Doggy Mentor

If your lab has mastered the usual obedience commands—sit, down, stay, come—and you think it is time for some new challenge that will charm your guests to no end, try the following dog tricks. Have fun giving your dog labrador retriever training!

1. “Be still”: This can also be called “freeze.” This is very helpful when you are trying to clean the dog’s ears, or when the vet is examining the dog. What happens is that the dog sits stock-still, and is not allowed to move its head.

Start by holding the dog’s head still with your hand under its chin, then say the command. Should the dog move, give your usual verbal correction (like “oh” or “ah”). Wait until the dog is still again, then praise and give a reward.

This trick also comes in handy if the dog’s ears are being cleaned, or its being given eye drops, or its teeth is being checked, etc.

2. “Kiss”: What happens here is that the dog presses its nose or muzzle against your lips or cheek. If you have seen a seal give a trainer a kiss, then this is an approximation.

To train a dog to do this, give the “kiss” command and press a piece of cookie between your lips. Then allow the dog to get close to take the cookie from your lips.

3. “Back Up,” “Come forward”: Make an alley with chairs and a wall to start. The dog will also need to be on a leash. The dog needs to face you, and as you approach it, say “back, back, back” and it is suppose to step backwards. If it does go backwards, give praise and reward. When you say “come forward”, you need to pull the dog towards you, and give praise and reward if it does so accordingly.

4. “Oh no”: After mastering this labrador retriever training technique, the dog will be able to cover its eyes with its paw when the command is given. A trainer came up with the solution of applying scotch paper on the dog’s snout. As the dog tries to brush off the tape and makes contact with it with a paw, say “oh no”.

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