My dog is obsessed with the “take a bow” command that I’m trying to teach her. She enjoys interacting with people and even more so the treats. After she perfects this new skill, I would like to continue teaching her and interacting with her in order to further our already strong bond.
Which tips would you suggest?
She is aware already:
sit
down
Continue
visit the location
paw
kiss
heel
I like to teach a mix of fun tricks and practical ones that have real-world value.
Also, teach your dog the names of everyone in the house and the names of their toys. Then, you can play hide and seek with people or by hiding a favorite toy, like “find [name]” or “find your bear.”
In puppy courses in the UK, I learned “center” as “middle” (my parents, in a different region of the country, also learned this).
I use it frequently, so it seems like a typical command to teach these days, and for good cause.
At first, I just thought it was a neat trick to teach my dog, but I’ve encountered circumstances when parents with little children were scared to pass me on a few occasions. It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to tell the parent, “Just give me a minute,” tell my dog to center and then inform them with confidence that my dog won’t move while they pass.
It also gives me time to bond with my dog.
My dog would need several tries to select an item by name if I placed five on the floor and instructed her to do so. She will understand it, though, if you repeat it to her. About 80% of the time, when I instruct my dog to “bring her leash” (or shoes, or a bone, etc.), she complies. She won’t concentrate if she’s thrilled and will just bring the first odd item she finds that she believes will make me happy.
I think I should give you a clearer explanation of how I teach my dog to recognize things by name. Here’s how I do it:
First, I get her attention by signaling her to look at me, then I point to the object I want her to learn and clearly say its name three times. Next, I place the object on the floor and ask her to bring it. For example, when teaching her “leash,” I pointed to my eyes to ensure she was focused, then pointed to the leash and said “leash” three times. After that, I put the leash on the floor, took a step back, and said, “find your leash.” When she put her nose on the leash, she got a reward. Then, I asked her to “bring me your leash,” and if she picked it up and brought it to me, she received another reward.
It’s important to take this process slowly. Don’t expect your dog to learn more than one item a week, as they might get confused. Be patient—if your dog doesn’t understand, walk them to the item, point at it, and say its name again. Then, have them bring it to you for the reward.
This also makes for a great party trick. You can use the same technique with people’s names. Point to someone, say their name three times, and then when your dog looks back at you, say, “Find [name].” Your pup will then turn back to the person and put their nose on them.
Thanks for the detailed description! I’ll take a step back and try to teach her the name of one item slowly like you do, instead of jumping straight to choosing between two items.