In addition to all the commands your dog has now mastered, you may want to teach him a few that will make him the entertainment In the neighborhood. He will be much easier to train for these commands now that he has mastered so many tricks.
1. Dance. This trick may actually be helpful when your dog has a hard time with the “Off” command when he’s jumping on people. Sometimes dogs respond well to replacement behavior, and teaching him how to dance is a great way to put all that energy to work.
Each time your pet gets excited and is jumping around you, command “Dance” while you gently take and hold his front legs, forcing him to stand on his hind legs. Sway him from right to left a little. Praise him, give him a treat, and gently put him back on the floor.
2. Pray. The object is to have your dog put his head down between his paws on the command “Pray,” or “Say your prayers,” and all of your friends and family to say, “Awwww! How cute!”
Begin by sitting in a chair with your dog in the “Sit/Stay” position in front of you. Put a treat on the chair between your legs. Command your dog to “Pray,” then encourage him or place both of his paws on the chair while he remains in the “Sit” position.
Use the “Leave it” or “Don’t touch” command so he doesn’t eat the treat, and then give him the “Pray” command. Your dog should stick his nose down to the treat between his paws. Command the release, “Amen,” then give your dog the treat and praise him. For smaller dogs, or if your larger dog doesn’t get the chair route, you may want to use a low table. You can stand behind him to guide his paws to the table
3. Sneeze. You can train your dog to sneeze on command. You’ll do it with a hand signal, which is cupping your hands around your nose and mouth and commanding, “Sneeze!”
Sit in a chair, and put your dog in the “Sit/Stay” position. Cup your hands around his muzzle, say sneeze and gently blow into his nostrils. Keeping blowing until he sniffles or sneezes, then give him praise and a treat. Some dogs take quickly to this trick, while others may take some time.
4. Turn out the light. Amaze your family and friends with your energy-conscious dog! To prepare for the trick, be sure your dog can reach the light switch on his back legs. If not, you can train your dog to jump on a table under the light switch to perform this feat.
Hold a treat at the light switch, and command “Turn out the light!” When your dog jumps up to get the treat, make sure his paws touch the top of the switch so that when he comes down he turns off the light. Reward with the treat and verbal praise.
Once he gets that down, stand away from the light switch and issue the command. Toss the treat nearby when he jumps up and paws at switch. Be sure to give him lots of verbal praise. Eventually you won’t need to give him a treat to perform the trick.
5. Bow. This is a good trick to teach your dog when you’re working on the “Down” command. Put your dog in the “Stay” position, and put a treat in your hand. Kneeling in front of your dog, move both your hands toward his front paws while giving the “Bow” command. Your dog will extend his head down to get the treat, putting him in the “bow” position. Work on his bow until you can command him to bow from across the room.
6. Counting: Your dog, with time and patience, can learn to count. Because this is a complicated maneuver, there is a prerequisite – your dog must know the “Speak” trick and be commanded to stop with the release word, “OK.” All you do at that point is plug in a number to the command, “What is six, Laska?” When your dog counts to six, you command him to stop with “OK.”
There is a catch, however – timing is involved. If you don’t combine the “What is” command with a subtle signal, your dog will start to bark before you say the number. When you start training him, make a noticeable signal, like a deep nod of your head, when you give the “Speak” command. Nod your head deeply when you give the “OK,” release command, too.
You’ll need to practice the trick for some time until your dog is trained to respond to the nods alone. Once he has it down, slowly make your nodding more subtle. Once your dog performs the trick with just the most subtle of nods, you’re ready for Broadway.
Marilyn Burnham
Author: ‘Dog Owners Boot Camp’
The How To Guide, Dog Training Secrets Professional Dog Trainers Don’t Want You To Know!
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