Training a puppy to do tricks

[cholbrook7]

I was wondering what is the easiest steps in training a puppy to :

Speak
Sit
Lay
Rollover
Shake
Dance
Stay

If you have any info please let me know !! Thanks ! :p

[sakirby]

ok, well i can give you advice on sit, stay, and down(or lay). we have a trainer that comes every wed. morning to work with oscar and here is what we do. i use treats to begin the training, and then slowly take them away as he has learned it.

sit seems to be the easiest first thing to learn. oscar new it the day after he came home with me at 8 weeks old. to learn sit: hold your hand(with or without a treat) right above your dog's nose. then move your hand back so he has to sit in order to still sniff/see it and say "sit" at the same time. i didn't have to use this hand signal. for some reason oscar just got the sit command but, i have to use the hand signal now adays when he won't sit occasionally because he is being stubborn. after oscar sits, i say "good sit" and give him a treat. well, no treats anymore for sit because he knows it well. after he learned sit, i ALWAYS make him sit before he eats.

"stay:" once your dog is sitting hold you hand up to her with your palm facing towards her and say "stay!" if she moves, correct her by putting her back into sit, and try again. the realease word i use for stay is "ok!" then he gets to come over and have a treat. as oscar got better at this, i practice stay by moving further and further away from him, and then releasing him with "ok!" now, i can go into the other room, and he will still stay until i yell ok. you can also practice stay by getting him to sit and stay, and then rolling a treat or a toy across the floor. he doesn't get to go get it until you say ok. if she does, you correct her, and put her back into sit and stay with no reward until she is successful. this works VERY well for us. oscar now sits and stays before he can eat.

"down:" i use down for lay. and "off" for getting him off of something or stopping him from jumping. down is a little harder. in my opinion. oscar doesn't know the down command yet just by saying the word. i always have to use the hand signal when i give him the command. here is the sequence we go through. i have a treat in my hand. i say "down" very clearly, and then put my hand to the floor right in front of his nose (with the treat in hand). i don't open my hand for him to eat the treat until he is all the way into the down position. it took a couple of times for him to get all the way down. once he is, i say "good down." and give him the treat. you can then make her stay in the down using the hand signal (palm facing her) and staying stay. (after she has learned stay).

hope all of this helps :) sorry it is so long. :D

[cholbrook7]

Thanks .. yes it will help ... she knows how to sit .. your right they learn that one quick (ha ha ha) She's learning how to lay .. but we do that one with treats but she is catching on .. but the funniest thing she knows the word speak already .. everytime I say speak she starts barking like crazy .. she is soo cute .. she makes me laugh all the time ... thanks again for all your help ! ;)