A - First aid + B- Show performance for multi-talents
Dogs learn through play! This is the perfect condition to combine play and seriousness.
Today : Giving paw - more than a funny trick!
Pawing is certainly one of the most popular tricks dogs learn. This is also because this exercise is particularly easy, at least for the front paws.
Cross your heart! Can you lift your dog's hind paw, hold it for a moment and examine it without the dog trying to pull it away? This often only works with calm minds. But it is important, not only in the case of kicked-in thorns, but also in the case of paw bandages. So: Giving paws is a trick that really helps you and the vet in an emergency.
Combine giving a paw with a command and tap the leg you are referring to. Lifting the paw is immediately rewarded. Start with the front legs. A few minutes a day is enough. Some dogs understand immediately, others need longer. If the dog understands what is meant, place the paw briefly on the flat of the hand (do not hold it) and let go again. With hind legs, dogs usually take longer to understand.
Only when this works reliably can you briefly hold the paw.
Attention! Dogs from animal welfare cases are often afraid of being touched with objects. If this is the case, continue with the exercise and tap the paw with tweezers. This can make sedation unnecessary in an emergency (smallest partial steps prevent setbacks!).
While we are at it! This is how the paw bandage works
Have you already done trick 1 from our series? Then you can now build on it. You can wrap a gauze bandage around a front paw while practising "sit". For a real bandage you need a helper. The hind paws are even more difficult. OR... You give the dog the learned command to lie on his side.
Half a gauze bandage is enough to practise bandaging the paw. It is only about the procedure, the bandage does not have to fulfil any function. (Attention! In case of emergency, all spaces between the toes (cotton wool) must be padded). For the exercise, wrap the paw only so tightly that the bandage holds, then unwrap it again and reward the dog.
For the more playful among you: Show performance for multi-talents
What command have you thought of for giving paws? Popular commands are "gimme 5" or "Guten Tag".
If you want to teach your dog to lift all four legs (one after the other?) and you have a flash memory, give the legs the "names" 1 to 4.
Example: The left front leg has the command 1, the right front leg 2, the right hind leg 3, the left hind leg 4.
Ripe for the stage: "How many legs does the dog have?"
The dog counts its legs from 1 - 4 with your help.
Tip: One, two, three sound very similar. It works better with English: one, two, three, four or use another language.