Dogs are wonderful pets; they love you unconditionally and are ready to do your bidding. It is a wonder to watch our dogs play with us and wag their tails happily. So it comes as no surprise that people would love to fawn over their pet dogs and would even look forward to showing them off to their neighbours and friends.
A well groomed dog is indeed a beauty to observe, but far from that would it not be proud moment for you as a pet owner to let them watch your dog perform some excellent tricks and amaze them? With just a little bit of training, and of course treating, your dog can become a superstar in everyone’s eyes!
Not only that, teaching your dog tricks will only help to make the bond between the two of you grow stronger. It is a wonderful way to spend time and build your relationship with your pet dog.
So what are you waiting for? Read on to find some guidelines and instructions to train your dog and watch it transform into from a beast (according to most people who do not understand the value of pets) to a marvel!
- Touch the Stick:
A simple and easy trick to teach your dog is to get it to touch a stick that you will be holding above its head. Make sure you have plenty of treats to coax and encourage your dog.
First, get a stick and apply some peanut butter or meat over it. Now, hold the stick at the dog’s eye level. You dog will try to lick the stick for the smell of food emanating from it. When the dog licks the stick, pet your dog and say “Good dog” or some other appreciation and feed it a treat from your pocket. Repeat the same exercise and life the stick higher as you go so that the dog will jump to touch the stick.
As you progress with the trick, wipe the food off the stick. Soon, your dog will be jumping up to touch the stick that you hold above its head. Try holding the stick at different heights and even move the stick around.
- Jump through the Hoop:
Wouldn’t it be marvelous to watch your dog attempt some circus tricks? Here is an easy trick to teach your dog, and your dog can learn it quickly without much trouble.
First introduce your dog to the hoop. It is natural for your dog to be slightly frightened about the foreign object. Let him sniff around see that it is harmless.
Hold the loop at floor level and lure your dog to walk through the hoop with treats. Reward your dog with a treat for a step that he takes and pet him well when he has walked through the hoop.
Now, the next step would be to hold the hoop slightly above the floor level and coax your dog to jump through the hoop. If your dog stumbles, or gets his feet tangled in the hoop, immediately drop it, so that he can untangle himself. Again, reward your dog with treats every time he succeeds in jumping through the hoop.
Practice the trick a few times, and voila, your dog could shame a circus dog with its jumping prowess!
- Open the Door:
A quite useful trick would be to teach your dog to open the door! It will save you some energy and also make your dog the hero of the household.
Take a rag cloth or some cloth which is strong (make sure you are prepared for the cloth to be nipped and bitten by the dog) and place some treats in the cloth and knot it. Get your dog’s attention towards the cloth containing the treats and tie the other end of the cloth to the door knob.
Your dog will be interested in getting the treats from the cloth. Encourage your dog to pull the cloth by saying “Open the door buddy”, to get access to the treats. Once it pulls the cloth and the door is also automatically pulled along with it, give it a treat in appreciation of its performance.
Repeat the same exercise and make sure your dog learns the cue “Open the door”. Slowly, you could remove the treats from the cloth, and just reward him with treats every time he opens the door upon your cue. Now your best friend can open the door too!
- Dog handshake:
This is one of the most popular tricks for dogs. Everyone is amazed when your dog shakes their hand, and it is quite easy to teach him to do it too.
Extend your hand towards your dog with a treat in it. Your dog will try to sniff it and finally will try to paw it. When your dog gives you his paw, pet him and give him a treat with your other hand. Slowly, repeat this step, while giving a vocal cue of “Shake” or along similar lines.
Every time your dog successfully gives you his paw, reward him with a treat. Slowly urge him to do it without the treat in your hand, but just with the verbal cue. Soon, your dog will be ready to shake paws with people who are inclined to meet him and greet him!
These are just a few tricks to teach your dog. Remember to be patient with your pet and make sure you are not stressing your dog or making him unhappy. The best way to train would be to have short, frequent sessions instead of tiring yourselves out soon. Happy training!