behaviors are established early. Good examples of what it is a good idea to train your puppy to do from a young age include not eating what it is not supposed to, learning to walk nicely on a leash, recall, and learning to be left alone at home.
Are you a devoted dog owner or animal lover? Read our other articles in the A-Vet blog! Here you will find everything from good advice to smart tips for keeping a dog, cat or small rodent!
