How long did it take for your dog to learn tricks?

i'm trying to teach my dog 'play dead' and 'bow. every time he stretches i saw 'bow'. how long did it take for your dog to learn? i've been training him for about a week. with 'play dead' he kind f just leans on one side but doesn't go all the way down. just wondering....How long did it take for your dog to learn tricks?
There are several factors for how quickly your dog will learn the new tricks:

1) Some dogs learn faster than others



2) Some dogs learn certain tricks faster than other tricks. Picking a behavior that a dog does naturally or easily will be learned much faster than a behavior that isn't as natural for the dog. I just taught a beagle to bow on perfect cue in 3 or 4 days but she also does it all the time on her own. If I were to try to teach my own dogs, I don't think any of them would pick it up so quickly. I also needed to teach the beagle how to ring a bell with her nose and it took me all week, but I could teach any of my own dogs to do it in about 15 minutes. Make sure you're working with your dog's natural behaviors.



3) Shape the behaviors slowly. For play dead, it's okay if you can't get your dog all the way down in one shot... treat for halfway down for a little bit. But make sure that when you give the treat, you always give it in the down position. Don't let your dog get back up for the treat. Even better, try to hold the treat in such a way that it encourages your dog just slightly lower than where he was on his own. Usually this means holding the treat over his head so that you're encouraging him to bend into a sort of C-shape. Also, be careful not to ask for this when there's a lot of chaos or distraction because it's a very vulnerable position for a dog and you don't want to ask for it when you know you probably won't get it.



4) To teach these more quickly, look into clicker training. Clicker gives you a way to mark the behavior at the exact moment it's happening. Once your dog knows that a click = a treat, you can click when you see him stretching and he will quickly start to associate the stretch with the treat. It's a more clear way to communicate it to him since the click is such a distinctive noise.



5) If you use the word ';down';, heads up that ';bow'; sounds just like ';down'; and could be confusing. I ended up using ';curtsy'; with the beagle I was training this week but you can probably come up with something more creative.



Good luck!How long did it take for your dog to learn tricks?
Not long, but I'm lucky and my dog is pretty smart. One thing that works is each time your dog successfully does a trick immediately (as he's doing it) say, ';Good sit, good boy'; so he associates the word sit with being good. Do that with all your tricks and also give him a small treat as he's doing the trick and you're telling him he's doing good and he will soon realize that doing the trick gets him a treat and positive words from you. Eventually you won't have to give him treats.
It took about 4-5 days (per trick) of intensive training for them to learn basic tricks like shake with both paws, lay down, speak, sit pretty, dance, and roll over. We wouldn't of course teach them a new trick right after they learned one either, we would just work them until they had one down and make sure to practice. I have never taught a dog how to play dead nor bow, but if you really want him to get it down, keep teaching and teaching.
it depends on our dog.some learn fast some dont.my 6 months old boxer understands some things faster than others.thats normal.for example:

after 5 minutes she knew how to wave her paw when i say hello but after 3 weeks i still train on walking backwards.

but i also use a clicker.its the best way to teach your dog tricks.also i recommend the target stick.both are great.

google and you will find really great sides about it.

good luck
Mine is still learning :) Well he knows how to sit when I tell him to but that's about it. I go through it a few times every day and he eventually learned. I'm pretty happy with that - none of my other dogs ever knew how to do that lol.



xx
It depends on the dog. Some learn faster than others. Part of your problem may be that you are trying to teach him more than one trick at once which can be confusing for him. Try sticking with one trick at a time until he catches on, and make sure to reward him when he does it. With my dog, if I work with him for about half an hour a day, he usually learns a new trick in just a couple of days. Just make sure you are consistent with your training and that you are doing just one trick at a time, so you don't confuse him. Also if you are only telling him to ';bow'; when he stretches on his own, it's going to take a lot longer to get him to learn it as it isn't going to make much sense to him. Try GENTLY pushing him into the position while saying the command, and when he is in position, praise him for it. Or you can try using a treat and leading him with it--that is, hold the treat out for him and lower it to the ground while saying the command, and if he follows, give him the treat. Both of these can be very effective and after a few tries, he should do it on his own. Good luck.