Old Dogs, New Tricks

It's true that the best time to teach a dog to do tricks is when he's a puppy. That's because he's predisposed to exploring his world through play. But even a dog who's never learned a single trick or been trained to love learning can do new tricks - at any age. The secret is the 3 Ps �?

Patience, praise, petting, & plenty of treats!

The first thing to take into account is your dog's breed. Does he even have the capacity to do the trick you're hoping to see? For instance, a St. Bernard will never be able to walk around on his hind legs. However, the basics are within reach. Just lavish plenty of attention on him while instructing and have "lessons" regularly.

Soon, provided you're following the 3 Ps, he'll get the routine down and look forward to pleasing you.

Give him plenty of love when training him. Use tasty goodies to encourage him to perform, too. Most important of all is patience. Keep at it and eventually you'll succeed.

Try these three easy tricks:

• Shake hands - Some people will instruct their dog to "give me your paw" or just "paw." Whatever your command, use it and only it, again and again. Show him, gently, how to do it. Lift his paw and repeat the command. Then reward him with a treat. Repeat the whole process again and again. Soon he'll associate the action with the instruction and want to learn others.
  
  
• Turn around - Begin with a treat in your hand, facing him. Give the command "turn around," then slowly move the treat in a circle. He'll follow your hand. When he's completed a revolution, give him the treat and plenty of petting.
  
  
• Play dead - The secret to this is to teach him to lie down and remain still until you command him to get up. Lure him into the prone position with the promise of the treat. Make sure he sees it. When he's still, remain closely focused on him but don't give him the treat. Only when you say "okay" should you allow him to get up and have his treat.

Once you have these tricks down, improvise. Make up some new ones and have fun together. Learning new tricks is a great way to give your dog much needed mental exercise, as well as keep him young at heart.