Maltese puppies are generally intelligent and love to please their owners. For this reason, many Maltese puppy owners are able to teach their dogs lots of tricks without any difficulty. Not only is training your puppy enjoyable, it also helps her to become a better behaved pooch and one who listens to her owner.
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Teaching Sit
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Teaching your puppy to sit is probably the most basic command, but it can also be the most useful in her everyday life. To teach your Maltese puppy to sit, hold a treat in your hand above your puppy. As she tries to look up at the treat, she will fall down on her bottom. When she does this, say "sit," then give her the treat and lots of praise. After a few times using this same method, remove the treat and direct her with just your hand. If she has done this successfully a few times, move on to just giving her the command, without gesturing your hand. Be sure to always give your puppy a break in between performing each trick and give plenty of praise.
Catching an Object
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Maltese puppies seem to enjoy catching objects in their mouths and this can be turned into a trick. Tell your pup to sit, then toss a small, soft toy in her direction. You needn't throw the toy in the air directly at her, just over in her direction. She will likely try to catch the toy in her mouth. She may lunge, jump or do whatever she can to get the toy. Maltese puppies are generally quick and agile, therefore, she will likely enjoy this trick.
Finding the Toy
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Once your Maltese is familiar with the toy that she has been catching, you can hide the toy for her to find. This is not only a fun exercise for her, but you are also stimulating her mind. Have your puppy sit, then show her the toy and hide it under a pillow or piece of furniture. Then tell her to "go find it." Since Maltese puppies are so inquisitive, she will probably start searching for the toy. You may need to help her find it by making it more easily seen. After she has found the object, praise her and begin the process again.
Rolling Over
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Maltese puppies love to wiggle and roll around. Therefore, teaching them to roll over is usually quite easy. Lay your puppy on the floor and roll her over while saying, "roll over," then reward her after she does. Rolling over comes quite naturally to Maltese dogs, so it should not take long for her to associate your verbal command with the actual trick.
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