101 Dog Tricks
Page 7
6 Remove the tape from the latch and again stand on the opposite side of the door. Keep your foot pressed against it so that if your dog depresses the handle at all, the door will open toward him. Your dog will learn to walk backward while depressing the door handle.
BUILD ON IT! Build on these skills by teaching bring me a beer from the fridge (page 74).
TIP! Short dogs may need a stepping stool to help them reach the door handle.
1 Have your dog push through the door crack.
2 Hold the door ajar while your dog paws at it.
3 Depress the handle when your dog paws it.
4 Give your dog incentive to open it on his own.
STEPS:
CLOSE THE DOOR:
7 Using a slightly ajar inward opening door, hold a treat at nose height against the door and encourage your dog to “close, get it!” When he shows interest, raise your hand higher against the door. It shouldn’t take much coaxing for your dog to place his paws against the door while reaching for the treat. This will push the door closed. Immediately give your dog the treat and praise him. If he is frightened by the sound of the closing door and does not take his treat, encourage him back up on the closed door and reward him while he is in the correct position, on two paws.
8 Once your dog has the hang of this, try merely tapping the door to get him to push on it. Reward him for pushing the door closed.
9 Finally, from a distance send your dog to “close” the door. Don’t be surprised if he slams it shut in his eagerness!
WHAT TO EXPECT: Door handles have baffled dogs throughout the ages. Opening a door requires both logic skills and coordination and can take a dog several weeks or more to master. Closing the door is much easier and can actually be a fun game for your dog!
“Kitty has a little hole in the door to go through because she can’t reach the handle.”
5 Try it with an inward opening door.
6 Press the closed door with your foot.
7 Hold a treat against the door.
8 Tap the door.
intermediate
Ring a Bell to Come Inside
VERBAL CUE
Bell
TEACH IT:
Your dog noses or paws a bell on the door when he wants to go in or out.
1 Wiggle a bell on the floor and encourage your dog to “get it!” Mark the instant he touches the bell with his nose or paw by saying “good bell” and offering a treat.
2 Hang the bell from a doorknob at a low height and encourage your dog to ring it by saying “bell, get it!” You may need to hold a treat behind the bell, and tease him with it. As soon as the bell makes a sound, praise and reward him.
3 Get your dog’s leash and get him excited to go for a walk. Stop at the door with the bell, encouraging him to ring it. It may take a while, as he will be distracted by the idea of his walk. As soon as he touches the bell, immediately open the door and take him for a walk. In this trick, the reward is a walk instead of a treat, so be sure to introduce this concept early on.
4 As you return home from your walk, get him excited to go inside with promises of a treat or dinner. Again, have him paw at a bell hung from the door before opening it. It could take several minutes to ring the bell, so practice when you are not in a hurry.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Consistency in enforcing the bell to go in/out rule will speed up the learning process. You’ll also need to be very responsive to the bells in the beginning——if you hear them ringing, rush to open the door. This method of communicating sure beats barking and scratching at the door, so try to reward his politeness with a walk as often as possible.
BUILD ON IT! Vary turn off the light (page 68) to teach your dog to ring a doorbell.
2 Encourage your dog with a treat behind the bell.
3 Reward your dog with a walk when he rings the bell.
4 Have your dog ring another bell to come inside.
easy
Pull on a Rope
TEACH IT:
Whether for opening a fence or pulling a wagon, your dog’s skill at pulling on a rope will have endless uses.
1 Introduce your dog to pulling on a rope by playing tug-of-war. Pet stores sell toys and ropes for this purpose, or an old towel works well, too. Tell your dog to “tug” and wiggle the toy side to side or pull sporadically.
2 Switch to a knotted rope. Let your dog occasionally pull it from your hands to keep his enthusiasm for the game.
3 Tie the end of the rope to a cardboard box and let him drag it around. As this is not as self-rewarding as the tugging game, be sure to praise and reward your dog for his efforts.
4 Use this newfound skill to have your dog pull a wagon with your groceries, pull open doors, or pull a rope to ring a bell. With a little imagination, your buddy will be the envy of the neighborhood!
WHAT TO EXPECT: Bull breeds and terriers are naturals for this trick, but all dogs love a good pull now and then. The more this exercise feels like a game, the faster your dog will catch on. Play daily and within a week your dog could be pulling his weight!
VERBAL CUE
Tug
TROUBLESHOOTING
I HEARD PLAYING TUG-OF-WAR WITH YOUR DOG CAUSES AGGRESSION
Tug is a competitive game that results in a winner and a loser. While harmless for most dogs, aggressive dogs may interpret victory as further proof of their dominance. Enforce the rules of the game: you decide when the game starts and stops, the game ends with your dog relinquishing the toy, and aggression is strictly prohibited.
BUILD ON IT! Once you’ve mastered pull on a rope, your dog can open his toy box and tidy up your toys (page 46)!
1 Play tug-of-war with your dog.
2 Use a knotted rope for this game.
4 Attach the rope to items.
expert
Bring Me a Beer from the Fridge
VERBAL CUE
Get me a beer
TEACH IT:
In this useful trick, your dog opens the refrigerator door, fetches a beer, and returns to close the door.
OPEN THE REFRIGERATOR:
1 Practice pull on a rope (page 73) with a dish towel. Tie the dish towel to the refrigerator handle. With the fridge door slightly ajar, instruct your dog to pull the dish towel. All four paws should remain on the floor while your dog pulls—to protect your door as well as to keep him from pushing against himself. Make it more challenging by closing the fridge door completely.
GET THE BEER:
1 Empty a beer can.
2 Play fetch (page 24) with the empty can to get your dog accustomed to carrying it. As many dogs are reluctant to hold metal in their mouths, a foam can insulator may help.
3 Place the beer can on a low shelf in an open, uncluttered refrigerator and have your dog fetch it. Reward him with a treat tastier than anything he may find in the fridge.
CLOSE THE REFRIGERATOR:
1 Cue your dog to close the door (page 71) while tapping the front of the open refrigerator door.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Once your dog is comfortable with all three steps, start to phase out the individual commands and use “get me a beer” to represent the entire series. Now that your dog knows the secret of the refrigerator, however, you may have to install a padlock!
PREREQUISITES
Pull on a rope (page 73)
Fetch (page 24)
Close a door (page 71)
TROUBLESHOOTING
MY FLOOR IS GETTING SCRATCHED UP!
Lightweight dogs and tile floors are a slippery combination as your dog pulls the dish towel. Improve his traction with a doormat, or use a longer rope on the door handle to increase his angle of leverage.
MY DOG IS BROWSING IN THE FRIDGE WHEN GETTING MY BEER!
Nothing is free, and that just might be the price you have to pay for the luxury of beer delivery!
STEPS:
“Dad loves this trick!”
OPEN THE REFRIGERATOR:
1 Have your dog pull a dish towel tied to the handle.
> His paws should remain on the ground while he pulls.
GET THE BEER:
1 Empty a beer can.
2 Play fetch with the empty can.
A foam can insulator will make it easier to carry.
CLOSE THE REFRIGERATOR:
3 Fetch the can from the fridge.
Reward him for the fetch.
1 Have him return to close the door.
intermediate
Mail Carrier
VERBAL CUE
Take it to
[person’s name].
TEACH IT:
Your dog will learn the names of family members and deliver a note to the specified recipient. When it’s too important for priority mail, send it by puppy mail!
1 Have a friend or family member stand on the opposite side of an empty environment with some treats in their pocket.
2 Hand your dog a note and instruct him to “take it” (page 24). Point toward your intended mail recipient and tell your dog his or her name.
3 The recipient should encourage your dog to come.
4 Once close, the mail recipient should instruct your dog to “give” (page 26) and trade a treat for the note.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Dogs remember people’s names the same way we do—through repetition. Use names around your dog, and he will soon be able to identify all family members—even the cat!
PREREQUISITES
Take it (page 24) Give (page 26)
TROUBLESHOOTING
MY DOG DROPPED THE NOTE AND CAN’T PICK IT UP
Folding the note will make it easier to pick up.
MY DOG ENDS UP AT THE RECIPIENT, BUT WITHOUT THE NOTE!
The recipient should encourage the dog to go back and find it. “Where is it? What happened? Go get it!”
MY DOG USED TO DO THIS TRICK EASILY, BUT NOW HAS LOST INTEREST
Has he stopped receiving treats? Once learned, you need not treat every time, but at least one out of three times will keep his motivation high. You can also put the note along with a treat in a plastic baggie for him to deliver. That way the recipient can easily tip the courier!
TIP! Train your dog to deliver his charge and then run back to you for his treat!
“When I delivered the baseball, I made the umpire chase me around the field for it!”
STEPS:
2 Hand your dog a note, and point toward the intended recipient.
3 The recipient calls to your dog.
4 Your dog gets a treat for his delivery.
advanced
Find the Car Keys/Remote
VERBAL CUE
Keys, find it
Remote, find it
TEACH IT:
Your dog will locate and retrieve your missing items. What a useful trick!
KEYS:
1 Attach a small change purse filled with treats to your key chain. Toss the keys playfully and tell your dog “keys, fetch” (page 24). When he returns with the keys, open the pouch and reward him with a treat from inside. As he cannot open the pouch on his own, he will learn to bring it hurriedly to you. The scent of the treats in the change purse will help your dog find your keys.
2 Next, hide the keys farther away, or in the next room. Make a game of it and help your dog search room to room. The next time you lose your keys, you’ll be glad you put in the effort of teaching this trick!
REMOTE:
1 A hard plastic remote is not an object that most dogs take readily in their mouths, so you may wish to wrap it in masking tape during the learning process. Show the remote to your dog and tell your dog “remote, take it” (page 24). Praise him and exchange it for a treat.
2 Set it on the coffee table, point to it, and say “remote, fetch.”
3 Set this trick in a realistic context. Sit in your armchair and set the remote in a commonly found spot. Have your dog fetch it and bring it to your chair. Your guests will be amazed by this useful trick!
WHAT TO EXPECT: Although teaching your dog to retrieve a named object is not a complicated process, the challenge in this trick will be keeping your dog’s motivation high when the object you are having him seek is not a toy or treat. Be sure to give lots of praise and rewards during the learning process, and within a month your dog can be finding and retrieving your lost items!
PREREQUISITES
Fetch/Take It (page 24)
TROUBLESHOOTING
MUST I KEEP THE TREAT POUCH PERMANENTLY ON MY KEY CHAIN?
You can phase it out over time, but an object with a distinct scent will be easier for your dog to find. Rubber or leather key chains can do the trick.
TIP! Dogs see limited color. They cannot differentiate between red, orange, yellow, and green, but can tell those colors apart from blue, indigo, and violet. They perceive less detail than humans, but their night vision and sensitivity to movement is better than ours.
“I help find the kitty when she’s lost.”
STEPS:
KEYS:
1 Fill a key chain pouch with treats. Reward your dog for fetching it.
2 Hide the keys and help your dog search for them.
REMOTE:
1 Wrap the remote in tape and have your dog take it in his mouth.
2 Set the remote on a coffee table and have your dog fetch it from a distance.
expert
Push a Shopping Cart
VERBAL CUE
Paws up
Forward
TEACH IT:
Dogs doing “people things” are always entertaining. Standing on his hind legs, your dog will push a shopping cart, baby carriage, or toy lawn mower (depending on his size and your household chores!).
PAWS UP:
1 Hold a treat slightly above a sturdy piece of furniture and tell your dog “paws up.” Pat the item to coax your dog’s front feet onto it. Hold the treat only slightly behind its edge, so as not to encourage your dog to jump on top or over it.
2 With both his paws on the item, allow your dog to take the treat.
3 Now try it with a bar. Stand facing your dog, holding the bar between you. Show your dog a treat held in your mouth, and instruct him “paws up.” As he rests his paws on the bar, allow him to take the treat from your mouth, or, if you prefer, spit it into his mouth.
FORWARD:
1 With your dog’s paws on the bar, tell him “forward” as you walk backward. The height of the bar should cause your dog to be in a fairly upright position.
2 Select a cart or carriage of appropriate height for your dog. You may need to add weight to the basket to prevent your dog from tipping it over. Cover the grating under the handle with a towel to prevent the possibility of your dog’s paws getting stuck in it. Stand to the side of the cart and hold it to prevent it from rolling. Tap the handle and tell him “paws up.” Hold a treat in front of him and coax him “forward.” Reward your dog for his first steps, and remember to always give the reward while the dog is still in the correct position, standing up.
3 Stand at the opposite end of the cart and use a treat near your dog’s nose to lure him forward. Over time, lighten your grasp on the cart and soon your dog will be shopping on his own!
WHAT TO EXPECT: A grassy surface works well for this trick, as it will slow the cart down. Keep control of the cart during the learning process, as a slip could cause significant setbacks.
TROUBLESHOOTING
MY DOG KEEPS LOWERING HIS FRONT PAWS TO THE GROUND
Use your treat as the “carrot,” holding it just inches from his nose as he walks forward.
BUILD ON IT! Adapt tidy up your toys (page 46) to have your dog fill his cart with groceries before wheeling off!
STEPS:
PAWS UP:
1 Hold a treat high as you tell your dog “paws up.”
2 Give the treat while both of your dog’s paw are up.
3 Transition to having your dog lift his paws to a bar.
Allow your dog to take a treat from your mouth.