05/16/2021
Canine Freestyle and Tricks
Got a dog with focus issues? Work hard on your tricks. Is your dog lacking in his recall? Work those tricks! I know what you’re thinking: why teach tricks when your dog’s recall is lacking? I used to wonder the same thing, until I saw the power of trick training with my own dogs. Training your dog to shake-a-paw or rollover is not going to magically train them to come when they are called. What it will do is the following:
Build Relationship
There’s that word again… relationship. Think of relationship as the bond you have with your dog. Having that bond is important in all aspects of training. Some dogs are easy to build a bond with while others, who are more independent, may take a bit more work to build that relationship. Whatever type of dog you have, tricks will help you build a good working relationship. It will help you establish the idea that you bring good things. Dogs love to think and learn and once they’ve had a chance to build skills, they’ll want more! Teaching them to high 5 and spin will help them learn to look to you for a little bit of ‘brain-flexing’. If the next skill on your list is teaching a great recall, you’ll have a more willing partner after some trick training.
