How to Train Your Dog to Walk on His Hind Legs
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Introduction
Teaching your dog to walk on his hind legs is a fun trick. Large dogs and medium-sized dogs can do this trick, but most small dogs will get this faster and easier. Walking on hind legs is a cute and fun trick to show your friends and neighbors because dogs don't walk on two legs normally. You can turn walking on hind legs into a dancing trick or a spinning around in a circle trick with just a little extra training and attention.
Your dog may not want to walk on his hind legs all the time, but it can be a command you teach him to entertain people or just to have fun. Teach your dog to make the people in his world smile and laugh at his fun skills of walking on his hind legs. He’ll be a hit at your next party.
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Defining Tasks
Teaching your dog to walk on his hind legs will begin in a 'sit' position or a 'beg' position. If your dog does not know these commands as of yet, train them first. In order to learn to walk on his hind legs, he should have the basic obedience commands down. He will be starting in a 'sit' or 'beg' position and then standing tall, rising up from that position, before learning to walk. This skill of learning to walk on his hind legs will take a little bit of time because your dog will need to build up rear leg strength. Even if he knows how to beg, it may take him a little extra time to learn how to walk on those hind legs, so have some patience and extra training time.
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Getting Started
To get started training your dog to walk on his hind legs, you are going to need lots of high-value treats to offer during training sessions. Be sure your dog knows how to sit. If you would like to start in a beg position, teach the beg command first. These training sessions are going to require short and simple challenges. Keep your dog's strength up and his attention by keeping each training under fifteen minutes. Be sure to reward your dog during and after each training session. Your dog will need to build his muscles before he can walk, so don't expect him to walk on his hind legs from a beg position right away. Take it slow so he can build strength.
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The From Beg Method
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Entice with treat
Hold a high-value treat in your closed hand and let your dog sniff it.
Raise
Raise the treat up above your dog's head, going slightly over and behind his head. This will lift his head up and point his chin upward. If you have ever taught your dog the beg command, this is the start of teaching your dog to beg. If your dog knows had to beg, start here but without using the command to beg.
Stand tall
To get to the treat above his head, your dog should stand tall on his hind legs.
Treat
Give your dog a treat for standing to reach the treat in your hand. If you are using a clicker for training, this is the time to click and treat.
Continue
Keep holding treats above his head making him stand tall, clicking and treating each time.
Move forward
Move your treat above his head slowly forward, encouraging your dog to come to you on his hind legs after standing up. Be sure to click and treat once he gets it.
Walk
Stand up and walk along, moving the treat forward and giving your dog the 'walk' command and treat lure.
Practice
Keep practicing, increasing distance each day.
The Lure Method
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Sit
Have your dog start in a sitting position.
Stand
Get your dog to stand by luring him upward with a treat.
Lure up
Lure him up by placing a treat above his head. You may need to let him sniff the treat first to ensure it’s one he’s willing to work for. High-value treats such as ham are good for this trick
Reward
Once he is standing on his hind legs, give him the lure treat.
Muscle
Build up your dog’s hind leg muscles and keep practicing this standing part of the walking on hind legs trick.
Walk
With the treat in your hand, lure him up into the standing position, only this time continue to hold the treat above his head and move it slowly ahead a step.
Reward
If your dog hops to get the treat, give it to him. If your dog does not walk on his hind legs or hop, still offer him the treat for standing tall and try again.
Practice
Repeat these steps with your dog until he can take several steps.
Name it
Once he’s walking on his hind legs, give it a name and continue to practice using the command to do the trick. Be sure to keep practicing every day. Your goal will be to have your dog able to perform the trick on command without the lure of a treat.
The Name it First Method
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Start from sit
Have your dog sit and offer him a treat for obeying.
Command
Give your dog the command you plan to use to have him walk on his hind legs such as 'walk.'
Treat
Hold a treat above your dog's nose and raise it higher and higher, encouraging your dog to stand to get it.
Walk
Once your dog learns to stand with the lure of a treat over his head, take the treat over his head and walk it a step away from him. As you walk the treat away from your dog, use the 'walk' command you started to use in the beginning.
Follow
Your dog should follow the treat and walk on his hind legs forward at least two steps. If he does not, practice standing a little longer.
Reward
Be sure to reward your dog even if he takes a small step or attempts to walk on his hind legs.
Without treat
As your dog learns to walk on his hind legs, stop luring him up and over with the treat. At this point, he should be able to walk by command only. Be sure to reward him after he's done the trick but you no longer need the lure of a treat to get him to stand up and walk forward.
Practice
Continue to practice this until your dog can walk on his hind legs by command only. Be sure to use the command each time you asked him to walk on his hind legs.
Written by Stephanie Plummer
Veterinary reviewed by:
Published: 11/08/2017, edited: 01/08/2021
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Training Questions and Answers
Matilda
A mountain Cur hound
2 Years
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
It’s not really a challenge I just really want her to learn how to walk on her hind legs but she won’t let me even get close to her paws
Oct. 11, 2020
Matilda's Owner
Alisha Smith - Alisha S., Dog Trainer
257 Dog owners recommended
Hi there. You can try luring her with a super tasty treat. Have her start from a standing position, take a treat and put it up above her nose. Keep raising it until she stands up on her hind legs. Once she is up, give her a "yes!" and then give her the treat. Repeat this until she is standing longer, then eventually lure her to walk with the treat.
Oct. 11, 2020
Zayka
Cocopoo
4 Months
Question
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
To get a dog pee on a blanket .
April 18, 2020
Zayka's Owner
Caitlin Crittenden - Dog Trainer
1133 Dog owners recommended
Hello Anna, Do you want to train pup to pee on a blanket or stop pup from peeing on one? It sounds like you want to teach pup to pee on one. Please comment back if that's not the case. First, I strongly suggest NOT teaching pup that, as a blanket is made out of fabric and teaching pup that will likely result in pup also beginning to pee on dog beds, carpet, rugs, and clothing also. Instead, you might want to consider training pup to pee on a disposable real grass pad or a doggie litter box. Check out the Exercise Pen or Crate Training methods for teaching pup to go potty in a litter box or grass pad (the same method can be used with a folded up blanket if you are really set on teaching pup to pee on a blanket). https://wagwalking.com/training/litter-box-train-a-chihuahua-puppy Real grass pad brands - also on Amazon: www.doggielawn.com www.freshpatch.com www.porchpotty.com A grass pad can also be made for temporary use by putting a cut piece of grass sod into a large, shallow plastic storage container. If pup is peeing on a blanket in their crate and you don't want them doing so, check out something like www.primopads.com and put a non-absorbent bed in pup's crate instead until pup is fully potty training. Many puppies will pee on blankets, towels, and soft dog beds if you give them to them while they are too young, before they are potty trained. You need to use something non-absorbent with a young puppy, like primopads or a cot type bed (in the opening - cots won't fit into the crate). If you hold off on soft beds and are consistent with potty training, pup should learn not to pee on blankets and soft beds, but if you give them now, it will continue to be an issue into adulthood. If pup is peeing on the blanket on your bed, pup also needs to sleep in a crate with a non-absorbent bed instead of in your bed at this age until potty trained. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
April 20, 2020