How to Train Your Dog to Hide His Face

You can teach your dog to cover his face with his paws, or hide his face against an obstacle, also called “playing shy”, or “peek a boo”, as a fun trick to entertain guests. It is usually not terribly difficult to teach your dog this trick, as it is not difficult for him physically, and many dogs put their paws up to their face naturally to rub eyes or remove debris, so capturing this behavior, adding a command, and reinforcing, and rewarding it can be achieved in a matter of a few weeks.  Even a fairly young dog can be trained to perform this trick. You can add a command, such as “Are you shy?”,  “Peek a boo”, or “How Embarrassing”, to get your dog to hide his face at an appropriate time, such as when he has made an innocent mistake, or when greeting people, to produce an adorable effect and get a good laugh from your friends. Your dog will have fun with the attention, get a reward, and endear himself to others.

To teach your dog to hide his face you will need lots of treats to reward him for approximations of the behavior, and eventual success. Remember this is a fun trick and learning it should be fun too, after all, it is not a matter of life or death! Do not use negative reinforcement, ignore failed attempts, keep training sessions short at about 5 to 10 minutes, so you and your dog do not become bored or frustrated. If you are using clicker training, you will need a clicker.  Masking tape can also be useful to encourage your dog to bring his paws up to his nose.