Halloween is right around the corner, even if the weather doesn’t feel like it. While you’re making fall plans, maybe getting a costume together or going to a pumpkin patch, you can also get into the spooky spirit at home with your dog. After all, we need them to be prepared for trick or treating! Although in this case it’s more like trick and treating. The possibilities are endless when it comes to cute tricks, but here’s a couple ideas to get you started!
Hold a Bucket:
This one is a personal favorite of mine. It’s especially cute for photos, and you can use it for other holidays as well (think Christmas gift bag or Easter basket!)
Step 1: Get a toy your dog likes and some treats. Entice your dog to grab the toy from your hand. Feel free to tease them with it and be a little goofy. As soon as they bite down, say “yes” and give a treat.
Some dogs will get so excited about the treats that they ignore the toy. In this case, you can use a second toy as the reward.
Step 2: Start having them hold the toy a little longer before you say “yes.” We want them to hold it, not just bite it and let go. When you say “yes” they should drop the toy to get their treat. If they drop it before you say “yes,” don’t reward, just try again. Continue building this up until they can hold it for at least a few second at a time. At this stage they can be standing and moving around with it in their mouth.
Note: your timing on saying “yes” matters a lot with this trick. Make sure you say “yes” while they are still holding the toy, not as they are dropping it.
Step 3: Have them hold the toy while they are sitting still. Ask them to sit, then hold the toy out for them to take. This is a little less fun for them than being silly with the toy, so go back to just asking for a one-second hold and build the time back up.
Step 4: Add in your verbal cue. I usually say “hold” or “take it” for this trick. Repeat step 3, but insert the verbal cue as they are taking the toy.
Step 5: Get your Halloween bucket and treat it just like your toy, starting at step 1. Since it’s a strange object, they may be hesitant to take it at first, so be ready to say “yes” and treat as soon as they bite down. Work your way back through the steps until they can sit still holding it for a few seconds at a time. Then just keep adding time until they can hold it long enough for you to snap pictures!
If they really don’t like holding the bucket, try padding the handle so it’s easier to grab and hold!
Play Dead: Don’t worry, they’ll come back to life! Although they may be a little… zombiefied. For their version, I have the dog end up flat on their side, but some dogs will also take to laying on their back for the final picture!
Step 1: Ask your dog to lay down. Then put a treat to their nose and lure their nose towards one of their back hips. If they roll onto one hip to get the treat, say “yes” and give them the treat.
If they are stretching to get the treat but aren’t rolling onto a hip, hold the treat still, letting them nibble at it, until they eventually shift onto their hip.
If they get up from the down position, just ask them to lay down again and retry.
Step 2: Once you’ve gotten them to roll onto their hip a couple times, you can ask for a more. Keep the treat magnetized to their nose and lure them over a bit further so they’re on their side. Then, get their head flat on the ground. Continue the lure until it is on the ground. As soon as their head touches the ground and they are entirely flat on their side, say “yes” and give them the treat.
Step 3: Fading the lure: Repeat steps 1-3 but without the treat in your hand. Have the treats ready to go in your other hand so that you can still quickly reward them.
Step 4: Add duration. Have them stay in the full “dead” position for longer and longer before you give the treat. Start with a second or two at first and go at their pace.
Step 4: Start to stand up, moving your luring hand further and further from their face with each repetition. Eventually this will become a hand signal that you can do while standing straight up. Go slow here, you may only get an inch further away at a time.
Step 5: Add the verbal cue. Some ideas are “play dead” or “bang bang!”
Beg: They can’t talk, so they’ll have to ask for their treats somehow! If you have a really talented pooch, you can even combine this one with the bucket holding trick, but don’t try that until they’re really good at both tricks separately.
Step 1: Ask your dog to sit. Then stick the treat right to their nose and move it straight up into the air. As soon as their feet start to leave the ground, even just a half inch, mark and treat.
Step 2: Lure them a bit further up so that they are in the full “beg” position. Mark and treat as soon as they are in the position you like.
As you are getting them higher up, some dogs will try to fully stand on their hind legs rather than sitting back on their haunches. If this happens, move the treat a bit slower, and reward earlier in the process before they start to stand
Step 3: Fade the lure. Repeat the previous steps, but without a treat in your hand. They may be more hesitant at first. Be ready to reward any upward movement with a treat in your other hand. Then, just like in the previous trick, start to stand up more yourself and make your hand signal smaller.
Step 4: Increase duration, ask them to stay up for longer and longer before you mark and reward. If your dog struggles with this at first, it may be because they’re using muscles that don’t normally get worked. It can take time for them to be able to psychically hold this position, even if they understand what you want.
Step 5: Add your verbal cue. You can use “sit pretty,” “stick em’ up,” “beg,” or, if you want to keep it festive, “trick or treat!”
Some dogs will pick up on these faster than others, so if you need to stick at an easier step for awhile, that’s okay! These are general steps that can be tweaked depending on your individual dog. Practice each trick for no more than 5-10 minutes at a time to keep it fun for you and your dog.
I hope you have fun trying out one or more of these with your pup!
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