Boston Terrier Secrets » Advanced Training

Train Your Boston Terrier To Ring A Bell

Colleen — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:56:44 +0000

Training your Boston Terrier to ring a bell is a very handy trick for you and your dog to learn … and it’s very useful for potty training too!

If your dog learns to associate ringing a bell with going outside to go to the bathroom, this is a huge help! No more trying to be a doggy mind reader!

Just follow these simple steps and you’ll be on your way to bell ringing in no-time!

Step 1

Hang a bell near the door that you use most frequently when taking your dog outside (make sure your Boston can reach it comfortably).

Step 2

Figure out what command you’re going to use with your dog, which will mean “go outside.” A nice simple command is “outside.”

Step 3

Hold a treat in your right hand and place your left hand in front of your treat hand, touching the bells. When your dog’s nose touches your left hand (the one that’s covering the treat and ringing the bells), give your dog the treat.

Repeat this step a few times. Your Boston terrier will get used to hearing and touching the bells. Soon enough your dog will begin to associate treats and positivity with the sound of the bells. And once your dog is ringing the bells on his own, you can move on to the next step.

Step 4

Keep repeating the above steps with your dog, but now start adding the verbal command. When your dog completes the trick, take him outside, and give him his treat. The best time to practice this trick is when your dog needs to potty.

After several training sessions, your dog will begin to start ringing the bell on his own when he wants to go outside. Make sure he’s not taking advantage of you though! Good luck.

Video of a Boston Terrier Ringing A Bell

Teach Your Boston Terrier to Dance!

Colleen — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:02:34 +0000

Wondering how to teach your Boston Terrier to dance? It’s a great exercise for your dog and it’ll be sure to get some laughs from your guests. It’s really not a hard trick for your dog to learn either. Here are some dancing lessons that are nice and easy to follow!

Lucy and I’s first song together was T.I.’s Whatever You Like, but feel free to find a song that you and your Boston terrier both enjoy!

7 Steps to Successful Doggy Dancing

Take your Boston into a room with little distractions. Make sure it’s quiet and people won’t be walking through the room.
Get plenty of bite sized treats. Try to choose smaller treats, so your dog doesn’t get overfed when he/she’s learning to dance.
Pick a tune, and turn it up! Find a fun up-beat song that will get your dog excited!
Start dancing! If your Boston terrier doesn’t join in immediately, entice her to move around by using a treat.
Your Boston terrier should start swaying, jumping, standing, singing …whatever it is she likes doing!
At the end of the song, reward your dog with the treat!
Repeat, repeat, repeat!

Dancing with your Boston terrier is not only an excellent exercise and bonding experience, it’s all great fun! I love seeing Boston terrier’s in action, so if you have a fun video to share, I would love to see it. Either post a link to the video in the comments area, or email me the video file and I will upload it to the ‘Videos‘ section of the site.

Also, if you have a special song with your dog, share it with everyone! Let us all know what gets your Boston grooving!

Cute video of Boston terrier dancing the Itchiback Dance

If you have any videos or comments to share, I’d love to hear them!

Teach Your Dog “Get The Mail”

Colleen — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:28:43 +0000

Getting the mail (or the newspaper) is a fun trick to teach your Boston Terrierr.

You should always use the same verbiage when attempting to teach your dog new tricks. So for the purpose of this trick decide on a “command” and stick with it, ex: “get the paper.”

Of course your dog isn’t going to know what the heck “get the paper” means right off the bat, so the first few times, you should demonstrate. Pick up the paper and put it in your dog’s mouth.

When you want to give it back to you, say “leave it” or “drop it” and offer a treat in exchange.

Here’s a video of the trick being enacted!

If you have any tips or tricks of your own, please leave a comment below!

Teach Your Boston Terrier to Find the Treasure! (Dig)

Colleen — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:48:32 +0000

Teaching your Boston Terrier to “find the treasure” means that your will be teaching your dog to use one or two of her front paws to dig at the floor. It’s one of many hilarious tricks that will impress your friends!

Just follow the steps mentioned in this tutorial and you’ll have your Boston terrier entertaining crowds for a long time!

Steps to Teach Your Boston Terrier to Find the Treasure:

1. Gather some treats that you know your dog really enjoys.

2. When your dog isn’t watching you, bury the treats underneath a towel.

3. You should not let your dog use her nose to try and search for the treats. Encourage her to “paw at” the towel to get the treats. Do this by showing her and verbally saying “Dig” or something of that nature.

4. Eventually your dog will start pawing at the towel. When she starts doing this, say “Find the treasure!” and reward her right away!

Note: If your dog is not a natural digger, this may take a little longer for her to pick up. Also, if you have a problematic digger on your hands (i.e. digging up your garden), you may not want to teach this trick because it may encourage this digging behavior.

If you have any questions or tips about this trick, post a comment below or send me an email!

Teach Your Boston Terrier to Dance!

Train Your Boston Terrier to Go to Bed

Colleen — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:34:18 +0000

If you want to train your Boston Terrier to go to bed and lay down when you tell her to just follow these simple steps:

1. Put a bed, blanket, or towel down about 6-10 feet away from you.

2. Have your dog stand beside you and say “Go to bed!” Then walk over to the bed with your dog.

3. Have your dog lie down, and then give her a treat and praise.

4. Repeat a couple times a day, for several days.

5. When she starts to get the hang of it, you can practice telling her to go to bed without walking her over. Have someone else waiting at her bed with a reward.

6. After a few practices, your dog will go to bed all by herself!

This is a good trick for your dog to know when you are crate training her. It’s good if your dog to “go to bed” without you having to coax her into her crate against her will.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other tips or suggestions! Happy Training

Teach Your Boston Terrier to Kiss

Colleen — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:49:28 +0000

If you own a Boston Terrier I’m sure you already know that Boston Terrier’s are the world’s best kissers! I know my Lucy is.

Lucy doesn’t need to be prompted; it’s instinctual to her, as I’m sure it is with most Bostons. If you happen to have a Boston that doesn’t naturally kiss … you can teach her this trick by doing the following.

1. When your dog licks your face, say “Give me a kiss. Good Girl! Give me a kiss.”

2. If she’s not a licker, put some peanut butter on your cheek and say, “Give me a kiss.”

3. When she licks it off repeat, “Give me a kiss,” again.
Your pup will begin to associate the words “Give me a kiss” with licking your face. Make sure to give her plenty of praise every time she performs.

If you plan on teaching your Boston Terrier to kiss, watch this first!

Teach Your Boston Terrier to Take a Bow

Colleen — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:18:37 +0000

If you’re trying to teach your Boston Terrier a few new tricks, you should definitely try this one with your pup!

It’s a big crowd pleaser. Of course- it gets more of a reaction from your audience if your pup has done several other impressive tricks first.

After your Boston does a series of tricks, tell her to “take a bow.”

Option 1

1. When you see your dog stretching and she has her head down low, say “Take a bow.”

2. Repeat this every time she wakes up and stretches.

3. This works because you are associating words with something your dog already naturally does. She’ll associate the two eventually.
The length of learning this trick varies from dog to dog. Some dogs will learn this trick in a week, while it may take others several years to learn.

Option 2

1. Have your dog stand up.

2. Take a treat and hold it near the floor, under her nose.

3. As your dog tries to get the treat she will probably try to lay down to get it. If she tries to do this, just take your hand and push her belly up.

4. Hold her in this position and say “take a bow.”

5. Keep the treat right next to her nose, but don’t give her the treat immediately. Have her hold the position for a few seconds and then release her and give her the treat.

Please leave a comment below if you have any other useful tip or techniques. Also, let me know if you have any questions! Happy training

Teach Your Boston Terrier to Play Dead

Colleen — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 20:04:47 +0000

Teach your Boston Terrier to “play dead.”

This trick is fun to have your dog perform when you have guests over. It always gets a laugh!

5 Steps to Teach “Play Dead”

1. Tell your dog to lay down.

2. As you roll her over to her side say “play dead” or “take a nap.”

3. Don’t give her a treat right away. Encourage her to stay on her side or back for a couple seconds.

4. Then say something like “Ok!” or “Wake Up!”

5. When your dog stands up, give her the reward.

Very Important: Do not give your dog the treat while she is laying down. Give her the treat once she has completed the trick!

Also note, your dog isn’t going to be a genius at this right away. It will take a few days or maybe even weeks of practice. Also remember, do not train in long sessions. Your pup will lose her focus after about 5-10 minutes.

A little each day goes a long, long way!

Boston Terrier Learning Play Dead!

Any tips of your own for teaching a Boston Terrier to play dead? I’d love to hear them!

Questions? Go ahead, leave a comment below.

Teach Your Boston Terrier to Turn Around

Colleen — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:09:05 +0000

Want your dog turning in circles for you?

Training your Boston Terrier is great for her. Learning new tricks will enforce obedience and make your pet happy. Boston’s like to please their master’s and learning new tricks gives them this sense of accomplishment.

Steps to Turn Around

1. Have your dog stand, facing you.

2. Show your dog a treat.

3. Say “Turn Around.”

4. Lead the dog’s nose to the left, or clockwise, with the treat so she walks in a circle.

5. Once, your Boston has done a complete circle, and she’s facing you again, say “good dog!” and give her the treat.

After a few weeks of practice, start showing your dog the treat and say “turn around.” This time don’t lead her nose.

If she turns around by herself, give her the treat. If she’s not ready yet, repeat the steps above until she gets the hang of things.

Remember to be consistent with the words you say. For example, don’t say “turn around” sometimes and “turn left” other times. Always be consistent!

Here’s a Video of a Boston Terrier Doing Amazing Tricks!

Shake Hands with Your Boston

Colleen — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:45:35 +0000

This one’s pretty easy! Of course, if your dog doesn’t know the basics yet- you should start their first!

1. First have your dog sit.

2. Say something like, “Shake Hands” or “Give me paw” and take your dog’s paw.

3. Hold her paw, and say “Good girl!”

4. Let go of her paw.

Remember, repetition is key here! You need to practice for a few minutes every day.

As your dog gets better at these steps, you can start to say “shake hands” or “give me paw” without taking her paw. See if she raises her paw on her own.

If your pup doesn’t get it right away, keep practicing! Don’t give up because it’s only a matter of time until she will shake hands with you!

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