What interesting commands can you teach a dog

Does your pet already know how to lie down, sit down and get up on command? Clearly reacts to “Fu!”, “Place!”? So it’s time to move on to something more difficult!

After the pet has mastered the basic commands, you can stock up on food and patience to learn something new. A dog that can bring slippers and sit quietly with a treat on its nose, and then effectively eat it on the fly, will easily win the hearts of all relatives and friends. And who knows, maybe the tailed friend will become the new star of social networks. The list of interesting commands for dogs below will help you get closer to this dream faster.

Trick “On the handle”

The dog needs to jump into the hands of the owner, and he needs to quickly catch it.

Limitations: It is important to make sure that the dog does not have problems with the musculoskeletal system, as well as to reasonably assess the size, weight of the pet and its own strength. It is necessary not only to pick up the dog, but also to hold it without dropping it.

Step 1. Sit on the floor, stretch your legs forward. On one side is the dog. In the hand on the other hand you need to hold a treat. Lure your pet to get on your feet with all four paws. As soon as the goal is reached, hug the dog, gently pressing it to you, say: “On the handles!” – and give a treat. Repeat a couple more times.

Step 2. Sit on a chair with the dog on your side, such as on your left. With your right hand holding the treat, wave from left to right and say “Handle!”, inviting the dog to jump on your lap. Give her a little help if needed. Hold it with your free hand, reward it with a treat, and gently lower it to the floor. Repeat the exercise several times.

Step 3. Everything is the same – but now you are in a semi-squat. The dog jumps, responding to the treat and the command “Handle!”, and you pick it up and reward it with a treat. Then release and repeat all over again.

Gradually get up higher and higher – as much as possible and strength. The perfect ending – the dog jumps on your hands when you stand up straight.

Trick “Seal”

The task of the dog is to sit still with a treat on its nose, then toss it into the air, catch it and eat it.

Required skills: “sit” command.

Preparation: Be sure to feed and walk your dog. It will be easier for a well-fed and contented dog not to react to provocations. Choose a small and not too fragrant treat that will fit on the dog’s nose and won’t stick to the coat. For example, crackers or pieces of cheese.

Step 1. Command “Focus!” or “Freeze!”, and then lightly squeeze the dog’s face with your hand. Wait a couple of seconds, remove your hand and reward your pet. Repeat this step several times, then take a break.

Step 2. After the “freeze” command, you need to put a piece of treat on the pet’s nose. If the dog tries to shake it off and eat it, gently squeeze the muzzle again. Wait five seconds, then remove both your hand and the treat from your nose. Was the dog even able to sit still for a bit? Be sure to praise her and give her a well-deserved treat, but not the one that lay on her nose. After a few repetitions, be sure to let your pet rest for a bit. Repeat the exercise regularly until the dog can comfortably hold the treat on its nose for about 15 seconds.

Step 3. Learn to eat treats on the fly. To begin, repeat Step 2, after a couple of seconds, command “You can!” and help the pet catch and eat the coveted piece. The dog should throw it off and eat it without your help, just by hearing the command.

If the pet does not want to catch the treat on the fly, but waits for it to fall to the ground, cover the piece with your palm and take it. Not having received any treats once, twice, three times, the dog will understand that you need to try to catch the treat before it touches the floor.

Trick “Slippers”

Not the easiest command to learn, but definitely useful in everyday life. The dog should bring the desired item on command – slippers, a TV remote control, etc. Get ready that the first pair of slippers, or even several, the dog will gnaw, so choose the shoes that you do not mind. This trick can be performed with any suitable thing, the main thing is to clearly repeat its name so that the dog remembers it.

Required skills: commands “sit”, “come”, “give”.

Preparation: Choose a suitable object for fetching – a folded newspaper or paper, a special dumbbell, etc. The object cannot be changed until the end of the training.

Step 1. Say “Aport!” and shake the object in front of the dog, tease him so that he wants to grab it. When she grabs you, you can hold her lower jaw a little so that she holds the thing. Praise your pet by repeating the command.

Step 2. Try not to help the dog with your hands. If she spits out the item, let her pick it up again and constantly praise while she holds the item. Your goal is to teach your dog to hold the object for at least 30 seconds.

Step 3. Fasten the leash, command “Sit!”, give the dog an object by saying “Fetch!”, Step back a couple of steps and call “Come!”. If at first the dog will throw the thing, put it back in the mouth and hold the jaw with your hand. When the dog approaches you, first command “Sit!”, And after a couple of seconds, “Give!”. Take the item, praise your pet and repeat this step a few more times to secure.

Step 4. Try to do the same thing, but without a leash and help with your hand. Say “Sit!” and together with the “fetch” command, let the dog take the object. Then step back a few steps and call the dog to you, repeating “Aport!”. Once the pet learns to accurately perform the trick, you can move on to the next step. Do not forget to praise the dog if he does everything right.

Step 5. Place two stacks of books about chest high, a short distance apart. Put an object on them and command “Aport!”. Gradually remove book after book so that eventually the dog learns to pick up the thing from the floor. When this succeeds, start issuing a command from a short distance. For example, from 1-2 meters.

Step 6. Move on to practice on real objects, such as slippers. Let the dog smell your shoes, repeating its name: “Slippers, slippers.” Play with your dog for a bit, bringing and pulling your hand with slippers so that the dog cannot grab them. Then throw them forward with the words “Aport, slippers.” On the command “Give!” the dog should give you the thing and, if everything was done correctly, get a treat.

Step 7. Go to the final version – say the command without any games. Hearing “Aport, slippers”, the dog should run after them and bring them to you.

The list of unusual commands for dogs is much longer: you can teach your pet parkour, stand on your feet, reveal his creative spirit in drawing … The main thing is not to spare treats, praise the dog more often and get sincere pleasure not only from the result, but also from the learning process itself.

See also:

• How to teach your dog the command “Come!”

• Step-by-step instructions for teaching a puppy commands

• early training