No, I haven’t suddenly got religion – this is the latest trick you can teach your dog.
Welcome to a new week in our Coronavirus Canine Challenge. We’re just entering the fourth week of lockdown with at least two more to come and I must say I’m feeling a bit frustrated more than anything now. I want to go to our old haunts for walks – the local walks are getting very routine now and especially I want get out and meet my friends and family again.
But I can’t.
I hope you are enjoying the Challenges and selfishly, I have to say it helps me, too, as I can at least talk to you all online. Keep your training videos coming – I love to see what you’re all up to.
Today’s challenge is to teach your dog to say his prayers. The easiest way to see what I’m talking about is to watch the video, but here’s a short description of how to do it.
The first stage is to teach your dog to put their paws up on your horizontal arm. Start by holding your arm horizontal to the ground and across the front of their chest. Praise or click and treat for any movement of the paw onto your arm. If you’ve taught a “paw” cue that can help, but you want to persevere until your dog puts both paws up.
Be careful not to hold your arm too high – it should be easy for your dog to place his paws. Build a little time for them to stay in that position. I add a cue at this stage of “hup” as once your dog’s put their paws up, there are several other tricks you can teach.
But today we’re going to try prayers, which is your dog putting his head down behind your arms and between his paws.
Once you’ve got a good “hup”, simply lure by holding a treat under your horizontal arm against your dog’s nose then luring his nose down behind your arm – and that’s prayers. Add the cue and drop the lure as soon as your dog has the idea.
Do share your videos in the Challenge group.
Keep training and keep safe,
Carol