How to train your dog

Have you recently got a new dog or trying to see if the adage “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is correct?

Teach your dog a range of behaviours including how to sit, touch, target, stand, drop, roll, spin and shake with advice from  Animal Welfare League Queensland .

Sit

• Begin this exercise by holding a treat in front of your dog’s nose.
• Move the treat upwards and forwards, so your hand moves towards your dog’s eyes and ears.
• When you move the treat in this manner, your dog will have no choice but to sit to follow the treat.
• Reinforce the correct behaviour by saying “yes” as your dog sits and then release the treat.
• Once your dog is easily lured into the position, add the “sit” command, one second before luring the dog into position.
• Keep practising with a treat until your dog completes with just a lure and “sit” command.

Touch

• Hold your palm out with a maker and ask your dog to touch. You can use a coaster, post-it note or other similar objects as a marker.
• Once the dog touches the marker, reinforce the behaviour with a “yes” and release the treat.
• Every three or four touches, you should swap hands, so your dog never knows which hand the treat will come from.
• Once your dog is easily lured into touching, add the “touch” command, one second before your dog touches the marker.
• Keep practising with a treat until your dog completes with just a lure and “touch” command.

Target

• Place a tile or marker on the ground and place some food under it.
• As the dog paws at it, reward the touch on the tile straight away with a “yes” and a treat.
• Encourage your dog to stop once they have hit it once.
• Once your dog is easily lured into touching the target, add a “target” command one second before your dog hits the target.
• Keep practising with a treat until your dog completes with just a lure and “target” command.

Stand

• Begin this exercise by holding a treat in front of your dog’s nose.
• Move your hand forwards so that your hand moves away from your dog.
• When you move the treat in this manner, your dog will have no choice but to stand to follow the treat.
• Move the treat just enough so that your dog’s hind legs are straightened.
• When your dog is in the stand position, reinforce the behaviour with a “yes” and release the treat.
• Once your dog is easily lured into the position, add the “stand” command one second before luring your dog into position.
• Keep practising with a treat until your dog completes with just a lure and “stand” command.

Drop

• Begin this exercise by holding a treat in front of your dog’s nose.
• Move your treat downwards so that your hand moves towards the middle of your dog’s front legs.
• When you move your hand in this manner, your dog will have no choice but to lie down to follow the treat.
• Reinforce the behaviour by saying “yes” and releasing the treat as soon as your dog lays down.
• If your dog has trouble following the lure, try releasing the treat halfway down and gradually move it lower until you can get your dog into the drop position.
• Once your dog is easily lured into the position, add the “drop” command one second before luring your dog into position.
• Keep practising with a treat until your dog completes with just a lure and “drop” command.

Roll

• Ask your dog to get into the drop position.
• In the drop position, lure the dog’s head to the shoulder with a treat.
• Keep the movement tight and small around the head.
• You may gently encourage the dog to roll by giving it a little push on the body in the right direction.
• Reinforce the behaviour with a “yes” and release the treat once the roll is completed.
• Once your dog is easily lured into a roll, add the “roll” command one second before luring your dog into position.
• Keep practising with a treat until your dog completes with just a lure and “roll” command.

Spin

• Have your dog in the stand or sit position.
• Stand on the spot and make your dog spin like it’s chasing its tail by place the food on the nose and luring into the position of a spin.
• Reinforce the behaviour with a “yes” and release the treat once the spin is completed.
• Once your dog is easily lured into a spin, add the “spin” command one second before luring your dog into position.
• Keep practising with a treat until your dog completes with just a lure and “spin” command.

Shake

• Place a treat on the nose of your dog.
• Lure their head over one shoulder with the treat.
• As the head turns to get the food, you will find the opposite foot will lift off the ground.
• Use this as your guide to take the foot in your hand and make a big deal of shaking it.
• Reinforce the behaviour with a “yes” and release the treat once the shake is completed.
• Once your dog is easily lured to shake, add the “shake” command one second before luring your dog into position.
• Keep practising with a treat until your dog completes with just a lure and “shake” command.