How to teach your dog to play dead when you say bang

By Ryn Gargulinski

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

Dog
Training treats
Patience
Persistence
Consistency

Step 1:
Get your dog into the “down” position.
Step 2:
Hold a treat above his head so he has to turn his head to follow it and thereby ends up lying on his back.
Step 3:
Give him the treat while he’s supine, telling him that he is a good dog.
Step 4:
Repeat the above six times, and once he gets it, add the word “Bang” when he’s about to roll on his back.
Step 5:
Repeat the exercise using the word “Bang” until he gets it. Including a hand signal, like a pretend gun, will aid in his responsiveness.

Tips & Warnings

Keep at it. Dogs are best trained in short, frequent sessions on a daily basis.
If he falters, go back to the preceding steps until the dog is solid in his response.
Don’t despair. Some dogs take to certain tricks easier than others.
Don't use a real gun, especially if it's loaded.

Photo/Video Credit

Photo of Sawyer by Ryn Gargulinski

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