A dog has the ability to learn new tricks throughout its life, it's never too late! Spend some quality time together teaching your dog new things, while having fun!
We've listed a series of three tricks that you can easily teach your dog, no matter how old he is - sometimes all it takes is patience and... treats!
Saying "hello"
Once acquired, your dog will greet you with a raised paw on every command!
By using the treat, you are letting your dog know that his good behaviour will lead to a reward.
The first step is to place him in a sitting position. Stand in front of your dog with a treat in your hand.
First, let him know what you want him to do by patting the paw you want him to lift. At the same time, use the command you want him to remember.
We just use the word "hello", but you can use any command as long as you use the same one.
Then try giving him your hand using the command, and see how he reacts! Dogs usually give their paw naturally to ask for something. If your dog touches your hand with his paw, give him the treat.
Repeat the command as many times as necessary and reinforce the effort with treats, petting and praise. Progress will be seen in the moments of concentration - if your dog starts to show too much excitement, postpone the session.
A learned command is a successful action without the need to give a treat. Of course, you should keep repeating the command over time so that your dog doesn't forget what it is!
Barking on command
This is one of the tricks that requires the most patience and training, so don't expect concrete results too quickly.
To teach your dog to bark on command, you should first wait for your dog to bark naturally and take advantage of this situation by praising him and repeating the command you want to teach him (we use "speak").
By repeating the command each time your dog barks on its own, it will assimilate the command into its action. By positively reinforcing his action, he will eventually be driven to bark as soon as you use the command.
Of course, you must be careful not to praise barking in situations that are not justified, so that your dog does not spend his days barking! Use sparingly if your dog barks a lot naturally.
Rolling over
A trick that requires a lot of repetition, and of course a dog that can physically handle it.
With treats to start with, put your dog in a lying position. Keep the treat in your hand close to his nose to guide his movements. With each successful step, give him the treat.
Once he is lying down, put a treat in your hand again and place your hand as close to his nose as possible to get his full attention. You will gradually raise your hand so that his head comes up and then rotate to the side so that his body lies across.
Once he is lying on his side, do the same exercise and turn him from side to side. Once turned over, place the kibble a little further away so that your dog naturally returns to the lying position. Repeat several times with treats and then reduce the rewards once your dog has mastered the action. Eventually, you want your dog to roll over on his own with a hand gesture or a command!
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