Teach a Dog to Roll Over - A Cool Trick!
To teach a dog to roll over, you need to have a good handle on training a dog to do tricks. The easiest one to start with is paw shaking, and after that you can move on to rolling over. The beauty of teaching a dog to roll over is that it's one of the most classic tricks. Everyone wants to be able to get their dog to drop to the ground and roll over!
It looks adorable and dogs get a kick out of doing it!
It's a good idea to use a target stick when you teach a dog to roll over but it's not required. You'll have to learn to use your finger like you would a target stick. Just like other dog tricks and obedience commands, you're gong to start simple and build on that.
Make sure you have some treats on hand before you start. You are going to reward your dog every time they do a part of the trick the right way.
If you have a clicker you can use that too. Each time your dog makes the right motion you'll do a click and give them a treat immediately so they know they're doing the right thing. Some people make the clicking noise with their mouth, so it's up to you what you do.
It shouldn't take you longer than a week to teach your dog to roll over but remember that all breeds respond differently. As long as you are seeing some progress each time you practice, you have nothing to worry about. Be sure you keep your sessions shorter than 5 minutes a time so they don't get boring to your dog.
How to Teach a Dog to Roll Over
Have your dog sit down facing you. Take your target stick (or finger if you don't have one) and place it at the eye level of your dog. Slowly move it to either side of their nose in a clockwise or counter clockwise motion. You don't need to go too far.The goal is to get your dog to follow your finger or the target stick. When they do, give them a treat and make the clicking sound. You're helping them to see that when they follow your target stick or finger, they get rewarded.
Your dog will love this idea!
Practice moving your finger away from your dog's face a couple of times until they follow it without hesitation.
Once your dog has mastered that, you will be ready to build on it by moving your hand away farther in the same clockwise or counter clockwise direction you have chosen earlier. The key is to move far enough away that your dog can't just follow your finger without making much effort. They should have to really stretch to follow it.
Keep working with your dog by giving them a treat and clicking when they follow your finger or target stick.
The challenging part to teaching your dog how to roll over is getting them onto their backs. Most dogs will want to lie down when you get your finger to the ground, and this is a good start. When they are lying down, you need to physically help them to roll over.
This is really easy if you don't have a huge dog, as you just need to push on one side of their body. When they are on their back, make a click and give them a treat.
You might need to practice this part of the rolling trick for quite a while. The goal is to show your dog that when you make a half circle motion away from their nose they need to roll onto their backs. Once they are doing that without hesitation, you can show them how to go the rest of the way.
To get your dog to make the full roll, all you have to do is help the roll back over the right way. Sometimes they'll do this on their own, and other times they will. Make sure to only reward them when they a roll over the full way. When your dog eventually starts to understand the circular motion means to roll over, you have to get them used to doing it quickly and smoothly. You should also try to attach your command word like, "Roll" or "Spin."
After enough practice, your dog should be able to roll over with just a slight gesture and the command.
Some additional tips to remember when you teach a dog to roll over:
- Don't try to teach an older dog to roll over. Their bones and joints are likely not strong enough to be constantly going to the ground and springing back up to their feet.
- Be sure to practice this trick on a carpet or grassy area. Though it won't hurt your dog to roll on concrete if they are small enough, they'll be much more comfortable on a soft surface.
- Only move on to the next step if your dog has mastered the previous one. If you try to go too fast, your dog will get confused and might miss important parts of the trick. Their roll will end up looking sloppy this way.
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