Teaching Your Old Dog New Tricks

We all love our pets, but sometimes it can feel like your dog is incapable of learning any tricks. While it may feel impossible at times, with the right techniques and proper amount of practice just about any dog can learn. with a Folsom Dog Training just about any dog can learn.

Teach Your Dog To Respond To The Clicker

Trick #1 - Respond To The Clicker
This is the foundation of every other trick on this list.
Step 1: Click and give the dog a treat. Step 2: Repeat about thirty times. This teaches your dog to associate the click with the treat. Step 3: To maintain this connection it is important to follow the rule: Never click without treating and......

Teach Your Dog Its Name

Trick #2 - Name
Step 1: When your dog looks at you, click and treat.
Step 2: Repeat 2 to 4 times.
Step 3: Say his name as he looks at you.
Step 4: Repeat 5-7 times.
Step 5: Call him. If he looks at you......

Teaching Touch

Trick #3 - Touch -
Teach your dog to touch the end of a dowel: a foundation many tricks build upon
Step 1: Hold your touch stick away from you and wait.
Step 2: Dogs are naturally curious, so when your dog touches it with his nose or mouth, click and treat. Keep doing this until......

Teach Sit

Trick #4 - Sit
Teach Your Dog to Sit on Command!
Step 1: Wait until he sits down on his own. Click and treat.
Step 2: Repeat several times.
Step 3: Say Sit as soon as he sits. Click and treat.
Step 4: Repeat several times.....................................

Teach Down

Trick #5 - Down
Use this trick to build more advanced tricks
Step 1: Grab your clicker and a good treat.
Step 2: Just watch your dog and wait for him to lay down. When he lays down, immediately click and treat.
Step 3: Keep waiting for your dog to do it again. Soon he will realize that he gets a click and treat whenever he lays down.
Step 4: When your dog begins to lay down more often.........

Teach Stand

Trick #6 - Stand
If your dog will stand still, it makes care and grooming easier
Step 1: Have your dog lay down. Wait for him to stand up. When he stands up, click and treat. Repeat this action several times until he learns that he has to stand up in order to get his treat. Standing is so natural that it is likely that the dog won't immediately understand why he is being rewarded, so it may take more repetition than usual. (Initially, it's okay to click even if.............................................

Teach Release

Trick #7 - Release
This command tells your dog to be released from sitting or staying
Step 1: Give the command to sit. After waiting five to eight seconds, go ahead and use the vocal command with a hand motion of your choice to tell your dog to be released from his sitting position. If you act excited while doing this, your dog should naturally release. When he does so, click and treat. Repeat this step until your dog is consistently releasing.
Step 2: Eventually, you will want to be........................................

Teach Come

Trick #8 - Come
This is perhaps the most important command to teach your dog. It could save your dog's life!
Step 1: Load the cue instead of the clicker. Here's how:
Go up to your dog and give the command that you will use to call the dog, then treat him. For example: Say the word "here Puddles" and give him a piece of bacon. Repeat multiple times during the day and each time give different treats (bacon, chicken..............................

Teach Stay

Trick #9 - Stay
A simple command that lets your dog know to stay put
Step 1: Have your dog sit. Click and treat.
Step 2: Say 'stay.' Wait six seconds. Say 'release' then click and treat.
Step 3: Say 'sit,' 'stay' and wait ten seconds. Say...................

Teach Heel

Trick #10 - Heel
Teach your dog to walk beside you without pulling
Step 1: Begin by having your dog on a leash looped to your belt on your left side. That way you don't have to use your hands to hold the leash.
Step 2: Should your dog pull on the leash—never go in the direction that your dog is pulling.
Step 3: When your dog is close to you with his.........................

Teach Take It

Trick #11 - Take It
This command tells your dog to pick up an item you point to
Step 1: Get one of your dog's favorite toys and set it on the ground. Wait for him to pick it up in his mouth. Click and treat.
Step 2: Repeat this several times. When he starts picking up the toy without hesitation, start using the command take it when you click and treat.
Step 3: After a few times of that, see if he will.............................

Teach Leave it

Trick #12 - Leave It
This is not just a trick, it can save your dog's life
Step 1: With your dog on a leash, let her smell the dog biscuit - then drop it two or three feet in front of her.
Step 2: Call her by name and say "leave it" as she starts for the treat. Restrain her with the leash.
Step 3: When your dog looks at you, click and treat with the chicken cube. Praise her as she gives up the...........................................

Teaching Bring It

Trick #13 - Bring It
This command tells your dog to bring you an object
Step 1: Tell your dog to get a toy by using the "Take It" command.
Step 2: Encourage your dog to come towards you with the toy. Click and treat if he brings it towards you a few steps. Do this a few times.
Step 3: Keep encouraging him to come nearer to you with the toy. Click and treat when he comes to you with the toy..........................

Have Your Dog Learn Names Of Things

Trick #14 - Learn names of everything
Teach your dog the names of household items
Step 1: Have your dog touch your hand and click treat.
Step 2: Hold the object in your hand and say touch. Click treat when he touches the object not when he touches your hand.
Step 3: Call the object by its name (tug, squeaky, bunny, etc.) just as he touches it. Click and treat............................................................

Have Your Dog Ring A Bell

Trick #15 - Bell

Teach your dog to ring a jingle-bell when he needs to go outside
Step 1: Use a training stick to target the bell.
Step 2: When he touches the bell, click and treat.
Step 3: When he touches the bell on his own, click and jackpot.
Step 4: Whenever you take him outside, have him touch the bell first. The reward is to open the door...........................................................

Teach Your Dog To Eliminate On Command

Trick #16 - Eliminate on Command
Teaching this is better than spending hours outside on a rainy day
Step 1: Designate a specific spot in your yard to make clean-up easier.
Step 2: Wait until he finishes eliminating, then click and treat.
Step 3: Do this each time, introducing a command such as "Park" or "Find a good spot."
Step 4: Be consistent, but vary the reward........................................

Teach Your Dog To Leap<

Trick #17 - Leap
Teach Your Dog To Leap Over A stick
Step 1: Have your dog sit and stay while you lay a stick on the ground. Cross over to the other side of the stick and call your dog. As soon as the dog crosses the stick, click and treat.
Step 2: Do this a few more times before adding height to the stick by placing a couple of thick books underneath it. Click and treat while he is crossing the stick..........................................................................

Have Your Dog Leap Through A Hoop<

Trick #18 - Jumping Through A Hoop
Using the 'leap' command, teach your dog to jump through hoops
Step 1: Let your dog get used to the hoop. Set it on the ground; click and treat when he approaches it.
Step 2: Have a helper hold the hoop (do not elevate the hoop) on the floor in front of him.
Step 3: Call your dog or lure him through the hoop. Click and treat as he walks through the hoop................................................................

Have Your Dog Jump Over People

Trick #19 - Jumping People
This is a great backyard circus trick
Step 1: If your dog can comfortably jump over a stick elevated about 25 inches from the ground then you can begin to teach him to jump over people who are on their hands and knees in the crawl position.
Step 2: Have your dog jump over the stick. Click & treat. (repeat a few times).
Step 3: Have a helper kneel............................................................

Teach Your Dog Places

Trick #20 - Go to a place
Teach your dog to go to an previously assigned spot or marker
Step 1: Have your dog touch the training stick. Click and treat.
Step 2: Place a piece of tape or a disk on the floor. Use the training stick to point to the marker, and click/treat when he is on that spot. Practice this several times until your dog knows to go to the marker to get his treat.
Step 3: Call the marker by its name (mark, spot, disk, etc.) just as he steps into it. Click and treat. Repeat until...........................................