Teach Your Dog Tricks!

SITSit:----ok, have your Dog standing on all 4's. then tell her/him to 'sit'. As soon as you say 'sit' gently push her behind down with your hand. After 6 or so times (or until you fell your Dog is ready), say Your Dog's name, then say Sit. If she doesn't do it, gently push her behind down, and give her 1 treat. If she does sit on command, reward her and give her 2 treats. Remember, give 1 treat when you show the Dog how to do the command, and, give 2 treats when your Dog does the command, followed by Good Dog!

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• GIVE PAW Ready to move on? Then, here's another trick. "Give PAw". Once your Dog knows the 'sit' command, teach her this one. Tell her to sit, then reward, then say "Give Paw" (or word of choice) and, pick her paw up and place it gently in your hand. Repete many times. Then, every once and a while, ask her to do it on her own. Say "Give Paw", and if she does it, give her 2 treats followed by Good Girl(or Boy). If she doesn't do the trick on command, then place her paw gently in your hand. Give 1 treat, followed by Good Dog! Never repete yourself more than once, or your dog will think, "Hey, why should I do the trick the first time?" Once you say the command, "Give Paw" imminently place her paw in your hand. Good luck!

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• LIE DOWNHave your dog sitting, or standing. Show her you have the treat in your hand, and place it on the floor, and tap the floor. Say "Lie Down" (or word of choice) and, then either gently put her down, or guide her down with the treat. Repete many times. Remember to always give the treat as soon as she does the trick.

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• ROLL OVER This is pretty hard. Your Dog has to know the "lie down' command to do this trick. Say "Roll Over" (or word of choice) and guide the dog with the treat to his other side. If, he isn;t so treat crazy, and doesn't follow it, gently roll him over with your hand. Repete many times. Don't just do one side, you have to do the other side to. If, your dog starts out laying on his right side, and rolls to his left, then, the next time, start him out on his left, and then roll him to his right. Be really gentle with your dog. Always reward imminently after trick is done!

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• PLAY DEAD Play dead is pretty easy. There are two ways to teach your Dog to play dead. 1, lay on her side. the other, lay on her back. I'm going to teach the laying on side one. Your Dog has to know the command, lie down.Have the treat in your hand, Show your dog the treat, (while she's laying down) and put the treat to her side. (above the head, and kind of behind the ears) If your dog does not follow the treat, gently place her on her side. Tell her to 'stay' (keep the treat at eye sight) Then when you want her to "come back alive" say "ok" and let her get up to know the trick is done. Note: You have to say some command to let her know when it's time to "come alive" again. At first, just make your Dog play dead for only about 8 seconds. Everytime you do the trick (once she knows how) increase the time by a second or two each time. PLAY DEAD- THIS IS PRETTY EASY....SAY, LIE DOWN TO YOU DOG AND GENTLEY PUSH HER ON HER SIDE AND SAY, "PLAY DEAD"(or what ever word you want to use) Read what Dolly's owner says to play dead on back: GET YOU DOG GETTING USED TO LEARN TO "GO ON HER SIDE" BY SAYING "SIDE". PUT THE DOG ON HER BACK AND PET HER. THIS WILL HELP HER GET USED TO BEING UPSIDE DOWN. TELL YOU DOG TO LIE DOWN PUSH HER TOWARD HER SIDE WITH A TREAT. THEN REWARD HER AGAIN. WHEN YOU'RE DOG IS USED TO GOING ON HER SIDE ON COMMAND, ROLL HER OVER ONTO HER BACK AND KEEP HER THERE PRAISE HER A LOT BUT KEEP HER STILL ON HERE BACK AT LEAST 3 MINUTES AND GIVE HER HER TREAT WHILE STILL ON HER BACK. AND THAT WILL TRAIN HER TO GO ON HER BACK IS GOOD. AWAYS WHEN YOU REWARD HER GIVE HER THE TREAT WHILE SHE IS STILL ON HER BACK. THEN WHEN YOU HAVE WORKED WITH HER A COUPLE OF HOURS OR DAYS AND SHE LIKES TO DO THAT YOU SAY FOR HER TO DO THE TRICKS "LIE DOWN,SIDE, PLAY DEAD!" -MANY THANKS TO DOLLY'S OWNER!

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• CRAWLCrawl is very easy! Your Dog has to know how to lie down on command. Once she's on her stomach, place the treats in front of her in a line. Put about 5 little bits of treats at first in a line infront of your dog, and show her they are there. Say "crawl" (or word of choice) and let her follow that line of treats while still laying down, but crawling. If she gets up, place her in the same spot where she started, and place the treats there again. Repete. Once your dog get's the 'crawl' command, then, place the treats farther apart, and longer in line. Once your Dog crawls to the end of the treat line, give her 2 treats and say "Good Girl!" (or boy) and praise.

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• Yum,Treats!

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• BEG UP This is hard. Place your dog next to a wall, sitting down. Say "Beg Up" (or word of choice) and gently put one hand on her chest, and one on another spot of her body to help her 'Beg up'. Or, if you want, while she's sitting against the wall, hold a treat above her head, so she can beg up, and be having some bites of treats while begging up. Let her nibble on the treats while begging up. A good way to help her balence, is to hold her up against the wall for a while. Not too long. Just about 20 seconds each time. Don't make your Dog beg up too long. Note: that, some Dogs don't have the 'back' for this trick. It might hurt them. So, if your dog is wimpering, or feels unconfutable, don't let her do this trick. not a good picture of me begging.

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• SPEAKSpeak is pretty hard! Tie your Dog on a chair, or to something on a leash about 2 feet long. Step about 3 feet back from the longest legnth the dog can go. Say some stuff that makes your Dog bark. My owner uses stuff like "Ready, Ready!" Which is what she uses sometimes before she throws the ball. Throw a ball up, squeak some toys, and do everything you can do to make your dog bark! As soon as she barks, Give her a treat. After a while, when she barks at the stuff you're doing, like say, squeaking a toy, squeak the toy, and say "Speak" (or word of choice) at the same time. When she barks, give the treat again. Then, try after a while, just saying 'Speak'. If she speaks, give her 2 treats and praise. If she doesn't keep repeteing the squekaing and saying speak until she speaks on command. After she learns to speak on command on the leash, take the leash off and say "stay" and then say "speak". If she does it, give her 2 treats with lots of praise! If she doesn't put her back on the leash, and repete saying speak until she can do it without the leash on.

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• BOW! There are two ways to teach this trick. no. 1, Everytime your dog stetches (in the bow) Reward her and say "bow". no. 2, Have your arm, or something under your Dog's stomach high enough to get into the bow, and low enought to get nito the bow.. Say "Bow" (or word of choice) and gently put her in the Bow position. Repete many times. Then, once she bows on commmand without you putting her in the position, then take the board (or hand) away and let her bow without it. If she doesn't, then repete the step before this. If she wimpers while doing this, then her back is not flexible enough to do this trick. So, do not make her do it. Not all Dogs' have a flexible enough back to do this. My friend, a Sheltie, Montana, does not have the right kind of back to do this trick. Don't ever force your Dog into the bow position. If she does not go into the position easily, then, she's not flexible enough. When your Dog bows on command, give her 2 treats. If you have to gently put her in the position, then give her one treat.

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• FOOTBALL! Football is really easy! ( Only if your dog knows how to catch a ball)Get a squeaky, or other kind of soft Football to start out with. Throw it to him like you would a tennis ball. If he catches it, give him a treat. Once your Dog knows how to catch the little soft Football, you can move on to a real Fooball (Small Dogs should only catch with litle soft footballs. Some Medium size Dogs can. Smallest I'd go is maybe a Border Collie.) If your Dog has kind of a small mouther (I do) then, don't put him on the real football. If you get a Football, see if the Dog can carry it in his mouth. When you throw the Football, start out playing with it like a tennis ball. Then, move on to not throwing it under-handed. Throw it from a certain distance away. Your Dog should jump up to catch the Football.

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  HOOLA HOOP!
• Teach your Dog to be a Circus Dog! Get a Hoola Hoop (Dog should fit real well through it) Start out with it on the ground. (let the Hoola hoop touch the bottom of it on the ground) Let your Dog walk through it. If she doesn't then put a leash on her and gently guide her through it with a treat. Say "Good Girl!" once she's gone through it. Then, raise it about an inch off the ground. Guide her through it with a treat. Raise it about an inch higher each time. (Note: Dog's shouldn't jump more than 6 inches higher than their height) For say, if she is 20 in. high from the withers, "Shoulders" Then, she can jump 26" high) If she does not go through it once it's raised up, then lower it again, and start raising it again. Unless you get to the same spot, and the Dog does not jump, then, she cannot jump that height.

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• PLAY THE PIANO! Get a little Piano. (like the one pictured below) put it on the floor and let your Dog get used to the smells and stuff. You hit the keys some to let her get used to the sounds. Pet her if she stays near you when you hit the keys on it. If your Dog runs away from it, then she could either just be afraid of the sound, or it could hurt her ears. If she runs away from it while you play it some, then put a leash on her, and have her near you while you play. If she starts twitching her ears, or pawing at her ears, that means she cannot tolerate the sound, and should not be taught this trick. If she does not do that, then everytime you play the piano, give her a treat. Then, if she doesn't try to run away on the leash, then take her off it, and play the piano, if she doesn't run away, reward her. If she does, put her back on the leash. When or if she get's used to use, Put her paw on the keys. Reward her. Repete many times. Then, she "play"(or word of choice) and if she puts her paw on the piano (even if she doesn't make a sound on it) give her a treat. If she makes a sound on the piano, give her 2 treats. If your Dog twitches it's ears, or paws at it's ears, please do not teach her this trick! It could make her go deaf.Your Dog should do as pictured.

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• LIMP First of all, your dog has to know how to give paw. Make your Dog 'sit' then say 'paw' 'paw'paw' and, she should hold her paw out. Don't put your hand out, or it will comfuse her with the command "Give Paw" Reward her when she holds her paw out. You can keep saying "paw" (or word of choice) to make her keep her paw out. Or, you can have some rope on her paw, and put it in the "limp" position. Be gentle! Once your Dog knows how to hold her paw out while sitting, make her stand up and hold her paw in the limp position. There's 2 ways to make your Dog limp. 1 way, you can call your Dog can make her hold her paw up, (while putting it down once and a while) to limp. (That's what I do) Or, you can have your Dog hop and 3 legs to limp. You can hold your Dog's paw up while teaching her this. (Use an bandana and have her paw in it, and around her back to keep her paw up) Call her to you, and reward with praise and treats! Then, after a while of doing this, take the bandana off and call her to you while she pretends to limp. The other way, is to have your Dog walk, while saying 'paw'. She walks, stops, puts her paw up,walks, then repetes that again. It's the eaiser one to do. At first, only let her walk a few feet. Then, increase that once she's mastered how to do it.
• "New"CIRCLE! This is Easy. Have a treat in your hand, have your Dog standning on all fours. Guide him around with the treat in a little circle while saying "Circle" (or word of choice). It's that simple! Repete many times until you can say circle, and twirl your finger around, and she circles. It make take a while to teach without showing your dog to circle with the treat. Once your Dog circles with your hand to guide, give him 2 treats. While you guide him give him one treat.

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• "New"STAY You will need a leash, and is best to train with the help of another person. You put your Dog about 2 or so feet infront of you, sitting or standing. Tell her to "stay" and walk to your spot. Have the other person be holding your Dog with the leash in the same spot you put her. If she gets up from sitting, go back to her and tell her to sit, and stay! Only have he rstay at first for about 5 second. If she stays, go back to her and give her, her treat while she's in the same spot as you put her. Repete many times until the your partner doesn't have to be there holding her with the leash. Each time, make her stay a little longer, and walk back a few inches farther. Reward her with 2 treats if she stays.

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• "New!"COME To have your Dog come, it's best with another person for help. Have the other person hold your Dog. walk some away from them. Call your Dog. If he does not come, have the other person walk your Dog over to you. Then reward the dog with one treat. Remember to call your Dog only once. Let the other person walk away again, and, you go to a spot some feet away from your Dog. Call your Dog with either his name, or say "Come" or both together. Call only once, and if your Dog comes, give him 2 treats. If he doesn't have the person walk your Dog over to you. Repete until he comes whe called. Then, once your Dog comes, have the person walk your Dog to a spot, and then he should let go of the leash, you wait about 7 seconds, and call your Dog. If he comes, give him 2 treats. If he doesn't let the person walk him over to you and give him 1 treat. Repete until he comes when called. That's all I can think of to teach your Dog for now. Please stop by again to see if I've added any new ones! Woof!
• IT'S HARD WORK! WOOOOOOF!

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• Yummy, Treats!!!!!!!!

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