Teach Your Dog Tricks - What to Think About Before You Start

When you want to teach your dog tricks there are a few important items to keep in mind. Issues like how much time should you spend on your dog training, and how you should go about to teach your dog the actual trick.

As a rule I say to make sure to teach your dog the action of the trick first. Then you can attach the command word to the trick. This is the same rule for any obedience training.

If your dog seems very uncomfortable with a trick, and does not seem to understand what you want or does not seem able to do as you want, after you have been working on it for a few days, then maybe skip this trick for now and move on. Think about how you are teaching this particular trick. Ponder on why the dog is not getting it. However, it is not a good idea to flip flop back and forth between tricks. Although occasionally a dog just has trouble with one set of movements.

Do not try and train your dog on a trick that might interfere with a specific health problem. If your dog has back problems, then a trick such as rolling over might be too difficult. Do not force tricks on him. Test him and recognize his limits. If he feels he is letting you down, the training will not be much fun for him either. Success is far more fun for the dog as well as for you lol.

Make sure that your training sessions are done without outside distractions and do not work on a trick for too long. Praise and reward your dog for performing what you asked of him. DO NOT punish him for not doing the trick correctly. Just keep working on it. Remember, always, this is for fun for both of you. It is not a race to the end of each trick. It is a fun journey of learning together. Some dogs are cleverer than others and some learn some tricks very quickly. Sometimes your dog will learn a trick after just one session. However, do not rush into the next trick and teach him three on the same day. Stick to this same trick for a few days. It give a good success feel for the dog when he is repeating a trick. Just look at his waggling tail for your proof of his enjoyment.

Doing tricks teaches you a lot about your dog and his potential. Dog trick training can be a fun and rewarding experience for you and for your dog. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you enjoy this bonding experience with man's best friend.

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