Learn a Dog Trick

Teach Your Dog an Old Trick: On Trust and Paid For

At Boca Village Animal Hospital we know that the bond between humans and their dogs is very strong. Part of that is due to the time you spend together. Teaching your dog tricks not only helps this build bond but it fulfills some dogs need to make you happy!
One of the oldest dog tricks is when you put a treat on your dog's nose and they won't eat it until you give the word. This trick requires a lot of patience. 

Have your dog sit.  Hold the dog's head steady with your hand. Place a treat on their nose. While the head is steady, the treat will be balanced.

Repeat “on trust, on trust” while holding the dog's head steady with one hand. This is teaching the dog patience not to want to grab the treat. Just be gentle and hold up a finger and keep saying, “On trust, on trust,” to the dog.

Releasing the dog’s head, say “paid for “ to the dog. Give a chuck under the dog's chin and encourage the dog to throw the treat up in the air. The dog catches it. Of course the dog will eat the treat when you first start practicing. The dog may take awhile to catch on, so have plenty of treats on hand.

Repeating this continually with the dog will be a fun exercise. The dog will think it’s a game. Eventually you dog will not need your hand holding him steady. Then, try to balance the treat on their nose. The dog cannot move until the "paid for" command is given.

Add to the trick by  talking to the dog using the “on trust” command in the conversation.

Put more focus on the word trust. An example would be, “Izzy, I have a yummy treat, “on trust”. Izzy is a smart dog and won't eat treats on trust but waits until is has been paid for.” Of course placing emphasis on the command paid for.

You can teach your dog to eat the treat on a certain number, using three for instance. Just place the treat on their nose. Hold the dog’s head and count putting emphasis on three, then chuck the dog’s chin. This takes a lot of practice and patience. Try counting out of order and still strongly saying three. Never make the dog wait too long as their patience can wear out; as will yours! They want to eat the treat.

You are the master, be patient. The dog should never be punished for not learning a trick. Just keep practicing and rewarding. Having fun and quality time with your dog is the most important thing while trying to learn dog tricks. Enjoy your dog!
If your dog is trained to do tricks and obey commands it make it so much simpler to take him to your local Boca Raton vet and or other places away from home.