How to Train Your Dog to Bring Your Slippers
Introduction
Of all the tricks you could teach your dog, training him to fetch your slippers has to be one of the most iconic. Imagine how nice it would be to come home from a hard day at work, kick back in the recliner, and have your pup bring your slippers to you. This "trick" is, in essence, a version of fetch. The big difference is your dog must learn what item it is you wish for him to fetch rather than simply tossing a ball a telling him to bring it to you.
It does, however, count on the fact you have already taught your dog the basic "fetch" command. To make this trick successful, you must be prepared to work with your dog to teach him a new world, "slippers." Once he knows what this word means, he can be taught to bring your slippers to you in a relatively short period of time.
Defining Tasks
The best way to define this task is to say that you are simply adding to your dog's vocabulary along with his ability to do more for you on command. Although this particular chore is, in the great scheme of things, more about fun than practical, it does have a more practical side for those with medical issues that might make getting your own slippers challenging.
You can teach this simple trick to just about any dog, no matter their age. The most important thing to remember however is that your dog needs to be big enough to carry your slippers. Like most commands, this one is relatively simple, all you need is something like "Fetch my slippers" the idea being to take the basic "fetch" command and add in what you want your pup to fetch. It's even easier to teach your dog this trick if he already knows how to fetch.
Getting Started
Teaching your dog to fetch your slippers doesn't require much in the way of actual supplies, but here is a short list of things you will need:
Treats: to reward your pup for obeying your commands without destroying your slippers.
Patience: you can never have too much of this when trying to teach your pup a new trick.
Peace and quiet: again, you can never have too much of this when trying to teach your dog a new trick.
An old pair of slippers: starting out with an old pair of slippers gives your pup time to learn his new trick without destroying your good slippers.
The Click and Treat Method
The Start with Fetch Method
The Room by Room Method
Written by Amy Caldwell
Published: 10/06/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
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Success Stories and Training Questions
Training Questions and Answers
Appa
Hey! I have a 9-month-old husky and whenever we bring him on a walk and he sees another dog he will lay down or start crawling. As soon as the other dog gets closer he will pop back up and run towards it, sometimes when I try to pull him away he will start barking. Appa won't try to attack the other dog, I think he just wants to play and he isn't aggressive at all. Unfortunately, not all the other dog owners know this so they seem stressed when Appa does this. It is also a bother to try and get him to get up and keep walking or walk normally whenever he sees another dog. What can I do?
1105 Dog owners recommended
Hello Rachael, Many puppies do this sort of stalk/play. You can generally tell if it's meant aggressively or playfully by looking for doggie grins, loose body language, a loose wag (not stiff and short - that just means arousal not always play), a play bow, and generally silly/loose/relaxed looking body and muscles once pup pops up. If pup is trying to play, then what's needed is simply more obedience practice around other dogs, so pup can learn how to calmly co-exist with other dogs without always having to play rough. Recruiting a friend with well mannered dog(s), joining an intermediate or basic obedience class, and eventually joining a dog walking or dog hiking group can be great outlets for pup practicing calm interactions with other dogs. Check out the Passing Approach and Walking Together methods from the article below. You will need a friend and their dog or a class to practice this in most likely, so that you can repeat the passes over and over again until pup starts calming down and is able to pass more calmly - at which point you can reward. The goal here is for other dogs to become normal and boring through training repetition. Passing Approach method and Walking Together method - start with passing approach, it's usually easier. https://wagwalking.com/training/greet-other-dogs Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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