Teaching Advanced Level Tricks to Puppies and Dogs
Teaching Advanced Level Tricks to Puppies and Dogs
Teaching
advanced level puppy tricks is not an exact science, rather it is a way of the
owner looking at the puppy's natural behaviors and being able to train the puppy
to use these behaviors on command. For example, if you have a puppy that
naturally want to sit up and beg or even walk on their hind legs, start working
with the puppy to do this activity, resulting in an amazing "trick" that your
puppy will now do on command, but in fact was doing already just without the
command.
Good puppy trainers and those that are able to teach advanced level tricks make
the tricks fit the puppy, not necessarily the puppy fit the tricks. They will
also take into consideration the intelligence and trainability of the individual
puppy as well as the breed.Some breeds are wonderful puppies, excellent with
kids, caring and loving, but are just not highly intelligent or very keen on
learning. Don't be upset if you have a puppy that doesn't seem to learn an
advanced trick, consider working on another trick more in keeping with what you
see the puppy already doing.
Most complex tricks are a combination of smaller tricks all combined. Breaking
the trick down into its simplest components and teaching it like a chain of
tricks is important for some breeds. Some puppies seem to be better at problem
solving type tricks whereas other as better at physical tricks, but both can be
broken down and taught step by step if necessary. Some tricks that can be taught
to different types of puppies include:
Counting - teaching your puppy to count is not as difficult as it seems if you just stick with the basics. To teach your puppy to count he or she must already know how to speak. This command can be taught by asking your puppy to bark or catching them barking, saying speak, then providing the reward. Before long you will have a puppy that can speak. Once they know the speak command, it is time to learn to count. Combine the speak command with a signal, such as shaking your finger once each time the puppy barks. Reward this until the puppy knows when you have him or her sit and then shake your finger they are to bark once for each finger shake. Then, place objects on the floor and ask your puppy to count. Shake your finger at each object, which will trigger the puppy to bark. In reality, the puppy is not counting, they are simply responding to the movement of your finger, but your friends will never know!
Waving - this is an extension of "shake a paw" but it is very convincing. Start by having the puppy sit as usual, then give the command "shake a paw bye" or "wave" or whatever you wish to use. Instead of holding your hand at the normal level, raise it up higher, which will cause the puppy to lift the paw and make a pawing motion in the air. Reward the puppy immediately but don't actually touch their paw. As the puppy understands that "shake a paw wave" is different than shake a paw, you can shorten the command to wave. This can also be combined with the sit up command, this is extremely cute in smaller breeds that naturally sit up and have a good sense of balance.
Spin - this is great for high energy puppies, especially the terriers. Have the puppy stand in front of you and hold a treat in your hand, making a circle just above the puppy's head. The puppy will naturally follow the treat, as soon as he or she moves say "Spin". Once one rotation is made immediately give the treat. You can gradually increase the speed of the spin and even have the puppy just follow your finger in a spin once they understand the command. Some puppies will only spin one way, but if they will turn both directions you can easily each left spin and right spin just by using the two terms after the basic spin command has been given and using prompts of either a treat or your finger to teach the puppy the two directions. This will really amaze most people and is fun for the puppy as well.
Bowing - this is a great trick that can go along with waving and sitting up, plus can end a series of tricks. Start with your puppy standing beside you. Get down to the puppies level and place a treat in your hand between his or her front legs. Usually the puppy will drop his or her head and front quarters to reach for the treat, say "Bow" as soon as the shoulders start to drop. If the puppy drops his head but not his front quarters, slide the treat in your hand back towards the hind legs, causing the puppy to need to lower his or her front end. Use the "bow" command and give the treat as the puppy goes lower each time. For puppies that try to lie down, hold your other hand on their stomach so they can't lower their complete body.
Puppies can be taught a variety of tricks including answering the phone, ringing
a bell when their water dish is empty, or even teach your puppy to jump rope.
The most amazing tricks that puppy's do are ones that are unique but still in
keeping with the puppy's personality and natural abilities. Puppies can be
taught to fetch certain items you name simply by working with the puppy on a
regular basis using lots of patience and positive reinforcement. Treats, praise,
toys and playtime can all be used to reward your puppy for a job well done. Keep
in mind that it will take time to teach a new trick and puppies that are
constantly mentally exercised and challenged will have a faster and better
ability to learn new tricks than puppies that are rarely or infrequently worked
with.
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