How To Teach Your Dog Tricks

No matter how large or small your dog is; no matter how old he, or she, is and no matter how intelligent, it is quite possible to teach your dog to perform tricks. You may think that teaching a dog to €do' tricks is unnecessary. However, training your dog is a wonderful way to build your relationship. In addition, it allows the dog to use its brain.

Remember, dogs are among the most intelligent creatures and they will become bored if not stimulated. Moreover, once you have mastered the basic obedience training, which is imperative to ensure a happy, healthy dog, it is very easy for a dog to master simple tricks. Although some people feel that this is demeaning, a dog doesn't feel degraded, it just has a lot of fun! If you wish to teach your dog tricks, here are some of the things that you should bear in mind.

The single most important thing to remember when training your dog is patience. It is now widely recognized that positive reinforcement and reward methods of training are by far the most successful. Remember, dogs are eager to please their owners, so with the right attitude to training, you can teach you dog a trick within a few short sessions. It is equally important to keep your training sessions short. The exact time will depend upon the attention span of your individual dog, but, typically, it is advisable to train for no longer then 15-20 minutes at a time. Similarly, if you plan to teach your dog a trick, it is wise to start with small steps. In other words, if you would like to teach your dog to play dead, you first have to get him, or her, to lie down and roll on to his, or her, side/back. Use your dog's favorite toy or a tasty treat to encourage specific behaviors. These things can be used not only as rewards, but also as a way to entice your dog to lay down, stand up etc. (see example below) Consider your dog's physical capabilities before trying to teach a trick. For example, some dogs, such as short-legged breeds, find it difficult to stand up.
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