Dog Tricks: Catching a Treat Theory

Series Summary

Teaching your dog or puppy basic obedience commands can be a tricky feat, but the reward of a happy, healthy pet makes it well worth the time and effort it takes to train a dog. Learning how to stay, sit, and heel are important for both you and your dogs happiness and safety. There are many variations and theories on how to train a dog, but most professional dog trainers will tell you to reward good behavior and negatively reinforce bad behavior. Of course this can be more difficult than it sounds. Many people may end up unknowingly enforcing the bad behavior instead of the good, but with a little effort and knowledge of how a dog learns, even you can teach your dog basic obedience commands. As far as dog tricks go, catching a treat isn't one of the harder tricks, but it's a fun one. In this free video series, a dog trainer will show you how to teach a dog to catch a treat, starting with dry food. You'll learn how to bait the dog, move your hands to steady the dog, and how to motion to toss the treat to the dog's mouth. Next, you'll discover why to throw the treat on the third tossing motion, how to apply the voice, and how repetition will allow you to master the trick. With these tips and techniques, you'll soon have a new and fun trick to teach your dog!

Video Transcript

"Hello, my name is Mark Siebel, owner and lead trainer of DOGGIE STEPS Dog Training in Phoenix, Arizona. In this segment we're going to be talking about the trick, how to catch a treat. In the scale of level of difficulty, this isn't the hardest trick, but it's a fun one to show your dog, just to work on co-ordination, timing, and balance. Normally, what I like to do is start with a piece of your dog's dry food, Kibble, catching a treat, is generally no different than catching a ball or a Frisbee. It just doesn't require quite as much timing or co-ordination. And, what's nice is, the dog's generally more eager to open its jaws, because it knows it's going to get a tasty treat. This, this is a trick that can be used either at parties or when you're taking your dog for a walk. But, it's certainly a good crowd pleaser to show your dog that you have good control and attention, and connection with your dog. As I said, this will be the Dog Catch A Treat Trick."