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”
- 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.
- Reinforce and reward the act of him sitting and give him the toy. Add the command word.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- When you reach the helper ask him to give the dog lots of praise and a reward.
- 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.
- Have a volunteer stand with the toy hidden somewhere on his body and ask the dog to find his toy.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Release your dog using the command word and reinforce as he finds his toy on the car.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Have someone hold your dog or tether him safely.
- 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.
- Go back to your dog and release him whilst giving him the command word.
- Reinforce and reward when your dog finds the toy and progress onto more complicated hiding places.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Return to your dog and show him your empty hands then release him into the room. Use the command word.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
How To Train A Dog To Give Your His Toy
This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!
Present is a useful trick for a dog that likes to hold on to a toy and not give it back to you. Your dog will learn to come to you with a toy in his mouth and sit before offering you the opportunity to take the toy from him.
- Teach your dog to swap by always having something more interesting available that will motivate him to release his precious toy. If when you call him back he prefers to parade around you showing off his treasure, then you need to show less interest to him than to the toy or treat in your own hand.
- If you make him believe you have something wonderful it is guaranteed that he will come to you.
- When he heads towards you with the toy in his mouth reinforce and quickly call him for reward.
- When he gets to you swap the reward for the toy that he is holding.
- Add the command word and throw the toy again.
- When your dog brings his toy directly back to you on command withhold the treat until he sits in front of you. He will work that out for himself.
Top tip; don’t chase your dog, it never works and will only encourage him to run away in glee. If he does not come back you must make yourself an interesting prospect with the promise of reward and praise.
Dog trainers love the retrieve and present as it encourages focus on the toy on walks and during training sessions.
How To Train A Dog To Find It
This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!
All search tasks are first based in retrieve. In fact to a sniffer dog the entire search process is a prelude to a game of retrieve. Fetching something and bringing it back on command is a nice trick that comes in useful both alone and as the beginning of further routines.
- To teach your dog to retrieve, you must first find an item that he likes and keep it only for retrieve and search games. A special toy is perfect for this.
- So have your dog, his toy and some treats handy and tease your dog with the toy then drop it on the ground in front of him.
- When your dog picks up the toy reinforce and reward.
- Repeat this and add the command word then begin throwing the toy further away and sending your dog to fetch it. Always reinforce as your dog picks up the toy and reward as you take the toy from him.
- Practice in as many areas as possible.
Top tip; Excited playing and tug of war are both great games that will build your dogs confidence to retrieve his toy when thrown.
Dog trainers love retrieve games because they exercise, stimulate and offer control to a dog all at once.
