Dog Cleans His Own Paws Trick Overview
Can you really get your dog to clean his own paws? Yes, it is possible! This dog training exercise, taken from the Dog Training Planner, will create a situation where your dog will naturally clean his paws, allowing you to capture the behaviour.
The 5 Steps
If you scroll down a bit, you’ll see that I’ve written out all the steps from the video for you. I know. I know. I really am that nice (lol).
Videos are great if you’re a visual learner!
Most people learn dog training drills best by first watching a video tutorial, and then having the written steps available during the training session, so they don’t get confused (Hey, if you want to completely avoid confusion, you might like to get your paws on my Dog Training Planner).
Step 1: Creating Success
Get a rug and hid a food treat inside it.
Hide it well enough so your dog has to use its paws to find it (not its nose). Click and give a food treat every time your dog uses his paw. Repeat until your dog understands that scratching the rug gets the click and treat.
Step 2: Verbal Cue
Repeat step 1 and include the verbal cue (e.g. “Dirt“).
Step 3: Open Rug
Repeat step 2 and open the rug.
Step 4: Wipe Both Paws
Give a single reward when your dog scratches the rug with one paw and give a jackpot (e.g. lots of food treats) for using both paws. The idea is to keep your dog guessing which paw he has to wipe with to get the click and treat.
Step 5: Clean Paws
Generalise this behaviour on different rugs and different environments.
Before you go, read on to discover the secret sauce to dog training success...
Loving Leadership
Have a philosophy of loving leadership when training your dog.
As a loving leader, you should be constantly working on the communication pathways with your dog. At the bare minimum, your dog should also have some basic commands such as the lie-down command, sit command, and stay command.
When your dog knows a few basic dog obedience commands he or she will feel loved because they know what you want and have no anxiety or fear about what they should be doing and when.
Once your dog has a few commands under his or her belt (I mean, collar), practice behaviour dog training, command dog training and tricks dog training regularly to ensure your dog is physically and mentally healthy. As you are probably acutely aware, untrained dogs have a way of taking over the control of a home if not taught otherwise (which can be a nightmare). A trained dog, however, will bring years of doggie love to your household.
Pssst. Don't tell anyone, but you can become a loving leader by getting your paws on my Dog Training Planner. You can get my Dog Training Planner for a limited time at a 70% discount.
