Trick - Roll Over

[Wooferhound]

1) Kneel down and position your dog in an upright down in front of you. Hold a treat close to your dogs nose with your knuckles facing down.

2) Turn your dogs’ nose towards his shoulder by moving your hand so that your knuckles face upwards and arching your arm over his head. If you are rolling your dog onto his left side, use your right hand. Keep moving your dogs’ nose around and upwards towards the point of his shoulders. Gradually he will become unbalanced.

3) Eventually your dog will reach a point where it is easier for him to flop onto his side, into a flat down. When your dogs’ head is on the floor, praise and treat.

4) Now repeat the luring pattern above, again moving your hand in a clockwise circle to turn your dogs’ head towards his side and then up to his shoulder. This time the movement of his head will cause his hind legs to follow, so he will roll over onto his other side. As soon as his body begins to flip over on to the other side, praise, once he is lying flat, treat.

5) Encourage your dog into an upright down by holding a treat at nose level and moving towards his feet. As he comes up, bring the food towards you. Practise several times before trying to do the roll over in one flowing move, without stopping in the flat positions. In time, add the ‘roll over’ command before praising and treating.

* Make sure you have the correct hand luring your dog, or you could end up in a knot with a rather confused dog!

*Aim to praise as your dog rolls, but when he is past the point of return, that way you reward the actual movement and it’s inevitable that he is going to achieve the full move.

*If your dog finds rolling from the flat down on one side to his other side difficult, help him initially by lifting his front paw nearest the floor.