How to Train Your Dog to Turn on the Lights
Introduction
Have you ever wished that your pet would help you out around the house? After all, he lives there too! For many families that share a home with a dog, that dog is frequently seen as a member of the family, and as such, maybe he should have a job to do just as everyone in the home does. Your dog might not be able to start the washing machine or vacuum the living room, but that doesn’t mean he has to sit around and do nothing either!
Dogs have been assisting people in the home for many years now, whether it’s by fetching slippers, warding away strangers, or any number of other tasks. In fact, service dogs are often trained for many things to make life easier for their handlers, some of which may be seen as mundane or simple. However, these tasks can be invaluable for a handler who truly needs help. Even something as small as being able to turn on the lights can be a huge help.
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Defining Tasks
Your dog doesn’t need to be a service dog to learn small things like turning on the lights for you when you enter a room. In fact, maybe you just want to teach him as a cool trick to impress guests when they come over! Either way, teaching your dog this small task can be fun and rewarding for both of you.
This task is best suited for larger dogs that can safely reach the light switch on your wall without having to resort to climbing up on anything dangerous or unstable. Big dogs do well with light switches, as their noses are larger and are better for flicking the switch on. This can also be done with a medium sized dog, as long as you provide an appropriate and safe step stool for them to use. It can be tricky, at first, to get your dog to understand what you’d like him to do, but this task gets easier with repetition. After a week or two of practice, your dog will be able to flick the lights on with ease whenever you enter a room.
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Getting Started
Before you start training, ensure that your dog can safely reach your light switch without hurting himself or standing up on anything dangerous. This task is best done with light switches rather than lamps with pull strings, as those can be knocked over easily and may break.
Find a tool that works best for your dog to guide him up to the switch. It can be something like a toy, a sticky note, or your hand. Have some treats on hand for frequent rewards, as this task can be a little confusing. Rewarding for each positive step in the right direction is crucial to really nail the behavior.
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The Guide Method
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Effective
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Take your dog to the wall
Using a treat as a lure, entice your dog over to the wall underneath the light switch.
Encourage your dog to put paws up
Continue to use the treat to encourage your dog to jump up and put both of her front paws on the wall. Reward when she manages to do so.
Lure the nose
Once your dog can reliably get up onto the wall, encourage her to use her nose to sniff out the treat in your hand. Reward her for doing so.
Guide to the light switch
Using your hand and the treat as a lure once again, guide your dog so that she can sniff at the switch. Use a word to identify the object like ‘light’ or ‘switch’ that she can use later for the task itself.
Place the treat just above the switch
With the treat just above the switch, have your dog sniff and nudge against the switch itself. If she flicks it on, reward enthusiastically.
Repeat until it’s familiar
Continue this process until your dog is familiar with the act of turning the switch on.
The Target Method
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Teach your dog to target
Use your hand or another item like a plastic lid. Place it up to your dog’s nose and if he sniffs it, reward him. Use the word ‘target’ to associate the act of pressing his nose against the object as the task you want him to perform.
Have your dog target different objects
Use the lid or your hand to teach your dog to target different things like a spot on the wall, the side of a table, or other similar objects. Reward for proper targeting.
Target something high up
Before moving to the switch, have your dog begin to target taller items that require the use of his hind legs. Reward very often for these objects especially, as you want him to get a positive association to leaping up against the wall to reach something.
Target the switch
This may require some adjusting, but have your dog target the switch so that his nose nudges against it. Repeat this until he flicks on the light, whether on purpose or by accident. Reward either way and be very enthusiastic about it.
Give the light a name or a command
Use ‘turn it on’ or ‘light switch’ to associate your dog to the act of turning the lights on. Practice this command often with frequent rewards until he can perform reliably when you enter a room.
Written by TJ Trevino
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 01/12/2018, edited: 06/07/2023
Training Questions and Answers
None
Affenpinscher
One Year
Question
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I don’t have a training question. Please remove the method that uses a laser! As a behaviorist and trainer, I work with so many dogs who develop laser pointer syndrome. It may LOOK like great fun for the dog but they often develop obsessive behaviors that are very hard to reverse!
June 5, 2023
None's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1128 Dog owners recommended
Hello, Thank you so much for bringing that to our attention. I have emailed my superior and requested that the article be edited to remove that method or removed entirely. I strongly agree with you. Some of our articles are old and although we have made efforts to remediate many of those older articles, this one seems to have been missed. Thank you, Caitlin Crittenden
June 6, 2023