OLD DOG, NEW TRICKS

T Teach h your pooch some popular skills

Coaching your dog through tricks is a fun way to work on your leadership and bond. “Plus it helps to keep them mentally and physically stimulated as well,” says Lara Shannon, author of Eat, Play, Love (Your Dog), and presenter at the Sydney Dog Lovers Show in 2022. Here are her steps for getting your pup doing a few classic moves.

High five

1

Have your dog start in a sit and have a treat in both hands. 2 Make a tight fist with one hand and place it in front of your dog’s nose. 3

Hold still and your dog should soon become impatient and paw at your fist. 4

At the exact moment they lift their paw and touch your hand, mark it (ie, say “Yes!”, “Good dog!” or use a clicker). 5

Keep repeating until they are reliably understanding the game. 6

Then with no treat, hold a flat palm up to your dog’s nose and say “high five”. 7

Mark it when they touch your palm and release treat with the other hand.

8

Keep practising with small fun sessions each day and then start releasing treats less regularly (but always mark with “Yes!” or “Good dog!” to keep them motivated).

Roll over

1

On a soft ground or carpet, ask your dog to “drop” or “down”. 2 Kneel next to them and hold a treat to the side of their nose. 3 Move your hand slowly from their nose to their shoulder, then in a slow upwards arc to lure them to roll flat on their side. 4 Mark and release treat when they lay on their side with their head on the floor. 5

Praise and practise until reliably doing this, then move to next stage. 6

When on their side, move your hand/treat from their shoulder to their backbone so they roll onto their back, then continuing the movement until they roll onto the other side. 7

Always go slowly and keep up the praise. 8

As they become reliable, you can start to add the cue words “roll over”.