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How To Teach A Dog Trick
By Polly Hamilton
Teaching a dog trick can be a very time consuming task that requires a lot of patient. But if you are consistent with you pet you'll having him shaking your hand in no time!
How to teach him to sit:
The first and most simple dog trick is 'sit'. It is very important to teach your dog this trick because it then leads to commands such as 'get down', 'go', 'out', etc. Sit is a simple command. Have some treats in your hand, put light pressure on your dogs behind and say 'sit'. He will sit under your hand. Then reward him with a treat and attention. Repeat immediately so your dog can recognize the pattern. After he has the idea, stop pressing on his bottom, see if he has enough initiative. The first time he does it straight away without your help you need to let him know that he has done very well! This is a simple lesson for your dog and should talk less than an hour or consistent work. DO: use only the word 'sit', reward when he has earnt it, be persistent. DON'T: yell, give up halfway through, reward when he hasn't sat down.
How to teach him to fetch:
The second lesson you should teach your dog is to 'give', 'drop' or 'bring'. Of course, for all these tricks, you need to find your own word which you feel most comfortable using, and always use the same word for the same trick. Don't confuse your pet! So for this trick or lesson you will need a ball or stick or something that you dog can easily pick up and run around with. This is your first lesson because it is an obedience thing as well as a trick and will get your dog used to a certain set of behaviors. It is very simple! Take your object to an open space without many distractions (cars, people, etc). Throw the object away from you, not too far though! When your dog begins to run around with it crazily, request to bring it to you by using you word (let's say give) and his name. Those two words only! You may also whistle, clap, slap you thighs and bend down to encourage him to come to you, but make sure you do less and less of this as he gets the concept more and more. Be persistent, patient and consistent. Repeat "give, Rover!" over and over. The idea is that eventually your dog will get bored and bring you the object. Do you not pull it from him! Wait till he drops it, then instantly reward him with a yummy treat and pat! And repeat the whole process quickly. DO: use two words only, be encouraging, give treats when they are earnt. DON'T: yell, chase, or grab the object from his mouth. This lesson may take a few trips to the park to learn, but it is a simple concept for a dog.
How to teach him the entertaining tricks:
Once your dog has gotten these tricks or lessons sorted you can move on to more entertaining territory. All you need to do is repeat that same basic concept as above: guide, reward, guide, reward, guide, reward, command, reward, command, reward, command, command, command. Here are some good ideas for dog tricks which can be taught with the above formula: wave, go to your spot, sit high (on hind legs), give your paw, focus, hide (hiding eyes behind paws), spin (chase tail), jump rope, crawl, play dead. There are also more comprehensive sites online which explain how to progress to hand signals as opposed to verbal commands!
See Also:
More info how to teach your dog tricks!
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