How to teach a dog to roll over?
Rollover is a great fun activity that can be entertaining for both dog and owners. To teach your dog to roll over on the floor, try to train them to lay down and further help them flip to their preferable side. In the final stage, introduce the “Roll Over” command to complete their training activity.
Rollover is such a cute and fun gesture activity to teach your canine. It’s a total crowd-pleaser, and when people find that your dog can roll over, it totally impresses them. But how do you teach a rollover to a dog?
Today, in this blog post, I will provide you with the step-by-step process to teach a proper rollover cycle to your four-legged companion. And do you know, you can teach your dog to rollover in just 5 minutes?
But before we start, make sure you’re practicing this strategy in a calming environment that is known for your dog. Rolling over can be uncomfortable for some dogs, so it’s important to provide them the proper comfort in the form of mats, carpets, or even grass. So, without any further ado, let’s dive straight into this lovely strategy…
- How To Teach A Dog To Roll Over?
- Step 1: Use Treats As A Motivation Bait
- Step 2: Help Them Lay Down Onto Their Side
- Step 3: Help Them To Flip To The Other Side
- Step 4: Bring All The Steps Together
- Step 5: Introducing The Final Command To Roll Over
- 7 Things To Take Care While Teaching Roll Over To Dogs
- Final Thoughts
How To Teach A Dog To Roll Over?
Teaching your dog the rollover technique might seem a big and complicated task. Adult and senior dogs find it hard to learn this technique compared to younger dogs. But with proper pieces of training and determination, you can induce this new command to your dog’s mind. Below are the 5 simple steps for teaching rollover to your dog:
Step 1: Use Treats As A Motivation Bait
Before beginning the process, hold some dog treats in your hand. The treats work as luring baits and are a great way to motivate any pet to listen to you carefully. Rehearse the trick in a safe, comfortable room that will help your canine to calm and relax.
When your dog is calm, bring the treat closer to their nose and then lower their nose all the way down to their paws. Let them eat the treat, and this will help in laying down. So, the first step in rolling over is to make them lay down using the “LAY DOWN” command. Repeat the process 4-5 times and compliment them every time they respond positively to the command.
Step 2: Help Them Lay Down Onto Their Side
The next step in this amazing rollover technique is to let your dog lay down to its side. To do this, use a treat to lower their nose again, but this time to their shoulder. This is to encourage them to flip onto their side.
Most dogs have their preferred laying side, such as right or left, so identify your dog’s favorite lying side and work with getting them to lie on that side. Try complimenting them for each successful move to encourage them for more.
While your dog may respond well on the first session, it doesn’t guarantee that they will behave the same every time. Your pup may jump up or move its head around to the opposite side to obtain its treats. To deal with this, you can cut off the training section into simple parts. Stop providing your canine a treat for every head roll. Only offer treats for the head rolls to their preferred lying sides. Keep rewarding their baby steps and movements to make them reliable for moving on the next step.
Related: How To Stop A Dog From Jumping On You?
Step 3: Help Them To Flip To The Other Side
Once your dog has learned to lie down on its preferred side, it’s time to teach them to flip to the other side. To achieve this, take a treat near their nose and lower their head to the other side until they flip their entire body over.
Your dog might not roll over right away, so it’s essential to reward them for small movements to complete this step. When doing the whole body flip correctly, compliment them with a bigger treat. By managing the treat and compliments the right way, you can gradually assign the manners that come closest to rolling over in your dogs.
Before moving to fourth step, repeat all the 3 steps until your dog becomes firm in each of them. When moving at a fast pace, it’s hard for dogs to remember all the steps correctly, and they might get confused.
Step 4: Bring All The Steps Together
Once your dog knows all the 3 movements, it’s time to bring everything together into a complete rollover cycle. So, we’ll use a treat again as bait and help them perform the entire rollover. Repeat this step to make their movements smooth and gradually reduce the treats.
Step 5: Introducing The Final Command To Roll Over
As your dog gets comfortable with the above commands, it’s time to introduce the “ROLL OVER” command to them. So, you’ll use this command with a treat in your hand to encourage them to perform an entire rollover.
Make sure you’re keeping the treat in your hand and only reward your pup when they complete a successful rollover. Clap and compliment them in the best ways for all their successful learning. Your ultimate goal should be to get a full rollover and gradually lower down on the treats. Later, just use your hand movements without any treat in your hand and reward them on the rollover completion.
And lastly, give the rollover command to them in a standing position, without rewarding them any treat but with compliments. Your dog will eventually learn to respond quickly and positively with proper training.
Here is a nice tutorial on how to teach rollover to your dog:
7 Things To Take Care While Teaching Roll Over To Dogs
While the rollover technique seems simple to teach your dog, some of the parts of this technique take time to master. Every dog has their capabilities and learning skills, so don’t judge your dog if they are not responding well to this technique. Remember, with patience and determination; you can teach any command to your dog. Below are 7 things that need to be taken care of while teaching rollover to your canine:
1. Avoid Negative Enforcements
Never lift your voice or physical harm and beat your pup. Canines don’t react well to negative reinforcement and start ignoring you when forced for something. Negative reinforcement not only makes your dog hate you but also destroys your bond with them.
2. Try Different Starting Positions
Remember to implement the rollover commands from various starting positions. Your canine should be skilled in changing to the rollover from sitting, standing, or lying down. If your canine is not responding well to any of the steps, you can skip that step and move over to the next steps. Eventually, they’ll learn all the steps in some time, and you’ll be proud of them.
3. Don’t Hit
Again, Please don’t hit your pup if they doesn’t rollover. Slamming them will make them dislike the person who’s attempting to acquaint them with this command. Instead, offer them some delicious delights/treats so that they’ll have a motive to follow your commands.
4. Try To Give Treats Randomly
If your pet quits executing the trick, go back to providing the treats intermittently and randomly for a time. If you avoid providing treats too shortly, your pup may become frustrated and have no option other than to follow your command.
5. Avoid Distractions While Training
While training them on rolling over, avoid distractions around your canines. Few of the everyday distractions, such as toys, food bowls, TV, etc., can divert their minds, making it harder for them to concentrate fully on you. By avoiding all these stuff, your canine will find it easy to focus on your commands.
6. Be Calm & Gentle
Be gentle when dealing with the pup, and don’t compel him to roll over if he doesn’t seem to like it. While it may feel frustrating to you, some puppies don’t like exposing their stomachs, so you don’t have much choice.
7. Keep It Short And Simple
Don’t try to train your furry friend for more than ten or fifteen minutes per training session. Canines get tired after a while and need breaks. Even if they’re not reacting well and not learning anything, don’t force them and let them play on their own.
Final Thoughts
Training a pup to rollover can be a bit difficult at first, but in the long run, it’s a cute and simple gesture that will entertain you. So, don’t give up!
Your canine is more intelligent than you can even guess! The above simple techniques and steps will aid you in advancing your dog training sessions. Try these excellent ways to make your dog rollover, and you will be surprised when you see your furry friend acquire the talents as quickly as possible. I hope you’ll enjoy this entertaining activity with your dog, and do not forget to share your results in the comment box.
Have A Happy And Fun Training!
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