Introduction
Teaching your dog new tricks is fun and rewarding. However, teaching your dog to accept praise from other people who are entertained by his tricks is even more fun. It is one thing to have your dog do cute things like shake the hands of your guests, dance for them, spin in circles, and say things such as ‘no’ or ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ but it is completely another thing to take a bow when he is done with his performance. Dogs who do cool tricks are certainly adorable pups. Dogs who take a bow and ask for praise for cool tricks make even more adorable tricksters.
Defining Tasks
To take a bow, your dog will lie down with his chest and his forearms, up to his elbows, touching the ground. Taking a bow is a polite curtsy for your dog and allows his audience to appreciate his tricks one last time. Taking a bow is a perfect finishing touch once your dog is done showing off. Be prepared to train this trick over a few short sessions. For a dog who knows fun tricks, it should not take more than a few times for your pup to get this down. He might want to turn the bow stretch into a down position, so you may need to work on keeping his tail upright by placing your hand on his tummy while teaching him the command. Be patient if he does not get it right away. As with all training, have lots of delicious treats on hand to reward him.
Getting Started
You will need lots of patience for this one because your dog may think you are trying to get him to lie down instead of just stretch his front legs out and take a bow. Be prepared with lots of treats as well to reward him for positive behavior. Show up to training sessions with some fun tricks that he already knows so he can start to comprehend you would like him to take a bow after he does something incredibly cool. If you are using a clicker to train your dog, have your clicker and treats handy as well.