As a dog owner, it would be very helpful for you to know how to teach a dog to play dead. You should teach your dog the play dead trick since it’s one of their best tricks that can make people laugh and amaze.
Although playing dead is not necessary as training your dog to sit and stay, most dogs can be taught to play dead with ease. For both the dog and people, it may be an entertaining trick to play at public parks.
Steps on How to Teach a Dog to Play Dead
“Play dead” is one of the most popular tricks to teach your dog. As fun and interesting as it is to teach your dog a skill like shaking or spinning, nothing beats playing dead.
You should know the proper way on how to teach a dog to play dead for fast and efficient training. It takes lots of dog treats, lots of laughs, and lots of time. It’s much easier to use a clicker.
Your dog will be acting dead in no time if you’re prepared and attentively follow a few basic procedures.
If you’ve ever wondered how to teach your dog to play dead, read on for some tips.
1. What You Need
To begin teaching your dog the play dead trick, all you need are a few of his favorite goodies. It is also a terrific way to use a clicker to teach your dog the play dead trick. Having a clicker on hand is essential if you decide to use this method of training for your dog.
2. Things to Consider Before you Teach your Dog to Play Dead
Attempting to learn how to train a dog to play dead when shot may make even the most patient person irritated to the point of giving up.
Don’t worry; this is a normal reaction when teaching a dog anything new. But it’s how you deal with that irritation that matters most.
You will need to be patient and determined to train a dog. Taking a break or taking a short break when feeling you’re at the end of your rope will help you get back on track.
Taking a few minutes to yourself may do wonders. Take a big breath in and count to ten as you relax. If you’re stressed, try this.
It’s important to take a few seconds to calm down before teaching your dog since dogs can tell if you’re on edge or irritated.
3. Start training them at young age
If you wait until a dog is an adult to begin training him, you run the risk of having to correct deeply entrenched bad habits.
It may be simpler to teach an older dog than a puppy in certain respects, such as the fact that senior canines tend to be calmer and less distracted.
4. Know your dog’s preference
Bear in mind the position your dog prefers while they are resting. It’s common for dogs to prefer one side of the body whether they’re rolling over or lying down.
If your dog has a preference for one side over the other, it will be simpler for them to learn to play dead if you use that side.
5. Wide and comfortable place to train
Look for a good place to train your dog with. Dog training should take place in a quiet, distraction-free location where you are in charge.
In the dog park, your dog will be quickly distracted by the other dogs, making it difficult for you to teach your dog the play dead trick.
It’s best to begin training in a place where there aren’t too many distractions. Puppies need a strong incentive to concentrate only on their trainer and that reward.
However, although a little piece of food is ideal, a beloved toy or an unusual canine treat may be more tempting. As an alternative, it may be beneficial to teach the dog right before its regular dinner.
A leash and a head collar provide additional control for pups who are stubborn or difficult to train, ensuring that the desired behavior and response to the command are achieved.
It is possible to encourage the puppy into a right reaction in this manner, and the pressure may be relieved as soon as you accomplish your goal.
6. Start with “down” command
The “down” command should be used. The verbal and physical signals that your dog is already accustomed with can help you get him into the down posture quickly and effectively.
Before you start training your dog to play dead, he should already know the “down” command. If he doesn’t know that one, work on that one first. Once he’s got that trick down, take some treats into your loosely-held fist, and get him into the “down” position.
7. Use some dog treats
Make your dog lie down on their back. With your first two fingers, hold a dog treat a few inches over your dog’s nose. In order to continue attracting your dog’s attention, bring your dog’s attention away from the reward and onto their side.
If your dog already knows how to “roll over,” he or she may roll all the way over while learning to “play dead.” Only give them the treat if they’re in the proper posture before you do so.
Your dog will start sniffing your hand. As he’s doing that, move your hand over his head, trying to encourage him to move onto his side.
The first few times you do this, you might have to use the fist holding the treats to lightly move your dog onto his side until he understands what you want him to do.
Using both hands, gently push him from the down position to the side. Reward him for laying down by giving him a treat.
You may also get him to lay down by offering him food. Holding a treat in front of his nose will accomplish this. Then, whether he’s leaning to the right or left, place the treat on his left or right shoulder, respectively.
He will finally lay down on his side as he twists his head to get to the goodie. Give him positive feedback with your clicker and other methods while he’s on his back.
Make sure your dog gets a treat from time to time. You may reward your dog with a goodie and verbal praise when they are on the proper side or click the clicker if you’re using one.
Continue working on this, getting your dog onto his side and rewarding him each time he does what you’re asking him to.
Eventually you’ll be able to get rid of the treats in your fist and just get him onto his side using the “down” command and the movement of your hand over his head.
8. Use verbal command and hand gesture
Once your dog is consistently lying down on his side when you want him to, it’s time to move on to the next phase. Start giving your dog whatever cue you want him to respond to, whether that’s saying “play dead”, or “bang”, or pointing your finger at him.
He’ll need some help the first few times, making the switch from you just waving your open hand over him to understanding the actual command, but with a little patience, he’ll get it. Any time your dog gets it right, praise him effusively and give him a treat.
Use a hand gesture plus a verbal command to repeat the training. Repeat the training for up to 15 minutes. Make sure that your dog has its full attention to you before giving out the command.
Give your dog a break after 15 minutes of training because they have short attention spans, so they need shorter sessions.
Each session should conclude with your dog successfully executing the method in order to maintain a positive atmosphere for both you and your dog throughout the training sessions.
Repeat the training until your dog can perfectly play dead when you say bang.
This is how to teach your dog to play dead when you shoot him:
• Pistol signals may be made in a few different methods, the most common of which is by combining the fingers of one hand’s thumb and index with the middle and index fingers of the same hand. Your other fingers would be entwined if you choose the last option.
• Give your dog a hand and verbal signal at the same time.
• You may also utilize a visual signal after giving a verbal cue instead.
Use the visual cue first, then the verbal cue, if you decide to go this route. The visual cue may be used in conjunction with the verbal cue if your dog consistently reacts to the verbal cue before you have the opportunity to use it.
If this occurs, you have two options: either cease using the visual cue altogether or use it in conjunction with both.
• Work on training your dog to play dead using a combination of verbal and visual signals until he masters the skill.
Once he’s doing this consistently, the next step is to incorporate a release word. Part of the reason playing dead dog is so fun is because your dog continues to play dead until you release him.
Once he’s playing dead the way you want him to, wait a few seconds, then say the release word.
Whatever release word you usually do is perfect, whether that’s “Ok” or “Go” or anything else you use. You want to release your dog using the release word before your dog gets up on his own.
Each time he succeeds in staying in position until you release him, wait a little longer the next time, until he’s staying in the position as long as you want him to.
9. Try to other locations
Just because your dog can do something in one place doesn’t indicate he can do it everywhere else without any training or assistance. Your dog’s ability to play dead will improve if you practice the trick in a variety of locations and with a variety of people.
A dog park or in front of a large group of people might also be considered as alternatives to various rooms in the home.
And that’s it! Your dog is ready to show off his new trick!
Enroll to Dog Training Class
Training a pet may be as easy as following these few steps, even if you’ve never trained a pet before. To be able to react consistently and reliably to orders in a variety of settings, a puppy needs a lot of practice, time, and patience.
Only courses using methods of positive reinforcement should be considered.
A training class, on the other hand, serves a variety of purposes. Trainers can show you how to do things and assist you as you go through the training process. They may aid you with puppy training issues and help you on to more challenging tasks.
Learning in a social environment with real-world distractions is the best way to teach a puppy. A dog owner who enrolls their pup in a puppy class knows that they will have to practice all week long if they don’t want to fall behind by the following session.
Last but not least, taking a puppy training class is a great way for new puppy parents to get to know one other and learn how other pups act.
How to Make your Dog Play Dead Longer
If your dog understands how to roll over already, it may be inclined to go all the way over when you start luring it to its side. Take out your clicker now so you can record exactly what you want.
Using a treat, entice your dog to its side, then click your dog’s clicker and reward it with a treat. If it attempts to turn over again, take a step back for a moment.
As soon as your dog learns that the treat vanishes when it totally rolls over, he will stop doing that and just do the activity for which it receives the reward.
You may use the goodie as a bait while also gently pushing the dog to its side. When the dog is in the right posture, click the clicker or say to him “yes” or “good” and reward him with a goodie.
It is possible to teach your dog to lay down longer while it is acting dead if it gets up too fast. Wait a few seconds before giving the dog a treat once it lays on its side instead of immediately rewarding it.
Add a few seconds to this after you’ve practiced it a few times. To get your dog to lie down and pretend dead for a longer period of time, you may gradually increase the amount of time you give it.
This means that if there are two or more errors done by your dog in succession at any stage throughout the training, you’ve probably accelerated too rapidly.
Only once the dog has mastered a previous step can you begin to move forward more quickly with the next one.
The key is to be calm and patient. There is a different learning pace for every dog . If your dog looks irritated, fatigued, or bored, it’s time to call it a day on training.
Even if you have to move to a basic command like “down” or “sit” as the final thing you perform, always strive to conclude sessions on a good note.
Additional Tips and Warnings
• Take your time with this training. To ensure your dog’s success, take your time at each stage.
• Avoid leaving the room when teaching your dog to play dead. If your dog leaves the “dead” position, you must be able to reinforce the training.
• Don’t punish your dog if he makes a mistake during a training session. Make a remark like “oops” and try again.
• The training session should always conclude on a high tone. Then, at the following session, start again with a command that your dog already understands and can reliably execute.
• Practice the trick every day for 5 to 15 minutes. You’ll need to practice with your dog at least a few times each day until he completely learns the playing dead dog trick with your command, which is a more difficult skill to teach.
• You should only practice one new step at a time since this trick requires your dog to move between different postures and react to stimuli.
• Do not scream at your pet dog. This will not only make your dog upset and enraged at you, but it will also likely deter him from learning the trick.
• Make certain that your dog enjoys this activity. A brief break or postponement of the lesson may be necessary if he becomes distracted, angry, or disappointed.
• Reward withholding is the most effective approach to communicate to your dog that he performed the job poorly. Do not be afraid to step in and correct his mistakes if he makes any.
• Toxic dog treats, such as dark chocolate, should be avoided. Go to a pet shop and get guidance on safe treats for your dog if you are unsure what to offer them.
• If your dog has arthritis or other joint issues, do not teach him this trick. If his joints ached, he’d have a hard time shifting from one position to the next.
Final Thoughts
Your dog will be able to execute on demand after many practice sessions. It will be a terrific party trick and a pleasant game to do with your dog when you’re both simply chilling out together.
In addition, it’s a fantastic method to provide your dog with both mental and physical activity.
Your relationship with your dog will improve as a result of learning how to teach a dog to play dead! Do you have fun teaching your dog to play dead? Share it with us by commenting down below!
