How to Train Your Dog to Say No

With a treat in your hands, sit in front of your dog and ask if he wants the treat.

With your opposite hand, using your pointer finger, point and wave your finger side to side saying the words, “say no.”

When your dog shakes his head, give him the treat. Repeat the above steps often so your dog associates the finger shaking no to his head response and the verbal cue, “say no.”

Continue to practice this motion using a treat and a pointer finger asking your dog to say no. Give him a treat each time he shakes his head no.

Once he understands the hand and finger motion and relates those things with shaking his head, ask him questions, expecting the answer "no".

Asking a 'no' question, use your pointer finger to signal to him to answer no. Practice this several times a day for a few weeks and ask others to ask your dog questions with the answer 'no'.

While watching your hand signal, your dog should be able to respond "no" to any question.

Plan short training sessions that are repetitive and rewarding for your dog.

Holding a treat in front of you get your dog's attention. Showing your dog the treat, ask him to sit.

Move the treat in your hand from left to right slowly, almost hypnotically, in front of your dog's face.

As soon as the dog moves his head back and forth to follow the treat, allow him to have the treat and praise him verbally.

Repeat this with another treat, moving your own head back and forth from side to side. Adding the verbal command, “head shake” or “say no,” repeat the side to side movement with a treat in front of your dog’s face.

As he shakes his head no, give him verbal praise and the treat.

Keep these sessions short but repeat them often and with consistency. Use the same key phrase such as “head shake” or “say no” each time you sit for a training session.

Always give verbal praise and a treat each time your dog shakes his head no. With lots of practice, your dog should be able to shake his head no when you say the key phrase command.

Tape a small piece of paper to a chair.

Sit your dog next to the chair. With a treat in your hand, touch the treat to the paper taped to the chair. When the dog follows your hand and touches the paper with his nose, click and treat.

Practice this several times until your dog can touch the paper without following your treat to the paper, clicking and treating every time he touches the paper with his nose. Once he has one piece of paper mastered, add a second piece of paper to a second chair.

Have your dog sit between the two chairs. Practice the same steps above with the same piece of paper.

When your dog touches the old piece of paper to his nose, put the clicker and treat next to the new piece of paper, forcing him to turn his head toward the new paper and clicker. Click and treat.

The second time your dog touches his nose to the second piece of paper by following the clicker, say the words, “say no.”

Practice this several times, rewarding each time he touches his nose to both pieces of paper with a click and treat and repeating the verbal cue each time. Over time, move your dog away from the chairs and begin only to use the verbal cue, “say no.”

If your dog has mastered touching the papers with his nose, he should understand the verbal cue and shake his head no when you say to him, “say no.” Practice this often without the chairs and papers, using only the verbal cue.