How To Train Your Dog to Bow

Teaching your dog to perform commands is both gratifying and healthy for you and your dog. Your dog needs to feel useful to keep him from getting bored. Dogs really want to work for you. Additionally, a well trained dog makes a happier owner. Teaching your dog is the most rewarding thing you can do for him. It takes tons of patience to train a dog, but its well worth the investment of time and effort.

Your dog should be able to perform a host of commands and know that he is pleasing you as he obeys. As you go through all of the commands he knows, be sure to give them in varied order. If you stick to the same order all the time, your dog will just go through all the motions to earn a treat or praise even before you give the commands. Dogs are very smart, and they want nothing more than to please you. A poorly trained dog is certainly a reflection on it's owner, and is not always a pleasure to have around. Most poor training is a direct result of humans who do not know how to get the dog to understand what the owner wants, and not a lack of intelligence on the dog's part.

To teach your dog to bow, you must first teach him to stand on command.

1. Raise the dog to all fours and lavish him with praise.
2. Relate his standing posture to a word. The word you choose doesn't matter as long as you make it short and sweet. Use the word every time you catch him standing still, and practice the command with him. He will quickly learn to associate the word with the command.
3. Once he has learned to execute the stand command consistently you can begin to teach him to bow.
4. At first, hold one of your hands under his belly so he can't sit. Try first with very light touch. If necessary, put more pressure on his belly until he understands that you don't want him to sit or lie down.
5. Take a treat and wave it from above his head, and wave it gently, with medium speed, towards the floor. As you move the treat, repeat the command word you choose to use. The normal reaction for him will be to follow the treat down to the floor with his nose.
6. Keep your other hand under his belly to keep him from lying down. Associate a command word with the action, and repeat it once each time you practice the action. Always praise him exuberantly for any positive action. Slowly begin to remove your hand from under his belly. Keep practicing the movements until he can get it every time without fail.

Good luck and happy practicing!