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You can teach your dog more tricks if you try

By Gina Spadafori

published 01/17/1999

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Looking for a way to keep your dog occupied on those days when it’s just too cold outside to play? Consider exercising his mind.

One of the biggest shames in all of dogdom is how few things most people teach their dogs. What many people don’t realize is that training is a way of communicating with your dog, of sharing a common language. The more words you both know the meaning of, the more you are sharing your lives.

How many words can your dog know? A lot more than you can imagine, I’m guessing. Consider that dogs who help wheelchair users are routinely trained to perform dozens of different tasks — more than a hundred in some cases. And if you argue that your dog is not as smart as a service dog, I’ll argue back that even if he’s only half as smart, he can learn a couple of dozen more things than he knows now.

Besides, tricks are great fun for any dog of any age. While canine whiz kids such as poodles and border collies will pick up things quickly, any dog will catch on eventually, if you’re patient, consistent and encouraging. You can teach tricks one at a time or a couple at once, as long as you’ve time to practice each one a couple of times a day.

Some dogs are better at some tricks than others. A small, agile terrier may find jumping through hoops easier than a bulldog would. And a retriever is probably more willing to hold things in his mouth than is a Pekinese. A basset hound can probably roll over but may find begging a little hard, being a little top-heavy. So think about your dog’s form and aptitudes before you start. You may notice something special your dog does that would be entertaining if you can get him to do it on command. You can. Give it a name, use that word when he’s most likely to do his thing, and praise him for “obeying.” He’ll make the connection soon enough.

I did that with Benjamin, the big retriever, who makes a sound that’s halfway between a bark and a howl when it’s time for his breakfast. I called it “woo-woo” and started saying “woo-woo” just when I could see his mouth preparing to make this sound. When he did, high praise. Now he “woo-woos” on command.

You can dress up tricks a little, too, to make them seem more than they are. I was once at an event where a prize was given for the best dog trick. The winner had a Rottweiler who liked to jump in the air after soap bubbles, which wasn’t that big a deal, really, except for the fact that the owner turned it into a trick that had the crowd roaring with laughter. The woman put a ballerina skirt around the dog’s middle, with matching pink leg warmers on her back legs and a tiara on her head. She then put some “Swan Lake” in her portable stereo and starting blowing bubbles. The dog’s leaps and turns were a million times funnier when so choreographed, and the pair won easily.

Start thinking about your dog’s special talents. Next week I’ll offer tips on how to teach your pet some basic tricks.