Steps to Teach Your Dog to Pray
When first teaching your dog any performance tricks, starting with the simpler ones first can then permit you to incorporate steps of the simple trick into one of the more intricate or complicated commands.
Teaching a dog of any breed or no breed to pray is one of the simplest “tricks” for a dog of any size. The dog wants to please you. Keep that in mind as you apply voice commands in the right kind of commanding voice and reward with a giddy, effusive “good boy! or good girl!” combined with a small tasty treat.
Step One: Be aware beforehand of your pet’s favorite treat and use that for training.
Step Two: Give the command for the dog to SIT, and motion with your hand downward. Repeat until the dog does this immediately upon the command, rewarding with praise and his treat each time.
Step Three: Command SIT HIGH. With a leash attached to collar, lift pressure to pull your dog into an sitting up on haunches position:
Sit him in corner with back against the wall so when you lift the leash pressure, he is supported by the wall from falling;
Step Four: When he is in the begging position, hold his front paws together while repeating STAY PRAY PRAY STAY, then releasing his paws, repeating the “pray stay” command, instructing him to hold the paws together pose. Reward mightily when he understands and when you say PRAY, goes straight to Step Four.
How to Teach Your Dog How to Wave
Step 1: Make sure you have your dogs’ favorite treats in your hand or pocket.
Step 2: Your dogs must know how to shake hands with you. If they do not know already, you must teach them before they can wave.
Step 3: Give your dog the command to “shake”
Step 4: When they raise their paw to shake your hand, move your hand up slightly so they follow it with their paw.
Step 5: Once his paw is up higher than it would be for a “shake”, tell them “good” and give them a treat. This will teach them to raise their paw up higher than they usually would.
Step 6: After teaching them to raise their hand up higher, start to move your hand about three inches in an up and down motion when you raise your hand for a shake. When they follow your hand with their paw, give them a treat and tell them that they are doing good.
Step 7: Repeat this a few times throughout the day with treats and encouragement.
Step 8: Once your dog has been getting treats for waving for a few weeks, start telling them to do it without the treat given to them after. If they will not do it without the treat, do step 7 again for a couple more days and then try to remove the treats again.