Blog – Success Dogs

How To Train A Dog To Swap Paws

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

When your dog is giving you a paw a great spin is to ask for the other paw instead. This is another trick that will come quite naturally to your dog. It will become established with reinforcement.

  1. When your dog offers a paw reinforce and reward so that he knows he has it right then show him a second reward.
  2. Add the command word and wait.
  3. Your dog may swap the paw immediately or need more encouragement. When he does swap the paw reinforce and reward then repeat the previous two stages.

Top tip; keep the treats close in order to prevent your dog wandering away, he will know if the treat is near his nose that he is on the right track by offering a paw. He just needs to work out that the other paw is required.

Dog trainers love this trick because it looks neat and encourages the dog to think for reward.

How To Train A Dog To Give His Paw

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

Few people greet a dog without asking for a paw, this trick is as old as the sit request but a dog that gives a paw on command will always bring a smile.

  1. Have your dog and some small treats in a room, show him the treats and then just watch him.
  2. Your dog will now try to work out what to do in order for you to hand over the reward. Watch his face, it will change as he thinks and he may try some behaviors that he has already learned.
  3. Whatever your dog does maintain your silence until he lifts a paw from the ground then quickly reinforce and reward.
  4. Add the command and gradually withhold the reward when practicing until your dog is giving you a paw before the reinforcement occurs.

Top tip; if your dog wanders away he may be confused, call him back and show him a treat to maintain his attention.

Dog trainers love this classic trick particularly taught with positive reinforcement.

How To Train Your Dog To Have Patience

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

The passive response is the act of the dog asking nicely for his toy. This is taught in situations where a search dog is scenting for explosives and must not touch the area of his find. As a dog trick this can be called “ask nicely” or “patience”

  1. This is really easy to teach, begin by holding your dog’s toy and waiting, he will try to work out how to get the toy and quickly sit in front of you.
  2. Reinforce and reward the act of him sitting and give him the toy. Add the command word.
  3. Repeat until perfect then, when your dog is searching and finds his toy; simply give the command word where he would normally just take it. Your dog with practice will soon sit immediately on finding his toy.
  4. This response can also be practiced when searching people. Your dog will soon learn to sit in front of the host of his toy if it’s reinforced and rewarded and then he is given the toy.

Top tip; it’s important to still allow him to take the toy sometimes as this will improve motivation.

Dog trainers love this trick because it teaches focus perfectly.

How To Train A Dog To Track Someone

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

Tracking a person at the park is another trick that your dog will need to use his nose for. You will need a helper for this. Teaching a dog to track is great fun.

  1. Have your dog on the leash for this take him, some treats and your helper to a local park or woodland. You may be better using a harness for this as a dog can pull keenly on the leash when tracking.
  2. Ask your helper to show the dog a treat and walk away scuffing heavily on the ground with his feet then to hide out of sight.
  3. Tell your dog to find the helper, encourage him to work with the scuff marks in the ground initially because you will need these when you are teaching longer tracks. You can do this by reinforcement and reward of your dog sniffing the ground to move forward.
  4. When you reach the helper ask him to give the dog lots of praise and a reward.
  5. Now simply practice and make the tracks longer and more complicated, use the dogs learning pace because that will keep his confidence high.

Top tip; Tracking will need to be learned over a number of weeks, it can also be a full time dog training hobby on its own.

Dog trainers love this trick because it will wear out even the most energetic of dogs.

How To Train A Dog To Search A Group Of People

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

Often seen at airports and similar environments the dog that can search a group of people is a head turner. A great trick again to have at parties and for this trick you will need a group of willing volunteers to practice on.

  1. Have a volunteer stand with the toy hidden somewhere on his body and ask the dog to find his toy.
  2. Your dog may need a little help here the realize that the toy is on a person rather than in the room so ensure that the helper gives as many hints as possible to build up the dogs awareness and confidence.
  3. When the dog realizes that the person has the toy he must immediately be given reinforcement, reward and a quick game with the toy. Add the command word here and begin to gradually bring it forward.
  4. Repeat a few times and then add a second helper so that the dog has to work out who has the toy. Repeat the reinforcement and reward.
  5. Now build up both complication of search and amount of people to be searched until your dog can find a well hidden toy on a person amid a group of other people.

Top tip; you can build the dogs confidence by having your helpers stand in a line. The person holding the toy can also give little hints at the beginning of training to help the dog along.

Dog trainers love this trick because it’s professional and encourages the dog to work hard with his nose.

How To Train A Dog To Search The Outside Of A Vehicle

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

A dog that searches the outside of a vehicle for his toy is impressive. This is a fun trick for party parking, your own vehicle security dog.

  1. Teaching vehicle search is easy, similar to searching a room have someone hold your dog whilst you place his toy somewhere on the outside of a vehicle. Ensure that the engine is turned off
  2. Release your dog using the command word and reinforce as he finds his toy on the car.
  3. Reward and play with your dog.

Top tip; start with easy simple searches like placing the toy on a wheel and progress to more complicated searches as your dogs confidence grows.

Dog trainers love this trick because it looks professional and encourages the dog to think.

How To Train A Dog To Search A Route

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

Searching a route originates from gaining security clearance along roads or through built up areas. It is not safe to do this search in traffic. However, if you regularly walk up a quiet lane or similar, searching the walking route for his toy will give your dog a good physical and mental workout.

  1. Training this search is similar to the garden search except that you want your dog to run up the route on your left, cross over on command to the right and run back towards you, searching all the way.
  2. Begin training this by placing the toy on the left so that your dog finds it whilst running up one side of the route. Use the command word when the dog is released to look for the toy.
  3. When established, move the toy over to the right at exactly the point you would like him to cross and turn back towards you. As he gets to this point ask him to cross over by using voice and arm signal. He will find the toy and next time he runs up the left and you ask him to cross he will immediately cross and expect his toy to be waiting.
  4. Practice both of the previous steps thoroughly then begin placing the toy in random places on the right so that your dog finds it on the way back to you after you have asked him to cross and called him back.
  5. Always reinforce your dog’s behavior as he finds the toy and reward with play at the end of every search trick.

Top tip; Start small to boost your dogs confidence five meters ahead will do and before you know it your dog will be keenly route searching a long way ahead.

Dog trainers love this trick because it is great for physical fitness and stamina of a dog.

How To Train A Dog To Search The Garden

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

Searching the garden for a toy is a great trick particularly at barbeques where your dog can show off his expertise in style.

  1. Have someone hold your dog or tether him safely.
  2. Show him the toy and move around the garden pretending to hide it, touch a few areas because this will change the scent in the areas and encourage him to use his nose.
  3. Go back to your dog and release him whilst giving him the command word.
  4. Reinforce and reward when your dog finds the toy and progress onto more complicated hiding places.
  5. With practice your dog will search purely on hearing the command word for this trick.

Top tip; when a dog first scents a search item his behavior will change slightly, his tail may wag harder or he may sniff the air or check pace back into an area. If this happens just encourage him with your voice.

Dog trainers love this trick, it’s great for stamina, focus and any dog that can search is a crowd pleaser.

How To Train A Dog To Find Something

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

A trick that consists of your dog searching a room to find his toy, with practice your dog will be able to sniff out his toy in cupboards and at any height. To train this trick you may need a helper to hold your dog so that he can watch you hide the toy.

  1. Have your dog in the doorway and go into the room with his toy whilst he watches you, give your dog lots of encouragement at this point to find the toy.
  2. Pretend to hide the toy in five places around the room touching the furniture as you do so and leave the toy in one of the places. Do not allow your dog to see where you have left the toy.
  3. Return to your dog and show him your empty hands then release him into the room. Use the command word.
  4. He will sniff all around each area that you have touched until he finds his toy, when he does find it reinforce the find, reward then it give him lots of praise and a game.
  5. With practice your dog will search just on hearing the command word.

Top tip; start by hiding the toy in easy and accessible places then build up to more difficult hides.

Dog trainers love this trick because it uses a dog’s energy up both mentally and physically.

How To Train Your Dog To Use His Nose

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

Encouraging your dog to use his nose is a learning process for both of you. This trick is a good way to teach scenting to find a toy which also looks great to an audience

  1. For this trick you will need three beakers or flowerpots and your dogs retrieve toy. Put the toy under one of them and line them up in front of your dog.
  2. Now swap the containers around a few times and then ask your dog to find the toy, by using the command word for the trick, he will sniff all three of the containers before finding the right one with his nose.
  3. When he finds the right pot tell him that he can take the toy and as he either touches the pot using his paw or nose reinforce and offer him a reward from your hand.
  4. Practice this until your dog simply touches the correct pot and looks directly to you.

Top tip; containers should have small holes in the enable the scent to escape.

Dog trainers love this trick because it teaches focus and control to a dog.

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