For thousands of years dogs have been the most valued loving and entertaining companions of man. Being considered as one of the most loved pets, a dog’s exploits will be lovingly enjoyed by the whole family. Although pet owners would always want to have the pet with them because of their affectionate nature, some owners have another purpose for taking the dog – to make other people green with envy with the pet’s ability to perform tricks. The dog’s ability to roll over, to pay dead, shake hands, to beg will certainly make a positive impression on people. Other dog owners would be impressed with an owner that has successfully trained the pet to do awesome tricks.
Many pet owners would baulk at the idea of training the dog to do tricks. Training the dog to do tricks is indeed a difficult task. Our canine friends are noted to differ in personalities. Some dog breeds noted for their intelligence would easily adapt to training. Don’t be disheartened if the dog ignores your command at first. Training the dog to do tricks is definitely not for a lazy person as a single trick entails countless repetitions before it can be learned by the dog.
Teaching the dog to do tricks is not too different from obedience training. In both cases, the owner has to have lots of patience and perseverance and utilize positive reinforcements and constant repetitions to make the dog remember the trick. Before starting the training, you need to make the dog understand that you are the leader of the pack, someone that must be obeyed. Directions must be simple and clear to be easily understood by the dog.
Because dogs communicate using a whole range of body language, a verbal command would be understood better if incorporated with hand gestures. In the shake hand trick, an extended hand will encourage the dog to extend its paws too. The same command must be given in a firm voice.
Dogs are social creatures with an inherent desire to please its people. A smile from the owner, a pat or lavish praise would make the dog understand that it has done something good. Treats are no-fail means that will make the dog respond to training. Dogs are curious and energetic animals. Teaching the dog to do tricks would be more effective if conducted in short sessions and done in an area with few distractions.
