How to Train Your Dog to Bring You a Beer

How many times have you been sitting in your favorite recliner watching the game and wished your dog could bring you a beer? Imagine the fun of being able to tell your dog to "Bring me a beer!" and watching your pup head into the kitchen and come back with an ice cold one just for you. One of the most important things to keep in mind as you prepare to train your pup to fetch a beer is that you must teach him 4 separate tricks, open the fridge door, grab the beer, close the fridge door, and of course, bring the beer to you.

One word of warning, you might want to consider getting a mini-fridge for your beer to help keep your pup from treating the fridge as his own private smorgasbord. But of course, you can also clear the bottom shelf and use it to place your beer in such a manner as to make it easier for your dog to grab one for you.

Basically, you are training your dog to obey your command of "Grab me a beer" or "Fetch me a beer" without hesitation. This entails having your dog walk to the refrigerator, open the door, grab a fresh brew, and then close the door before bringing the beer to you. No matter how you look at this trick, it is going to take a little extra time for your dog to master.  You should try and set aside fifteen minutes a day just for training.

You should start by training your dog to open the refrigerator door using a rope tied to the handle. If your dog likes to play tug of war with a rope, this should be pretty easy. However, the last thing you need is your fridge door being left open. Using treats to teach your dog to hop up on the door will help him learn to close the door.

Like most forms of training, you need to start out working with your pup when the house is nice and quiet so there will be no distractions during training time. Choose a specific command for this trick such as "Get me a beer!" or perhaps "Fetch me a beer!" No matter what you choose for a command, be sure to use the same one every time in a firm and commanding voice. One that will let your pup know you expect him to obey without making it sound like you are angry.

It cannot be said enough that you need to be patient as this is a very hard trick for your dog to master. It is going to take several weeks or longer for your pup to master it. However, once he masters it, your pup will love being asked to bring you a cold brew the next time the game is on.

Start training your dog to bring you a beer when the house is nice and quiet so that there is nothing to distract him from learning what you are trying to teach him. You will need a few supplies and other things to help make the training sessions go more smoothly. These include:

• Tons of treats: As rewards for getting each step of the training process.

• A length of rope: To tie to the refrigerator handle so your pup can open the refrigerator door.

• Several cans or bottles of your favorite beer: Consider them training tools.

• Endless patience: No training exercise will ever come to fruition unless you have plenty of patience.

• Choose your command: Choose the command you plan to use for this trick and be ready to stick to it.

• A quiet house: The best time to work on training is to start out in a nice quiet house, free of distractions.

One last thought, training your dog to fetch a beer will be much easier if your dog already knows how to "Fetch" and how to open and close the refrigerator door. Otherwise, you will have to teach him these "tricks" first. Be patient, it will take your pup quite a while to learn to do this for you on a regular basis.