Tricks to Teach Your Dog

New year, new me, right? The same goes for your dog! Old or new, it's always a fun idea to teach your dog some new tricks. Start off 2017 by practicing these tricks with your pooch.

High Five

This trick is easy to teach your dog and amuses everyone in the family. Start by having your dog sit and place a treat in from of him, slightly out of reach. Keep saying “high five” while lightly tapping one of his paws. He will eventually raise his paw to touch the treat, and this is when you catch the paw with your free hand. Keep this up until your dog performs the action on command. Then start tickling his paw so he raises it higher and higher. Repeat this until you both achieve the perfect high five!

Speak

Start by finding something that gets your dog excited - perhaps a toy or treat. If those don’t work, try ringing the doorbell. Wave the object around excitedly and get him excited in turn. Once your dog starts to bark, say “speak” right away and give him a treat or the toy as a reward. Repeat this until he barks with just the verbal request. Pro Tip: Try to limit the command to one bark. You don’t want your dog to think “speak” means a bark-fever.

Army Crawl

This a fun trick that also improves your dog’s physical fitness. Begin by having your dog lay down and a holding a treat in front of his nose. Make sure to hold the treat firmly so he can smell and lick it, but not grab it. Slowly start dragging the treat across the floor and praise your dog once he crawls a few feet; if he stands up to take the treat, take it back and start over. Over time, try to get you dog to crawl farther distances by having him crawl several feet toward you.

Once your dog masters these few tricks, try to teach him more difficult ones. Learning new tricks can have a positive effect on both your dog’s mental and physical health. At Berkeley Heights Animal Hospital, we are dedicated to helping keep your pet’s health in tip-top shape.

Berkeley Heights Animal Hospital is committed to helping you and your pet start off 2017 in the best possible way. If you need an Animal Hospital in Summit or New Providence, NJ, we are your trusted veterinarians. To make an appointment, call us today at 908-464-0023.