Dogs are often considered the quickest at learning new tricks and behavior. They can respond effectively to new commands and instructions by you as long as you are giving them the proper reward mechanism. Teaching dogs tricks such as barking on command, for example, can be really useful for guarding the house or for hunting purposes.
So, if you want to teach your dog new tricks, here are five that you should definitely consider.
1.Barking on command
This technique may be a little advanced to begin with, but with consistency and patience, your dog will be able to master it in time. One of the best ways is to allow the dog to learn it as naturally as possible. This means whenever you hear your dog bark, you should reward him with a snack or any other kind of treat. The important thing is to be patient since your dog will not be able to connect barking with reward right away. However, by repeating the process of positive reinforcement (bark and reward) over and over again, you will definitely see results.
Barking on command will be a great trick to teach your dog. If your dog is for security purposes, asking your dog to bark after noticing suspicious activity will come very handy. Also, if you have a lot of sheep on a farm and want to ensure they stay together, having a dog bark on request will be essential to preventing them from going astray.
2.Army Crawl
There is nothing better than to have your dog do military style tricks. The army crawl, for instance, can be a fascinating behavior for your dog to learn. Teaching him will be ideal for not only keeping him entertained, but also to keep him physically healthy and active. Some dogs can learn how to do the crawl without any kind of training, especially before jumping on a couch or picking up food crumbs from the floor or carpet. But, in order for them to do so on command, it will require you to provide proper training.
To begin, have your dog start from a lying position. Place a treat or snack between your own fingers such that the dog can smell it, but not snatch it. Then, put the treat near the dog’s nose and then gradually drag it onto the floor. The moment the dog crawls a few inches, reward him with the treat. When you notice the dog standing up to have the treat, remove it from his reach and restart the steps.
The goal should be to have the dog crawl longer distances each time. When your dog has gained mastery over the trick, instruct him to lie down at a distance of at least 10 feet from you. Have him crawl to you. The army crawl trick may be viewed for entertainment. However, it can be extremely useful if you are using your dog for hunting purposes.
3.Collecting garbage
Who wouldn’t want to have a dog that can collect garbage on their behalf and make their lives a lot easier on busy days? Teaching your dog to pick up a letter as you walk with him can be a very beneficial. You will be surprised how clean your front or back garden can be since your dog will have the habit of removing letter whenever it sees it.
The method to teaching this trick is similar to teaching your dog how to fetch. A simple way is to throw tissue papers in an open space and instruct him to bring it back to you. It may be that you dog is not trained to fetch at all, in which case you will have to point the tissue paper or item you him to fetch and repeat it several times using treats as rewards. If you notice that he still doesn’t respond, you will need to walk over to the tissue paper and give it to him until he puts it in his mouth and then follow it with a treat.
By repeating this process several times, your dog will learn to pick up tissue papers in his mouth. You will need to teach him to pick up several items one at a time so that he remembers them as litter that need to be put in the garbage bin.
4.Salute
The salute can be a good trick to teach for welcoming visitors, such as family and friends. To teach the salute, you will need to post a colored sticky note or tape above the eye of your dog. When you see your dog trying to remove the item by raising his paw, reward him with a treat, and praise him. Keep doing this several times, until your dog learns to give you the salute.
Perhaps your dog has long fur and may show signs of discomfort about having an item stuck above his eye. Alternatively, you can take one of its paws and raise it until it is between the head and the eye. Then, use the command and give him a treat. You will need to show patience, but eventually, your dog will learn to give you a salute just by hearing your voice command.
5.Walking backwards
This trick should be taught to all dogs, regardless of whether you use it for hunting, guarding farm animals, or as a pet. With a single command, you can instruct your dog to move away backwards from dangerous and harmful items. More importantly, it will be useful for developing his footwork and coordination.
To do this, walk backwards and say ‘back’. Then walk up to him and keep repeating it. Another way is to place the treat at the back of his head so that you can force him to walk backwards a lot more accurately. The moment he steps backwards after your command, praise him and be sure to give a snack.
