Sit. Down. Roll-over. Pour yourself a cuppa. Now let’s move on to the dog tricks…
So you think you’re a Cesar Millan-esque Svengali dog trainer? If so, you can make a pooch ‘pounce’, a dog ‘dance’ or a hound ‘high-five’, and you know you’ve got these tricks down to a T. Teaching a rover to roll-over (alright, we’ll stop now) is a good start, but there’s a lot more to learn about dog tricks and obedience. Obedience training is a great way to improve communication with a dog and can also help solve some behavioural issues.
Some dedicated owners teach really cool dog tricks such as back flips, blowing bubbles, fetching beer…(can we have one of those please?) The possibilities are endless! With enough patience, positive reinforcement and lots of treats, anything is possible.
Don’t believe us? Check out these mind-blowing videos of talented dog & owner duos performing cool dog tricks:
Cohen the Australian Shepherd will make your jaw drop!
Zoe the Border Collie is simply amazing.
Jesse the adorable Jack Russell Terrier specialises in house keeping!
Little Misa Minnie the Yorkshire Terrier shows us even the smallest dogs can do great things.
Want to start working with your dog on achieving this level of greatness? Here are some very simple and fun dog trick ideas to get you started:
1. Shake
This super-simple trick is easily achieved by asking your dog to sit, then holding a treat up in your hand, slightly out of reach. With your other hand; gently tap one of your dog’s front paws. When they raise a paw, catch it with your hand, say “shake”, and give the treat. You can then teach “other paw” by doing the same thing with their other front paw.
2. Spin
This one can be lots of fun and most dogs love to do it! Teach it by having a treat in your hand close to your dog’s nose, and making the dog follow the treat in a circle. Once your pup has made a full circle, say “spin” and give the treat.
3. Stand
To teach your dog the “stand” trick (only if their hips are up to it), simply hold a treat in your hand higher than your pooch can reach. When your dog gets on their hind legs to get it, say “stand” and give them the treat. If your dog starts jumping or trying to brutally snatch the treat from you, which are not desirable behaviours, hide the treat and turn away from your dog until he calms down.
4. Speak
Very useful for dogs who bark too much. By teaching to “speak” on command, you are also teaching them that if you’re not commanding them to bark, they shouldn’t be. Trigger your dog to bark by squeaking a toy. When he barks once, quickly say “speak” and give a treat. If the barking gets out of control, stop all the fun and turn your back on him. The idea is to teach him to bark once per command.
Remember to always keep training positive and fun!
You can also share your dog’s unique talent with us by posting it to our Facebook page or by tagging us @DogBuddyCo on Twitter, Instagram or Vine
Which of these cool dog tricks would you like to teach your dog? Tell us in the comments.