How to teach your dog to roll over is just one of many simple and fun tricks to teach your dog. Before you begin, keep in mind that your workouts should be short and fun. This dog trick is deceptively exhausting and when your dog turns around, he’ll be using muscles he may not use frequently, so think about how many reps you’re doing. If your dog has a history of back injuries, talk to your vet before you start teaching him this trick to see if it’s right for your dog.
Before you teach your dog to roll over, you’ll need three things:
- Lots of little bits of great value treats (like turkey bacon or freeze-dried beef liver).
- A quiet place where your dog can concentrate without too many distractions.
- A comfortable and supportive surface. Work this trick on a mat or yoga mat if you only have hard floors in your home. The goal is to provide support and traction for your dog when rolling over.
Steps to teach your dog to roll over
Step 1: Ask your dog to lie down. If your dog doesn’t know how to lie down at the right time, use a treat in front of your dog’s nose and slowly move your hand backwards towards your dog’s chest and down to the floor until your dog is in lying position, then praise and treat him. your dog.
2nd step: Once your dog is in a down position, use a high value treat and hold it against your dog’s nose. Then slowly move your hand towards your dog’s shoulder. As you do this, make sure your dog’s nose stays on the treat. As your dog’s nose moves back towards his shoulder, your dog’s body will begin to collapse to the side. When your dog is lying on its side, praise it and treat it.
Step 3: When your dog comfortably follows the treat to turn sideways, keep your dog focused on the treat and slowly bring the treat back towards your dog’s shoulder. When your dog’s nose is on the treat, his head and then his body will follow the treat. When you bring your dog’s head back to his shoulder, your dog will roll onto his back. As your dog follows the treat and turns around, praise and treat him!
Step 4: Practice, and when you’re sure your dog will follow the lure and turn around, introduce your verbal cue of choice like “Roll.” As your dog follows the lure and turns around, say “Roll” and then praise and treat your dog as he completes the turn.
Step 5: As your dog becomes more confident with the behavior, phase out your lure (the treat) and just move on to waving. To do this, first remove the treat from your hand and just lure it with your hand and treat it after your dog turns around. Then reduce your hand signal.
If your dog hesitates or seems nervous at any time during the process of teaching your dog to roll over, go back to the previous step and practice this stage for a few sessions until your dog is confident. Then go to the next step.
