How to Train a Lhasa Apso Easy Tricks

How to Train a Lhasa Apso Easy Tricks
Easy difficulty iconEasy
Time icon1-5 Days
Fun training category iconFun

Introduction

There are few dog breeds in the world that can compete with the Lhasa Apso when it comes to the cuteness factor. These fluffy dogs are also quite smart and training your Lhasa Apso easy tricks is a snap once you know the basics of positive training methods.

It is great to have a few delightful tricks ready to show off how cute your little smarty pants is in front of company. However, training offers even more benefits. When you spend time using reward-based methods to teach your dog any new behaviors you will also strengthen your bond. In addition, the more time you spend training, the better he will get at learning.

This guide looks at three tricks that are extremely easy to train – offering you lots of payoff for a small investment of your time. Once you and your furry friend have these tricks down, you will be ready to move on to more advanced behaviors.

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Defining Tasks

We want you to be successful when training your Lhasa Apso easy tricks and complicated behaviors alike. Here are some general training tips to keep in mind to make your training sessions fun and successful:

  • Keep sessions short enough that Fluffy stays interested. If she gets bored, you have been training too long.
  • Start training new tricks and behaviors in quiet places with few distractions. Then, once he is ready, try doing tricks in new places to help reinforce the behavior.
  • Use tasty rewards to teach new tricks, rewarding as often as possible. Once he understands a trick, you can decrease the rate of reward to only the top 10% in terms of speed and quality of movement.
  • Don’t use punishment during training sessions. Lhasa Apsos are sensitive dogs. By just rewarding the good stuff and ignoring failure, you will have a dog that is excited about learning and isn’t afraid to try new things.
  • If you are getting frustrated, try again later. Your companion will pick up on your stress even if you try to hide it from her. 

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Getting Started

None of the easy tricks we have included require any special equipment. However, you will want to make sure that you have something to motivate your dog to learn. Most professional dog trainers use food rewards because you can quickly repeat the reward without disrupting the flow of training.

You do not have to train with high calorie treats, especially if your Lhasa Apso is watching his weight. Instead, use his regular kibble rations, and just mix in a few tasty pieces of chicken, hot dog or commercial dog treats so that every now and then your furry friend will get a special treat to keep him excited about learning.

One of the training methods we recommend is clicker training. The clicker makes a sharp sound which you will make the instant your dog does what you like, followed by a food reward. If you do not have a clicker, just use the same word or sound every time you want to let her know she is doing it right, instead of clicking. Save it for training only, and always follow it with a reward.

Once you have a trick exactly where you want it to be, you can start to decrease the rate of reward. First, start to reward only the best examples of the trick, working down to about 1 in 10 that will be rewarded. Second, replace food rewards over time with non-food rewards like praise or a toss of a ball if your dog likes fetch. Third, chain different tricks together, asking for several in a row before rewarding.

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The Shake Method

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Gentleman's handshake

Few tricks are cuter than a little doggie that offers his paw for a nice gentleman’s handshake. This also happens to be one of the easiest tricks to train. A smart Lhasa Apso might just pick this one up in a single training session!

2

First shake

Start on the floor with your dog in front of you in a 'sit' position. With one hand, gently hold her paw and give it a shake. Click/reward while your hand is in the shake motion with her paw in it.

3

Add verbal cue

Start to give your cue as you reach for the paw. Although you can use the standard “Shake!” you can also get creative. For example, you can say “Nice to meet you!” which adds a little humor to this fun greeting trick.

4

Practice

After some repetition, it is likely that you can just hold your hand out, with or without the verbal cue, and your dog will reach out for the shake. Click/reward and practice often.

5

New places

This is a trick that is definitely worth practicing when you take your Lhasa Apso with you to new places. Not only does it make a cute and memorable greeting, it is an excellent alternative behavior to problem greetings such as jumping up.

The Spin Method

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Lure

With a treat in your hand, lure your Lhasa Apso around in a clockwise circle. When she gets all the way around, click/reward. Now do the same, but with a counter clockwise circle. Click/reward again.

2

Repeat

Repeat the last step 15-20 times, however, transition from actually using a treat to lure her, to just pointing your finger around the circle. Continue to click/treat every successful turn, making sure you are paying attention to direction and practicing both ways.

3

Both ways

Train both the clockwise and counterclockwise turns, alternating somewhat randomly. If she gets confused, go back to the bigger motions if you need to help her remember. Ignore failures and just reward every correct spin.

4

Hand signal

Start to abbreviate your hand motion as much as you can. You may start moving your hand all the way around your dog, but you want to end up by only drawing a small circle in the air with your index finger. Both directions need to have their own cue, but you can just switch the direction of the circle you make with your finger.

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Verbal cue

Once you have your non-verbal cue where you want it, and you are getting the behavior reliably, you can add your verbal cue. Say “Spin right,” then give the non-verbal cue for a clockwise spin, then click/reward success. With practice, either the verbal or non-verbal cue will work in either direction.

The Beg Method

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Lure

Start with your dog in a sitting position. Using a treat held in your fingers, try to bribe your dog to lift his front feet off the floor by moving the treat slowly just out of reach above and slightly back from his face. As soon as you get even the slightest lift of the front paws, click/treat.

2

Fade the lure

Continue the first step over several repetitions. However, start to try to get him to follow your hand even without the treat in it as you continue to repeat, followed by a click/reward for a successful lift and treating from the other hand.

3

Hand signal

Gradually start to abbreviate your motion so that you are giving less and less of a hint as to what you expect. If you have done enough repetition, you should be able to transition from the luring move to the new hand signal (whatever you want that to be) in 10-20 repetitions.

4

Shaping

Once you are getting some lift of the front paws from the hand signal reliably, then you can start to refine the movement until the beg looks the way you want it. Just start to wait for a little bit more lift, a little bit more bend in the paws, and reward the most exaggerated examples of the beg until you have it just where you want it.

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Verbal cue

Add the verbal cue for this trick after you have it totally down pat with the non-verbal cue. Just start saying it immediately before you give the hand signal and you will find that in time your pooch will beg based on either a verbal or non-verbal cue.

Written by Sharon Elber

Veterinary reviewed by:

Published: 03/09/2018, edited: 01/08/2021

Training Questions

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Training Questions and Answers

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Diamond

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Lhasa Apso

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9 Months

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Question

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I want to give my dog a full training

Sept. 15, 2020

Diamond's Owner

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Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer

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Hello Azeeze, That sounds wonderful. It sounds like you are interested in going all the way to advanced obedience. Obedience tends to build on itself. If your dog doesn't have any prior training, you will want to start with Basic obedience, like Sit, Down, Come, Stay, ect...Once pup has that down, then pursue intermediate obedience, where those same commands are practiced at a harder level around distractions like other people, dogs, and a variety of public places. Finally comes advanced obedience, where those same commands are practiced on a long leash and the dog is worked up to off leash obedience around distractions. If you are wishing to pursue training with a trainer, I suggest starting by downloading the Wag! app, creating a profile, selecting that you are wanting training and looking at the profiles for the trainers in your area. When you find a trainer you feel could be a good fit, who has off-leash level obedience experience, then you can reach out to them for hire. Other options are enrolling in Basic Obedience class, Intermediate Obedience class after they graduate basic, and finally advanced/off-leash obedience class after the intermediate. You can also spend time learning how to train on your own, in which case I would make a list of things you want pup to learn, and pursue articles, videos, and similar resources with steps for how to each each of the individual items on your list. As pup improves, gradually practice those commands you have taught around more and more distractions and environments. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Sept. 15, 2020

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Pepper

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Lhasa Apso

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2 Months

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how to make him sit and come toward us??

July 22, 2020

Pepper's Owner

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Alisha Smith - Alisha S., Dog Trainer

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257 Dog owners recommended

Hello! I am going to give you step by step instructions for both, so this response will be a little long. Here is some information on how to teach sit. You will want to start with treats in hand. Stand in front of your puppy and say, “sit.” Be sure to speak to them in a firm, calm voice. Hold the lure just above their head but in front of her nose, and lift the lure upward over the top of her head. To follow the movement of the toy or treat, they have to lift her head, and that puts them off balance. As their nose follows the treat, they will likely fall into the sitting position. As soon as they sit down, give them the treat or toy reward. Set up a puppy routine and repeat this exercise several times each day. If you’re working with treats, be sure to schedule the training before meals so they're a bit hungry. Within a short time, your puppy learns they can shortcut to the treat by simply planting their bottom as soon as you say “sit” rather than waiting to be lured. Once they know what “sit” means, partner the word command with a hand signal. Decide on what signal to use—like a closed fist—and use it every time. By using the word command with the same hand signal each time, and without the lure, they’ll begin to associate the hand signal with the command. Your goal is for the puppy to recognize the hand action and word, perform the behavior, and then be rewarded with the treat or toy. At first be sure to reward with the treat or toy EVERY SINGLE TIME. Be sure you use a reward that the puppy ONLY gets during these training drills so they look forward to the lessons. Eventually, ask for the “sit” without rewarding (other than verbal praise) and offer the treat/toy reward only every second or third time. This is called “intermittent rewards” and is a powerful teaching tool. Your puppy learns that they might get a goody, and they never know when, so they're more liable to be faithful. The goal is for them to learn to recognize the command and perform the action with or without seeing a reward. Choose a Reward Figure out what reward—maybe a treat, squeaky toy, or tug game—your puppy likes best. Be sure it’s irresistible and much more exciting than anything else in your puppy's world. Reserve this treat for training exercises. Treat rewards are more about fun attention than food, so it should be tiny, smelly, and no bigger than the tip of your little finger. Minimize Distractions Find a time when the kids aren’t around, the house is quiet, and any other pets are taking a nap. Avoid distractions so the puppy has only you to pay attention to. Call the puppy's name, get its attention, and go to it if needed so you can show off the treat or squeaky toy. Make a Game of It Once your puppy is focused on you and the reward, say its name and add "come!” Then turn around and run in the opposite direction. This encourages the dog's instinctive urge for social play. Puppies can rarely resist the urge to chase. Let the puppy catch up to you, then hand or toss it the reward. Praise your pup for being such a smart doggy. Give lots of petting and happy talk, so it knows without a doubt that it has pleased you. Repeat the chase game several times in a row. Leave your puppy wanting more, so stop before it gets tired of the game. Practice the “come” command in this way once or twice a day for a week. Increase the Difficulty After a week, try the exercise while standing still. Make sure the puppy isn’t sleeping, eating, or concentrating on something incredibly interesting. Say your puppy's name and add “come!” and show the squeaky toy or treat. When the puppy arrives, throw a huge party with the treat or toy reward. Once your puppy understands what “come” means and routinely obeys without distractions, it's time to challenge their recall ability. Try calling it away from interesting pastimes like chasing a butterfly or whatever has its attention. Practice “come” in new locations—not just in the living room, but also outside in the yard or at someone else's house. Any time your puppy comes to you, no matter how long it takes, be sure to praise and reward. Above all, you want the puppy to have only positive associations so it will never fear ​to return to you. Problems and Proofing Behavior Puppies refuse to come when called for several reasons. For instance, new puppies may not know their names yet, so you might as well be shouting gibberish. In most cases, though, puppies simply don’t know what the command means. It’s important to explain the term in a language your puppy understands. After all, if you don’t speak French, it’s not fair to expect you to understand anything in that language, right? In the same way, it takes a while for puppies to learn “human.” Clicker training is a great way to communicate with your puppy and something you might want to try as well. Another reason puppies ignore the recall is that there’s no benefit to them. Why should your puppy forget about chasing that butterfly, or running across the street to meet the kid with a ball, and instead come back to you? That's boring! Coming when called needs to trump whatever alternative behavior entices the puppy to ignore your command. Once your puppy does come to you, put the command to use on a regular basis. If you have no real need to call it back, do it anyway and offer a treat as a reminder of your lessons. One of the most common—and worst—training mistakes is to punish the puppy once it finally does come. Sure, you’re irked that you were ignored and had to frantically scream its name to come or maybe chasing the puppy made you late for work. However, you teach the wrong lesson by acting upset. The puppy learns that when it finally does come, it will be chastised, so it's even less likely to obey the next time. The bottom line is that you should never punish when your puppy comes, no matter how long it takes to respond. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Thanks for writing in!

July 22, 2020


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