Teaching Tricks Can Be a Good Training Tool
I’ve talked about the benefits of training even just the basics for your dog, but everyone wants to have a little fun, too 😉 We know that our clients want to have fun with their dogs, that’s why you got them in the first place! One of the fun ways to interact with your dog is to teach tricks. And besides being fun, tricks are good tools to help train your dog. What are some of the benefits?
How tricks can help with training:
- It helps bring the family together with training. We’ve worked with countless families where the kids want to get involved with the training, but may be just a bit too young to do all the obedience. Or, we’ve had kids that were scared of the dog (or just didn’t want to interact with it anymore) because of the playbiting or jumping. Tricks are an easy way to get your kids involved. They have fun teaching the tricks, and your dog is learning to listen to/respect the kids – which helps teach your dog that your kids are higher up on the pack than they are.
- It mentally stimulates your dog. Think back – way back for some of us ;-P Remember when you learned something new or had to take a test and you felt tired afterwards? Learning is mentally stimulating (and in a sense challenging) for your dog. Teaching tricks is just one other way for them to learn. It is always done in a positive way (at least with our company), and so it’s also a lot of fun for your dog. So, who wouldn’t want to keep learning? And when your dog keeps learning, they wear themselves out 😀
- It is fun (for you and them!). It is – I’m just stating the facts. We generally teach dogs tricks with treats (or something else just as rewarding to the dog, like a ball). So who wouldn’t want to keep getting a yummy treat or play a game of fetch after learning something? I know I get more excited about learning when there’s a reward in it for me 😉
- It helps expand their capabilities. You’ve heard it before with humans – keep your brain stimulated and you live longer/are happier/whatever. I say apply the same thought process to your dog. Have you ever watch your dog’s eyes when they are learning and it “clicks”? I swear they light up. I see more tail wags, and their body language just looks happy to be there and learning. And the more you learn, you more you are capable of learning.
- Some tricks are actually functional. There are several tricks in our programs that actually serve a purpose. We don’t consider them as obedience commands, but they can still help you in your everyday life. Drop it/take it are retrieving skills – but drop it can be handy if your dog had something in their mouth you don’t want them to (dangerous or not). Our most popular trick is ringing a bell to alert they need to go outside for housebreaking. Hey, if you’re going to teach some tricks, why not do some that help you out, too?
- You can show your dog off to your friends and family. OK, this is more selfish and not really a tool…but who doesn’t like to show off what their dog learned? Consider it a bonus for all your hard work!
OK, I’m in – now what?
In this day and age, there are LOTS of ways to teach a dog tricks. YouTube is helpful, and then there is the old-fashioned way of reading a book. If you’re like a lot of people, visual learning is the best way, and having someone in person to teach you is the most helpful. We would love to help you any way we can!
Related: Do You Know Our Tools of the Trade?
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