Dog Trick - Teach Your Dog To Limp

Difficulty: Hard

Teach Dog To Limp 

This very well may be one of the hardest tricks to teach your dog, and is one many movie dogs learn and act out on the silver screen. Next to Jump Rope and Bang, it doesn't get much harder than this. Although teaching this trick can be frustrating at times, it is a momentous achievement once your dog learns it, and can bring joy and laughter to you and your family; not to mention guests and friends.

Step 1: Hook up your dog's leash to his collar and use it to pull his front dominant paw up - be very careful as you walk with him - click and treat when he walks one or two steps. 

Step 2: Keep doing this until he is successfully 'Limping' with the help of the leash.

Step 3: Try to encourage your dog to put less weight on his lifted paw. Over time use less and less force on the leash, and he will be able to limp on his own.

OUR EXPERIENCE

Teaching Caspian to limp was very frustrating at times. It took a lot of work, many training sessions, a whole bag full of treats, and many many hours. But it was well worth it. After teaching your dog this trick you can combine it with Crawl and Play Dead to give your guests a thrilling death scene (See Trick #52—Bang).

I started out by attaching his leash to his collar, and using it to support his paw, keeping it in the air. Then I held my clicker away, motioning him to walk to it. I clicked and treated as soon as he made a couple of steps forward. The downside to supporting his paw in this way, is that it may condition him to put more weight on that paw; the opposite of what you want. There are other methods you can try, such as putting a sock on the paw: usually dogs will try and raise that paw, feeling the unbalance. Whichever method you use, be consistent, but don't feel like you can't try new things if your dog just isn't getting it. When teaching this trick, keep in mind that teaching your dog to limp on command is one of the hardest things to do, so be patient, be consistent, and vary the reward.

TEACHING TROUBLE

He won't transition into lifting his paw on his own!

It may take a long time for your dog to understand what he needs to do. It takes a long time of determined work to get this trick, even if you have a smart dog. Keep working with him until he gets it right!

Tip: "Be patient! This trick can take months to perfect; don't rush it. Dogs learning this trick need several breaks because of the stress you're putting on his mind and body."

Dog Trick - Teach Your Dog To Turn A Lightswitch On and Off

Difficulty: Hard 

Teach Dog To Turn A Lightswitch On and Off 

This trick assumes that your dog is tall enough to reach a light switch when he jumps up to the wall. If you have a smaller dog, you can still do the trick, but will need a table or other platform for your dog to stand on while jumping up to reach the switch. I used a laser pointer to attract my dog to the lightswitch, but if you don't have a laser pointer, that's okay, the touch stick will work just as well. If you do use a laser pointer, make sure that it is a low wattage model, and keep it away from your dog's eyes. There are two parts to this trick: teaching your dog to turn on a light, and then teaching him to turn it off again.

The First Part: Turn On A Light

Step 1: Using either a laser pointer or touch stick, get your dog in the habit of jumping up to touch the light switch. It is best to have him jump up with his pads on the wall (instead of his claws) touching the switch with his nose. I used a laser pointer here, because I would play with it as a game, knowing that he would really go after it—even if it's on a wall.

Step 2: Using the clicker, begin clicking only when his nose pushes the light into the 'on' position. He will begin to realize the effect of his action, and expect a treat after Begin to only click when your dog begins and ends the trick by successfully turning the light on. He needs to understand that the trick is not two parts (jumping up on the wall, and hitting the switch) but one.

The Second Part: Turn It Off

Step 1: The first step is very similar to step one of teaching him to turn 'on' the light. Get your dog used to jumping up on the wall, but instead of his pads touching the wall, click when his paw hits the light switch.

Step 2: Begin clicking only when he successfully turns 'off' the light switch. Dogs will notice the change in light in the room, and will usually look expectantly when he successfully turns out the lights.

Step 3: Begin clicking only when your dog successfully completes the trick from beginning to end. He needs to learn that in order to be treated, he has to perform the trick in one sitting.

OUR EXPERIENCE

When I taught this trick, I used a laser pointer to get Caspian to jump up on the wall. Caspian loves to chase the laser around, and will drop everything to try to catch it. He now will even go after reflections and glints of light off of lamps, glasses, and other shiny objects. Because he gets excited like this, I thought it would be a good way to get him to do something that he wouldn't normally do.

TEACHING TROUBLE

My dog keeps tearing up my wall! 

To turn off the light, dogs are unable to do this with their nose, and must use their paw. Because of this, it is incredibly easy to receive scratch marks and torn wallpaper. If you use this trick a lot, you might want to consider installing clear plexi-glass around your light switch.

Tip: "Laser pointers are often a great way to motivate and excite your dog. It can also act as a reward."

Dog Trick - Teach Your Dog To Bring You A Tissue

Difficulty: Moderate 

Teach Dog To Bring A Tissue 

This is a great trick to do immediately after —Fetch A Drink. After your dog brings you a drink, you can then ask him to bring you a tissue, to wipe down the bottle. After learning this trick, you dog should be able to carefully pull out a single tissue, bring it to you, and then throw it away in the garbage bin. This is an incredible trick on its own, but paired with Fetch A Drink, it makes quite the showstopper.

The First Part: Bring A Tissue

Step 1: Set a tissue box on the ground. Tell your dog to "Take It." He may want to take the whole box - but when he takes one tissue from the box and pulls it out, click and treat.

Step 2: Have him continue to do this until he starts pulling them out on his own. Then, have him "Bring it" to you and "Drop it" in your hand. Click and treat.

Step 3: Continue to do this until he does all three commands without hesitation. Start saying, "Bring Me a Tissue" when he drops it in your hand.

The Second Part: Throw It Away

Step 1: Get out your waste basket. Give the tissue back to the dog and have him "Bring it" to the waste basket, "Dropping it" in. Click and treat.

Step 2: Keep doing this until he takes it, brings it, and drops it without problems or hesitating. Then, use the command "Throw it away" while he is dropping it in.

Step 3: Continue to practice this, just saying "Throw it away" instead of the three other commands, until he is able to throw away the tissue at your command.

OUR EXPERIENCE

This trick wasn't difficult for Caspian to learn. First, I showed him the tissue box and touched the tissue. "Take it," I said. He pulled one out. I clicked and treated. I did this again. And again! But the next time I had him "Take it" and "Bring it" to me. When he had brought it to me, I told him to "Drop It" in my hand. When he dropped it, he received a big treat! We did this several times until he knew exactly what to do.

In another session, we worked on throwing the tissue away. I had him bring me a tissue. Then, I "used it" and gave it back to him. Pointing towards the trashcan, I told him to "Drop it." I clicked and treated. The next time he did it, I used the "Throw it away" command. Soon, Caspian was able to bring me a tissue, and then take it back and throw it away in the trash!

TEACHING TROUBLE

He won't pull out the tissue! Try pointing to it and say, "Take It." If that doesn't work, encourage any good behavior that is close to what you want. If he touches the tissue, click and treat. Then say, "Take it." He'll probably understand.

He pulls out the tissue fine, but then he wants to throw it away before he gives it to me!

If he does that, don't click and treat. Before he drops it in, say - "No - Bring it!" He'll then bring it to you. Soon, he'll remember to bring it to you every time.

Tip: "Just so you know, you're teaching your dog to pull out all the tissues from the tissue box! Make sure he can't get to them when you're away from home."

Dog Trick - Teach Your Dog To Fetch A Drink

Difficulty: Moderate

Teach Dog To Fetch A Drink

Whether you're reclining on the couch watching a football game or just sitting around with friends, this can be a useful—as well as entertaining—trick for your dog to know. It can also be a fun game for your dog, and once he's learned it he may not want to stop! Just be sure to have a handkerchief ready to wipe down that drink. If you have guests over, a good idea is to be very casual when showing off this trick. Nonchalantly say to your dog, "I'm thirsty Max, go get me a drink." When he comes back, open it up, and continue your conversation with your guests. They should be just as surprised as you are pleased.

Step 1: Get a bottle of soda appropriate for your dog's size and put it on the ground. Tell your dog to "Take It." Click and treat when he does. Do this several times.

Step 2: Now, tell your dog to "Take It" and "Bring it." When he brings it to you, tell him "Drop it" Do this repeatedly and remember to click/treat.

Step 3: Put the bottle a bit further away from you each time. Only click and treat if he takes it, brings it, and drops it into your hands. Soon, you can eliminate the three commands and instead use the phrase, "Bring me a drink!"

Step 4: Try asking him to perform the trick from different spots in the room, and then move to different rooms. It makes a terrific trick for house guests!

OUR EXPERIENCE

When I taught Caspian this trick, I used a 16.9 oz. bottle of Dr. Pepper. That's a pretty big bottle, but I thought he could handle it because he's so big. After a little encouragement, Caspian started knocking over the bottle and picking it up with his mouth. We had to teach him to first knock it over, then pick it up—he was getting frustrated by trying to pick it up. He was also scared of the full bottle; either because of the weight, or because of the imbalance of it sloshing around. We decided to completely empty the bottle to begin with, then fill it gradually as he continually completed the trick. I would tell him to "Take It," and "Bring It;" and this took him awhile to get the first time. I gave him a big jackpot when he did, and took a break from training. In the next session, after some review, this time I would say "Bring me a Drink" as he finished his performance. Each time I had him do it, I would put the drink in a different spot, just a little bit farther away from me. Soon, whenever I told him to "Bring me a Drink," he'd run into the kitchen, grab a drink by the fridge, run back with it in his mouth, and then drop it in my hand!

TEACHING TROUBLE

Why can't he pick up the bottle? Caspian learned to knock the bottle over with his nose or paw, and then pick it up with his mouth. Just be quiet when your dog seems to get frustrated and don't try to prod him. Dogs are smart; they'll figure out what they need to do.

It's too heavy for him! It may not be. That's what I thought when I was teaching Caspian this trick, so I emptied the soda bottle. Of course, he picked it up fine. I kept clicking and treating when he would take it, and while he was eating his treat, I filled the bottle up little by little with water. Soon, the bottle was filled up all the way to the top, and Caspian picked it up just fine. He was just not used to carrying something that heavy in his mouth, but after we worked on it, he didn't have any trouble.

Tip: "If you're having trouble getting your dog to pick up the drink bottle, try getting him to first learn to knock the bottle over before trying to pick it up."

Dog Trick - Teach Your Dog To Jump Rope

Difficulty: Hard

Teach Dog To Jump Rope 

This is a fun trick to teach your dog, and good exercise for him as well. Since this is a difficult trick, read the steps carefully and be patient with your dog. Soon he will be jumping rope, and loving it! If your dog is still young, you might want to wait before teaching him to jump rope: jumping too much may be hard on his hips. Before any jumping trick, always first check with your vet to see if your dog can handle it.

Step 1: Put your dog on the table. Ask him to jump. Click and treat. Your dog should stay in the same place so he won't fall off the table.

Step 2: Tie the jump rope to another object. Let your dog get used to the jump rope by moving it back and forth.

Step 3: Give the jump rope almost a full turn, stopping before it crosses your dogs legs. At this point, tell him to Jump. When he does, slide the jump rope underneath. Do this several times, clicking and treating.

Step 4: As your dog gets more accustomed to the jump rope, you will be able to have smoother rotations. Work with your dog until he can do it just right.

OUR EXPERIENCE

It took extra patience to teach Caspian jump-rope (and more than a few handfuls of treats), but hard work pays off. At first Caspian was distracted with the jump-rope, and he would get frustrated after long sessions, but as we practiced more and more he stopped thinking about the rope and started focusing on jumping. Once he did this, it became easier for us to work the rope, and soon the trick was working smoothly. Ever since Caspian's accident we haven't worked with this trick since jumping up and down stresses his back hip. If you have a larger dog breed or if your dog has any history of hip dysplasia, consult your veterinarian before attempting this trick.

TEACHING TROUBLE

My dog is scared of the jump rope. How can I get him more used to it? When does he bow? Is it when he gets up from his nap to stretch? Or when he is meeting other dogs? Notice when he gets in that position and use that to shape the behavior.

Tip: "Try putting the jump rope on the table and under the dog before asking him to jump. That way, he will get used to seeing it under him. Don't use any big motions when using the jump rope to start out with. Small motions work best, and you can do fuller turns as your dog becomes more comfortable with the rope."

Dog Tric - Teach Your Dog To Bow

Difficulty: Easy

Teach Dog To Bow 

By now your dog most likely knows a whole repertoire of tricks, from simple ones like Sit to more complicated ones like Put Toys Away. With good treats, your dog can perform a string of impressive tricks for your friends—but you are still lacking one thing: an ending. The perfect way for your dog to to end a performance is the same way any professional does: with a bow. If you follow these three simple steps, you will be set up for a perfect dog show.

Step 1: Start 'rough-housing' with your dog. Whenever he starts to get into the "bow" position, click and treat. Keep doing this until he starts doing it on his own.

Step 2: Start saying "Bow" whenever he gets into the Bow position; then click and treat.

Step 3: Keep doing this until he will bow at your command! Always give your dog a jackpot when he obeys your command for the first time.

OUR EXPERIENCE

My dog loves to play. Whenever I would play with him, and start to chase him, I noticed that he would "Bow" by laying his front two legs down before he ran from me. I decided to shape this behavior into a "Take a Bow" trick. I started by chasing him. As soon as his front legs touched the floor, I clicked and treated. We did this again and again until he understood that I was clicking for his "Bow" position. Soon, he started to do it more frequently. I used the command "Bow" whenever I clicked. Eventually, Caspian was able to obey my command when I told him to bow. And it all started by playing a game of chase!

TEACHING TROUBLE

My dog never bows when he is playful! When does he bow? Is it when he gets up from his nap to stretch? Or when he is meeting other dogs? Notice when he gets in that position and use that to shape the behavior.

Tip: "Although many trainers teach Bow by forcing the dog into a Bow position, we believe it is much easier and less frustrating to capture the natural behavior of your dog. We will use this way to teach "Take a Bow."

Dog Trick - Teach Your Dog To Count

Difficulty: Moderate

Teach Dog To Count 

Here is a fun and impressive trick that proves that your dog is as smart as Einstein (mmm … or at least as smart as Einstein's dog). The trick is to get your dog to bark until a subtle cue causes him to stop. Then you can have him bark out any number of barks to answer various mathematical questions. This trick is not that hard to teach, but it does take patience and longer periods of time than most tricks in order to shape the behavior correctly. But it is really worth the effort because it shows that your dog really counts for something.

Step 1: Have your dog sit facing you.

Step 2: Hold a treat in your left hand and hold your right hand up. (Here we are getting the dog to associate the speak command with the visual command of holding your right hand up). Also look your dog in the eye (I look directly into his right eye).

Step 3: Have the dog speak, and treat when he barks.

Step 4: Repeat. But this time only drop your hand (also avert your eyes) and treat when he barks twice. (This may take some patience).

Step 5: Work on this several times a day until your little Einstein realizes he must continue to bark until you drop your hand.

Step 6: Gradually fade from holding your right hand up so that your dog will use your eyes as the cue to stop speaking.

Step 7: Keep refining this trick until he has a smooth flow of barks and stops as soon as you avert your eyes.

OUR EXPERIENCE

While teaching our dog to count, we started by re-familiarizing him with the speak command. While doing this, we introduced a small cue: looking down and staring at him directly into his right eye. When getting him to speak, we began with clicking right after he barked once, then once he was progressing well, we started clicking after multiple barks. Each time we wanted him to stop barking, we would immediately break our eye contact, and click and treat. Once this was accomplished, we could cue him to start barking by rotating our head down and looking at his right eye. Once he finished barking, we would break our eye contact, and reward him for a job well done. This is how Caspian can solve math problems given by friends, we keep him barking using this subtle cue. We just have to make sure we do the math right ourselves.

TEACHING TROUBLE

My dog doesn't always stop barking on time! Keep working with him. This is why this trick takes lots of patience! If your dog (or you) makes a mistake during a performance, put your hands on your hips and say, "Oh! Einstein, I'm ashamed of you," which cues his Act Ashamed trick— for a good laugh.

Tip: "Have your guests think of simple math problems for your dog to answer, but make sure you do the math right!"

Dog Trick - Teach Your Dog To Weave

Difficulty: Hard

Teach Dog To Weave 

When you watch dog agility competitions, one of the most spectacular sections has to be the weave poles. These championship dogs have trained hard and long to weave back and forth in between the poles at break-neck speed. Trainers say this is one of the hardest sections of agility competitions. Although there is difficulty involved, most dogs end up loving the weave poles. So even if you aren't trying to enter an agility competition, you can teach your dog this fun and exciting trick, using basic household products, and of course your clicker.

Step 1: Set up obstacles, such as orange cones (bought at Wal-mart), buckets, or even red plastic cups in a straight line. Start with three or four, and space them 24-30 inches apart. With your touch stick, guide your dog in and out of the obstacles, starting from the left side. When he goes in and out of one or two, click and treat. Continue to do this until he goes in and out of all of them.

Step 2: After getting your dog used to these motions, start saying "Weave" when he is finishing up his trick. Click and treat.

Step 3: Do this several times until your dog will weave at your command. This is a hard trick to teach, and it may take many training sessions. Fully expect your dog to go after the obstacles and try and play with them. Gently guide his attention back to your treats, and get him focused again on the touch stick.

OUR EXPERIENCE

Using the touch stick, I guided Caspian through each obstacle. At first, I clicked and treated as he went through two or three obstacles. Then, I would click and treat as he wove through each one. At the end, I would say "Weave!" and click and treat. We did this several times until Caspian could weave in a flowing tempo. Soon, I was able to use less touch stick and let him do it on his own.

TEACHING TROUBLE

He does it with the touch stick fine - but he won't do it on his own! If you think you have used the touch stick long enough and would like to have him do it on his own, but he's not responding, try using your finger to guide him. That will help him know what to do, and you can gradually get rid of the hinting.

Tip: "Encourage your dog to weave faster and faster! Make him excited by being excited yourself. Give him bigger treats if he goes at a fluent tempo."

Dog Trick - Teach Your Dog to Walk by Your Left or Right Side

Difficulty: Moderate 

Teach Dog to Walk by Left or Right Side

Does your dog know his lefts and rights? This is an easy trick to teach. When you take him out on a leash, does he tangle it around your legs? It may be useful to tell him "Left" or "Right" and keep yourself untangled from the leash. Not only is this a good trick to show off your smart dog, this is a useful command that professionally trained assistance dogs are expected to learn.

Step 1: With your touch stick, have your dog go around your right side and stand by your left side. Click and treat.

Step 2: Keep doing this, eventually saying, "Left" as soon as he stands by your left side.

Step 3: Repeat this action until he no longer needs the touch stick and can go to your left side at your command.

Step 4: Do the same thing, this time teaching him to go from your left side to your right side.

OUR EXPERIENCE

When teaching Caspian left and right, we began by using the touch stick. We would motion him to both sides, and clicking/treating. However, he easily became confused, and didn't quite get what he was being clicked for. Sometimes there are more than one way to teach a trick, so what we ended up having him first sit, then we would turn around, and pat our leg as to which side we wanted him to go to. When we motioned with our hand, he would come to that side. As he did so, we would say the command either 'right' or 'left.' We then started just saying the command, and leaving out the hand motion, and only clicking/treating for a correct performance. We would mix up the commands, just to see if he really knew the difference between right and left. Using the touch stick is a great way to teach this trick, but you may feel the need to tweak the steps a little to suit your own needs.

TEACHING TROUBLE

My dog is getting his left confused with his right! What do I do?

Try treating 'Left' and 'Right' as two separate tricks if this is happening. Usually, you want to teach both left and right so that your dog can differentiate between the two, but if he is getting easily confused, start with one, then move to the other. Try focusing on just one of them per training session. Hand cues are also important here: If your dog is paying attention and wants to find out what you're asking him to do, he'll look for hand signals, motions, or a direction from you to point him where he needs to go.

Tip: "You can gradually stop using the touch stick by guiding your dog with big hand motions. Then, you can make your hand motions smaller for a polished performance!"

Dog Trick - teach Your Dog to Act Ashamed

Difficulty: Moderate
teach  Dog to Act Ashamed 

Just as a comedian needs a handful of one-liners when his joke doesn't go over too well, it's good to have a trick to fall back on if your dog doesn't quite perform up to the level you were expecting. Lets say you have some dinner guests over, and you want to show off that new trick you taught Bella yesterday. You had taught her, and you're excited to show your friends how smart your dog is. Well, after telling her to retrieve your slippers, she's gone for a long time... after calling her, she comes slinking back with a slipper in her mouth, except it's completely chewed up. She drops the drool soaked mess of what used to be a comfortable slipper. Your dinner guests are trying their best not to laugh, they know you're embarrassed. Well, one trick that you did drill over and over is this one. "Bella! you should be ashamed of yourself!" Bella whines and lays down, puts her paw over her head. Your audience bursts into surprised laughter.


Step 1: Put some scotch tape or a sticky note on your dog's nose so that she paws at it. Click and treat.

Step 2: Repeat this a few times, but add in your command. Think of a short phrase such as "I'm Ashamed of you!" Use this command each time she paws at her nose.

Step 3: Take the tape off and give your command. Give her a jackpot if she paws at her nose!

Step 4: you wish, you can accompany this trick with her laying down. While teaching her, have her lay down before she paws at her nose.

OUR EXPERIENCE

This trick was so much fun to teach Caspian. I started with some scotch tape and put it on his nose. Since Caspian didn't want the tape on his nose, he naturally started pawing at it. Immediately I clicked and treated. Each time he did it, I would click and treat, saying "I'm ashamed of you!" After several times practicing with the tape, I gave him the command and he would paw at his nose. Soon, I was able to take the tape off his nose and give him the command again. He did it!

TEACHING TROUBLE

My dog won't rub his nose without the tape! Try cuing the behavior by gently scratching her nose with your finger. That should trigger a memory and she'll obey you. You can use this hint less and less to perfect the trick.

Tip: " A good hand signal would be putting your hands on your hips!"