
Teaching your dog tricks can give you hours of entertainment and the wonderful opportunity to strengthen the bond between you and your pooch. However, it can also seem daunting if you don’t know what you are doing.
In this post, James Wellbeloved provides teaching instructions on fun tricks suitable for novices. Learn how to teach your dog to roll over, shake hands, and even to spin around. These are a great start for your journey beyond the basics of dog training.
There are a few simple rules you need to follow when training your pooch.
First, no shouting. Remember that training is supposed to be a fun and relationship-building exercise for you and your dog. Shouting at them isn’t likely to build trust or be any fun for either of you. Furthermore, this negative reinforcement is often merely confusing for dogs and is therefore an ineffective way of training them.
Second, use plenty of rewards. Positive reinforcement is the best way to train your dog. Treats are a good way to do this, however remember they should only be a small portion of your dog’s daily diet. Try breaking these into small pieces, so that you can minimise the quantity of treats being given. Alternatively, you could try using a portion of their usual daily feed for reward – dogs are often happy to work for any kind of food.
Third, make sure there are no distractions. We all know that dogs can be a bit scatter-brained – you need to help maintain their focus by making the training environment as calm as possible. This means a large, indoor space, without other people, animals or noises. Once your dog has learned the trick in this environment, you can begin practicing it in other locations that have more distractions.
The first trick in our guide is a relatively easy one to train, although you must ensure your dog knows the “lie down” command before starting. If they do, teach your dog how to roll over with the following steps:
This trick is a staple for all dogs to master. Easy to learn, but also impressive to perform, this fun trick is something all dogs should learn to do. Teach your dog how to spin around with the following steps:
This adorable trick will enable you to show all your friends that you really are your dog’s best friend. It’s also very simple to teach.
Once your dog has started responding to your command, you need to start phasing out the treat. To do this:
Follow these simple steps and soon you won’t need treats to get your dog to shake your hand. So, there we have James Wellbeloved’s fun tricks to teach your dog. These basic behaviours are a great place to begin your journey into dog training. Master these and soon you could be leading your pet through agility training or teaching them the most advanced tricks.
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