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It's a shootout! You on one side, a hardened toy-killer on the other. Tensions are high as you stare each other down. The furry foe goes for his gun, but you are faster. Bang, bang! He stumbles slowly and falls to the ground.
If you want to get laughs from any who visit your home, why not teach your pooch to act like he's been shot? It sounds a little gruesome, but once you see it, the only thing you'll die of is cuteness.
To teach your canine to be an actor straight out of an old Western, all you'll really need is an afternoon of work. Pups who are a little more mature tend to learn faster with this one, as some basic commands are needed before they can get dramatic.
There are a few variations of this fun trick, some with your dog standing, and others with the pooch laying down. The idea is that after you make your gun noise (by saying the word “pow!” or “bang!”) your fur buddy rolls over and plays dead. If you train it right, not only will people love it, but your dog will have fun performing as well.
To prep your pup for his acting career, you'll need a few things. To be prepared, make sure to have:
Treats: Whenever you're training your dog a cool trick, yummy snacks are your best friend.
A Clicker: This snazzy little gadget can help your pup learn new things fast. Pick one up at your local pet store.
A Few Hours: Designate half a day to teach your dog how to act like he was shot without interruptions. This way you can practice, making success more likely.
Patience: If your pup isn't getting it at first, take a second and chill out. Don't get frustrated, it will only distress your canine and make him less likely to learn.
If your dog has mobility issues or is in his senior days, maybe skip out on teaching him the standing version of this trick. A bit of fun is not worth injuring your best buddy.
Below are a few methods you can try to teach your dog to be shot dead (for pretend!) See what one suits you and your pooch the best, and give it a go.
The Click-Bang Method
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Most Recommended
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Get out your clicker
Have this handy tool in hand along with a bag of treats.
Lure to the side
Use a treat to convince your pooch to roll on his side. As soon as he does, click and give him the food.
Add your noise
Start to say “bang” or “pow” before the lay-down command. Repeat this until simply making your noise gets your canine to perform the trick.
Bring up your gun
Start including a gun hand signal each time you give the command. Pretty soon, as soon as your fingers go up, your furry friend will be dropping to the floor.
The Dramatic Stand-Off Method
Effective
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Effective
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Have your pooch sit
Get your dog in a comfy sit-stay position. Reward her with a treat.
Lure her up
Grab a treat in your hand and slowly raise it above your dog's head. If she stands up on her back legs, give her the goodie.
Increase the height
Keep doing the previous step, but lead her higher each time. Eventually, she should be able to stand up for a few seconds to wait for the treat.
Ditch the treat
Start bringing your dog up the same way as before, but have no food in your hands. Every now and then, bring the treat back into play to keep your mutt interested.
Form your gun
Start to switch your hand from a fist to a gun shape. Your dog will begin to pick up on this new signal.
Say the command
Say “stand” as you use your new hand signal. This will be the command for the trick.
Add the drama
Master these steps, then head to The Lazy Victim Method. Once your pooch is standing on cue, add the lay-down and roll-over (with a bang).
The Lazy Victim Method
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Have your dog lay down
Get your dog flat on his tummy and reward him. Make sure he stays.
Push him over
Gently encourage him to roll onto his side. Once again, lure him with treats and praise him if he obliges.
Repeat
Do the side roll a few times with short breaks in between. After your pup is getting consistent with the trick, you can move on.
Pick your gun noise
To add the comedy into your routine, you need to have a good gun sound. “Bang” or “pew pew” are crowd favorites.
Add the noise to the trick
Every time you have your dog lay down and roll to the side, make your noise.
Draw your gun
Using your fingers, make a little gun (think little boys playing cops and robbers). Make the signal every time you make your gun noise. Practice, and enjoy!
Written by Amy Caldwell
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 10/05/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
More articles by Amy Caldwell
Training Questions and Answers
i cant get him to do anything
June 29, 2022
earl's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello Elora, Check out the video I have linked below. Sometimes a video example can help when training dogs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMRRLUyAIyw Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
June 30, 2022
Incessant Barking
April 11, 2022
Tootsie Rae and Daisey Mae's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, I suggest combining a few things in your case. You need a way to communicate with them so I suggest teaching the Quiet command from the Quiet method in the article I have linked below - don't expect this alone to work but it will be part of the puzzle for what I will suggest next. https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bark Next, once pup understands what Quiet means you will choose an interrupter - neither too harsh nor ineffective. A Pet Convincer is one example of an interrupter. A pet convincer is a small canister of pressurized, unscented air that you can spray a quick puff of at the dog's side to surprise them enough to help them calm back down. (Don't use citronella and avoid spraying in the face!). In situations where you know pup will bark or is already barking (catch them before they bark if you can), command "Quiet". If they obey, reward with a treat and very calm praise. If they bark anyway or continue to bark, say "Ah Ah" firmly but calmly and give a brief correction. Repeat the correction each time they bark until you get a brief pause in the barking. When they pause, praise and reward then. The combination of communication, correction, and rewarding - with the "Ah Ah" and praise to mark their good and bad behavior with the right timing, is very important. Once pup is calmer in general after the initial training, practice exposing them a lot to the things that trigger the barking normally (make a list - even if it's long). Whenever they DON'T bark around something that they normally would have, calmly praise and reward them to continue the desensitization process. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
April 11, 2022
can't get her to do anything without the treat.
Aug. 6, 2021
Stella's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello Chloe, She is likely used to seeing the treat before obeying, you will need to phase the treat out gradually. To phase out the treat, begin giving her a treat after every third command/trick, instead of each time. Also, you can reward only for better and better performances. For example, if you call pup to Come, praise each time for only reward for the third come in a row. If you call pup to Come and they come very slowly, praise but don't reward. If you call pup and they come very quickly, praise and give a treat also. As pup improves, you can slowly transition to less and less rewards by moving toward only rewarding better performances than what pup normally does (but always praise), and by requiring more and more commands/tricks to be obeyed before you give a reward - like every third time, fourth time, fifth time, ect... You want to keep pup guessing whether there will be a treat or not, instead of just removing the treats altogether right away. If you are in the habit of showing pup your treat before giving it, start hiding the treat behind your back or in a pocket in a ziploc baggie, or treat pouch tucked under your shirt. You want pup to never know whether you may have a treat or not. A good way to transition to treats being hidden is to practice something where the treat is inheritably visible and you aren't just bribing pup with it, like teaching pup to watch you by holding the treat up by your eye while saying watch me. First, you hold the treat by your eye to get pup to look and reward with that treat when pup looks toward your eyes. When pup is good at that, then you pretend like you have a treat in your fingers while holding it next to your eyes and watching Watch Me, but you actually have the treat in your other hand behind your back. When pup looks at your eyes thinking there is a treat in that hand, you praise and give the treat from behind your back. Next, when pup is good while you pretend to hold the treat but has learned that it's actually behind your back but will still look at your eyes as a hand signal now, then you point to your eye with the hand that previously held the treat so it's obvious you don't have one, while saying watch me, and reward with a treat from behind your back. Finally, practice saying watch me with both hands behind your back, rewarding if pup makes eye contact. If pup needs a hint, briefly point to your eye again as a reminder but don't show the treat. You can see from the above example how you can transition away from pup needing to see a treat by gradually phasing the treat out. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
Aug. 6, 2021