Dr. Dunbar’s 28-Day Good Dog Challenge

Rollover

Day 13 · A fun trick, plus Bang!, Beg, and Bow.

Step by step

Teach Rollover

1. Say “Down,” and move a food lure from nose to toes.
2. Once your dog is Down in the sphinx position, lying on their belly, move the food lure alongside their muzzle to their shoulder.
3. Then move the lure over the back of their neck. Your dog will roll onto their back, and then all the way over.
4. Praise, and reward. If your dog jumps up, be patient and simply try again.

Now go for a record

How many Rollovers in a row will your dog do? Praise lots, and reward after one, then two, then three in a row.

Bonus tricks

Bang!

Stop the Rollover halfway, with your dog lying on their back, for Bang! Then count Good Dogs for a Bang!-Stay.

Side Settle

If rolling over isn’t comfortable for your dog, teach a long, relaxing Side Settle instead: lying calmly on their side.

Beg

With your dog sitting, say “Beg,” and, keeping the food lure very close to their nose, slowly raise it so their front legs leave the floor and dangle in front of their chest. If your dog has trouble balancing, start with them sitting in a corner, so they have support at the back and sides.

Bow

With your dog standing, say “Bow,” and lower the food lure from their nose to a couple of inches in front of their toes, until their elbows and chest rest on the floor with their bottom in the air, like a play bow.

If your dog keeps collapsing into a Down, hold your arm as a barrier between their front and back legs, an inch or so under their belly. Don’t let your arm touch your dog. It’s there so that if they start to lower their back end, their belly touches your arm.

Silly tricks?

Yes, tricks are fun, and they make people laugh. But they all have extremely important uses. Just as a Stand-Stay makes it easy to examine your dog’s front, back, sides, and top, a Bang!-Stay makes it easy to check their chest and belly.

Tricks make friends

Most important, any posture with bent elbows, like Beg, Bow, Bang!, and Rollover, is an appeasement gesture. Dogs use them all the time to say they’re friendly and want to play.

There’s no better way to put unfamiliar dogs, and their people, at ease than asking your Rottweiler, wearing a pink bow around their neck, to Beg and wave. Or asking your enormous Mastiff-pittie cross to Bow, tail wagging and bottom waggling in the air.

When your dog shows off their training and friendly nature, people and other dogs feel less threatened, and so they’re less likely to threaten or harass you or your dog.

Special tips

What’s next

• Tomorrow, Day 14, it’s our Halfway Check-in! See it on the Videos and Prizes page.
• Use it every day. Show off a trick whenever you meet someone new.