Things You'll Need:
- Dog biscuits
- Small, dark colored soft treats
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Step 1
Train your dog to catch treats in the air. Toss small, visible, soft treats such as chopped roll over gently in an arc that will end right in the center of his snout.
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Step 2
If a treat hits the ground, beat him to it and pick it up. Soon, your dog will figure out that he needs to catch the treat in the air to keep you from intercepting them. When he catches more treats than he drops, add the verbal cue "get it" or "catch" as you release the treat into the air.
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Step 3
Place your dog in a sit stay. If your dog does not know a stay or wait cue, you will need to teach him to do so. This trick is a wonderful exercise to strengthen the stay command.
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Step 4
Gently hold a hard dog cookie about 1/2 inch above your dog's snout just past the tip of his nose, almost in the middle of the snout. Cue him to "get it" and release the cookie as he grabs it. Practice this in short sessions until he can hold still for ten seconds before you tell him to take the cookie.
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Step 5
Place your dog in a stay. Lay the cookie on your dog's nose and slowly move your hand away. Do not allow him to get the cookie before you tell him to do so. Have your dog balance the cookie for 3 seconds, tell him to "get it". Practice this a few times. In the next training session, wait five seconds before you release your dog to catch the cookie. Each session go a couple of seconds longer until your dog can wait up to 15 seconds.
