Training the dog to do tricks
For thousands of years dogs have been the most valued loving and entertaining companions of man. Dogs are often considered as the “baby” in the family and anything the dog does would be well noticed and enjoyed by family members. The dog’s fun and loving nature is the reason why the pet is always taken around but a dog that can do tricks would make an owner show off the pet’s abilities. The dog’s ability to roll over, to pay dead, shake hands, to beg will certainly make a positive impression on people. A pet owner that has successfully trained the dog to do tricks would be the envy of other dog owners.
Training a dog to perform tricks would be a challenging task. Without a doubt, encouraging the dog to learn new things would be a daunting task. Dogs have varied characteristics. Some dog breeds noted for their intelligence would easily adapt to training. Don’t be discouraged if your pooch looks at you as if you are speaking some foreign language that cannot be understood by the pet. Teaching the dog to do tricks requires a lot of efforts as constant repetitions will be necessary to make the dog understand the commands thus the job is not for an indolent person.
Teaching the dog to do tricks is not too different from obedience training. Trick training, similar to obedience training would need the owner to be persistent and to have a lot of patience to undertake the many repetitions needed to make the dog learn the trick. Dogs are pack animals and it would be necessary to establish your position as the leader of the pack to gain the dog’s compliance and respect. Uncomplicated commands given in a clear voice be can be easily grasped by the dog.
One technique to make the dog easily understand what must be done is to reinforce the given command with hand gestures. In the shake hand trick, an extended hand will encourage the dog to extend its paws too. Use an authoritative voice to give a consistent command until the trick is learned.
Dogs naturally want to please its people. The dog will be encouraged to obey if it receives lavish attention from its master. Being food motivated, dogs will be encouraged to respond well with the training with treats. Apart from being energetic, dogs are curious animals as well. Teaching the dog to do tricks would be more effective if conducted in short sessions and done in an area with few distractions.
How do you teach a dog to do tricks? Sarah’s Dogs has more answers to this question as well as dog first aid.
