Perhaps one of the cutest tricks you can teach your dog, 'roll over' definitely gets the aww factor. It's actually an easier trick to teach than you might think. Spending quality time with your pooch teaching them a few basic tricks is great for your bond and also improving your dog's response to training. Plus, a quick training session is a brilliant way to give your pooch some mental stimulation. Here is how to teach your dog to roll over.
Lie down
Before your dog can master roll over, you need to make sure they know how to do a 'down' or 'lie down' on command. Why? Because it's much easier to teach a roll over if your dog is lying down first. To teach your pooch 'lie down' get them to sit and then use a treat to lure them down to the ground. Keep repeating this until they get the idea, then say 'down' before you start to lure them and they will soon get the idea (hopefully!).
Once laying down
Next, you need to encourage your dog to roll over by luring them with a tasty treat. Hold the treat close to your dog's nose in one hand, and then move your hand from their nose towards their shoulder in a circular motion. Your dog should follow the treat right round until their body naturally flops over. Once they have done this, keep moving the treat to try and get them back into a lay down position. This ensures they always finish the trick properly rather than just flopping on their side or jumping up.
Repeat, repeat, repeat
Now you've got the idea, you simply need to repeat this process over and over again. Once they can easily roll over following your treat and start to down it voluntarily before you move the treat, start giving the 'roll over' cue before you begin the trick.
This way they will start to understand what they are expected to do when you say roll over. Again, repeat this until you can simply say roll over and they willingly perform the trick without needing direction. And voila! You can film them being adorable and post their new trick on social media to show off to all your friends.
And then
Now you have taught your dog roll over, the sky's the limit! Why not teach Fido some more clever tricks and continue your their training? Other tricks to try after roll over include 'spin' (spinning around), ''speak'' (barking on command) and 'beg' (sitting back on their hind legs and putting their front paws up as if begging).