Teaching your dog simple tricks can not only help stimulate the dog's brain, but improve your communication skills with your dog. The following tricks can be used with or without the use of a clicker, but always should be used with positive reinforcement. In clicker training, the dog learns to associate the sound of the clicker with a tasty treat. Just click and treat a few times for the dog to get the gist.
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Choose Which Hand
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Place your hands behind your back and place a treat in one or both hands. Present the closed fists to the dog so he has to choose which hand has the treat. Begin by having the dog sit. Present one fist to the dog. When the dog sniffs, praise verbally and then touch the fist gently to the paw. Open the fist and reward. Repeat so that the dog does not get the reward until the paw touches the fist. Over time, the dog will smack your fist with the paw.
Go To Your Bed
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This trick is adapted from "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training" (Pamela Dennison, 2003). Place the dog's bed a few away from your chair. When the dog is looking at you, say "Go to your bed," and throw some treats onto the bed. Throw more treats when the dog actually goes to the bed. Repeat this process for five or ten minutes a day until the dog associates the command with going over to the dog bed.
What Is That Smell?
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This trick was described on the American reality show "The Greatest American Dog." The winner, a boxer named Presley, learned it in about one minute. Your dog may take longer. Have the dog lie down or wait until the dog is lying down. Get down to eye-level with the dog, and say a trigger command, such as "What is that smell?" Then, gently blow on the dog's nose. The tickle of the air will cause the dog to either raise his paw over his head or lower his head behind his leg. Either way, it looks as if he is embarrassed. As soon as he does that, praise (or click) and treat. Repeat until you do not have to blow any more.
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