The Puppy Experiment

One of the most rewarding things about raising a dog from puppyhood is seeing her development from a tiny, wide-eyed poo-monster into a sentient, clever, and strategic human trainer. Our trainer has taught us to give her treats whenever she does a consistent routine of movements that make us laugh, called “tricks”. In all seriousness though, it’s amazing how quickly our Havanese picked up these tricks, some within a matter of minutes. As simple as they may be, she’s got them down pat. It probably has a lot to do with her breed, which has a reputation for making good circus dogs.

note: Any training, tricks or obedience, is much easier when the dog is tired. Try taking him/her out for an hour walk or long romp around a dog run and you’ll find it much easier to keep their attention focused on you. Remember to give them lots of affection and praise when they do a successful trick. Try not to get frustrated if they don’t get it right away, as you’ve got to make training time a positive bonding activity for you and your dog. Keep consistent and practice routinely.

::THE EASY::
Sit
-hold the treat over dog’s head
-say “sit” while pushing the butt down with your hand into sitting position

Lie Down
-from “sit”, hold the treat down lower to the ground
-say “lie down” and push head down with your hand into lying down position

note: Sometimes with those above 2 tricks, you don’t even have to manually push anything down. They follow the treat, so it’s good to keep the visual cues consistent for them to follow. Eventually they’ll understand the vocal commands alone.

::SMARTIE PANTS::
Roll Over
-from “lie down”, roll dog over onto back with one hand and keep hand on tummy
-hold treat above dog, say “rollover”, and let go of tummy
- ta-da! rollover. repeat while waving treat in circular motion as visual cue

Up
-from “sit” position, hold treat way above dog’s head
-say “up” and reward with treat when dog stands up on hind legs
(may require manual prodding)

Walk
-from “up” position, keep treat above dog’s head
-move treat away from dog while saying “walk”
(Move treat away an inch at a time and reward as long as dog stays on hind legs.)

Circle
-from “up” position, keep treat above dog’s head
-move treat in circular motion above their head while saying “circle”
(Start with walking dog around in big circles and eventually make tighter, smaller circles. They’ll follow the treat.)

::BONUS ROUND::
Bang!
-from “lie down” position, roll dog over to his/her side
-keep hand on dog to keep in position
-with other hand mimic a gun
-say “bang!”
-hold dog down manually for few seconds before rewarding with treat
(Notice you may not have an extra hand to be holding out a treat. Helpful to have your friend/partner/spouse/roommate/parent to hold out the treat as a reminder for dog to focus on and look forward to.)

::ALTOGETHER NOW::