5 things you can teach your dog, that will make your life easier
Have you ever spent some time wondering whether your dog can learn anything beyond the most basic of commands? Have you ever wasted hours on Youtube watching dogs doing house chores, wishing your dog could do the same and make your life a bit easier? Most dogs will never measure up to the canine prodigies flooding the internet because most people do not have the time and energy to teach their dogs all those complex tricks. But do not despair! The following are a couple of tricks you can teach your dog that will make your life easier.
Teaching your dog to pull a cart
Nowadays cart pulling isn’t common practice but it was not unheard of for large dogs to pull carts in the past. Some people might feel that making a dog pull a cart around is cruel, but dogs that are slowly trained into this practice seem to enjoy doing this activity. Dogs pulling a cart, need to walk before their owner in order for the owner to be able to control the dog properly while holding the leash. Teaching your dog to pull a cart can come in handy in a couple of ways. First it is good exercise for your dog, keeping it fit and healthy; secondly your dog can help you walk home with your groceries or entertain young children and keep them occupied by letting them ride in his cart.
Bringing specific objects
You come back from work, you’re in a shambles, but you somehow manage to get into your indoor clothes. You drop on your couch in front of the TV like a sack of potatoes … only to realize the TV remote is staring at you across the room. The struggle is real. If only your dog can bring it over on command. The good news is this is not an impossible feat to teach your dog. Positive reinforcement, patience, repetition and time is all you need to teach your dog the name of specific objects. You can teach your dog to go fetch its leash when you’re going out for a walk. Teaching it the name of each of its toys will simplify your life and save yourself the trouble of having to embark on a treasure hunt whenever you feel it’s time to give your dog’s toys a good cleaning.
Knock on the door when it needs to go out
This perhaps is the most useful trick you can teach your dog if your house has a garden. If the dog is allowed to go do its business in the garden, teach your dog to knock on the door to show you that nature is calling.
Wipe its feet on its way indoors
It’s not the first time that after an intense morning of cleaning our house or apartment, after weeks of procrastination we let out a sigh of relief and straighten ourselves to survey our great job and give ourselves a good pat on the back. Then, to our horror, we see a procession of dirty paw prints on an otherwise spotless floor. The dog might have gone out into the garden or balcony and came back in again without us noticing. One way of dealing with this nuisance, is to teach your dog to wait at the door until you clean its feet on its way inside. Teaching your dog to wipe its feet properly on the doormat of its own accord is even better. This trick will need a lot of repetition and a lot of making the dog wipe its feet yourself. This will sometimes turn into a wrestling match, but with positive reinforcement, and lots of treats, most dogs will at least learn to wait until you clean their filthy paws before rushing into the house.
Balancing food and toys on the dog’s muzzle
This trick is useful but not immediately practical. This trick teaches your dog how to be patient and how to focus on your commands rather than give in to their more primal instincts. Mastering this trick will help you train your dog’s attention, something that will help you a lot with whatever other trick you might try teaching your dog in the future. This is also a very cute trick to perform and is sure to entertain your guests during parties.
