You’re gonna teach me to WHAT now?
You’ve been working hard teaching your new puppy to sit, stay, give you a paw, and stand so that you can wipe their muddy feet and belly.
Would you like a break?
This week, I’m going to teach you how to teach your dog to wipe their own feet. I call this “Wipe Your Feet,” but you can call it whatever you like.
Here’s what you will need:
Patience
Positive vibes
Treats
Towel or mat
You don’t need a muddy dog to teach this trick, so you can get started right now.
I like to teach in a low distraction environment, so I taught this trick inside.
Teach your dog a new trick inside before expecting them to perform it in an area that is very distracting (like outside with squirrels and other dogs running around.)
Place a dog towel or a mat on the floor. Here’s where the patience comes in — hang out with your dog until they touch the mat with their feet. This isn’t the place command, so I don’t want you to send your dog to their place on this towel or mat. Patiently wait until they paw at the mat. When they do, say “Good Wipe,” and feed your dog a treat. They may catch on very fast and paw the mat again, so pay close attention so you can reward them right away.
For the impatient — If your dog isn’t pawing at the mat, place a treat or a toy underneath the mat and see if they will use their feet to try to move the mat. Be sure to reward them right away with verbal praise and a treat.
Teaching your dog a new trick may teach you a lesson in patience. Dogs are the BEST teachers, aren’t they?!
Phasing out the treats:
Once your dog is catching on and wiping their feet enthusiastically, try rewarding them using only your voice. Then use your voice plus the treat on the next one. You can do this in the very FIRST training session. Your dog LOVES to work for your praise!
No one wants a dog who ONLY works for treats.
Proofing:
Proofing is the fancy word for: Has my dog learned this trick? Let me try asking her to do it and see if she does it.
You now have a dog who is wiping her feet on a towel. Every time she does this, you’ve been saying “Good wipe,” and sometimes you’ve been pairing this with a treat. Now, you’re going to try a behaviour chain — ask your dog to perform a few other commands in a row that she already knows (eg. sit, down, wait) and then ask for “Wipe your feet,” or “Wipe,” — whatever you have been calling it.
If she does the new trick, you’ll know she has learned it. If she doesn’t, help her by tapping the towel with your foot. Continue to reward her for getting it right, by saying “Good Wipe Your Feet.”
Phasing in a hand signal:
Gradually phase in a hand signal, so that your dog will wipe their feet with a simple gesture. I point at the ground, with a small wrist flick to ask Magic to wipe her feet.
Move your fancy new trick outside
Move the trick to your welcome mat:
Once your dog can reliably do the Wipe Your Feet trick, move the same towel or mat outside and practice there. You can even set this towel or mat on top of your welcome mat.
Adding new tricks improves your communication between you and your dog. This ultimately improves your relationship.
I hope this trick brings you as much joy as it brings me! Stay safe, be kind, and enjoy your extra time with your dog — it’s a gift.
For videos of tips and tricks, visit Beyond Dog Training here:
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gobeyonddogtraining/
Have a great week, Dog Leaders!
Alyssa
Photos by: Jamie Street (Duck Toller with stick,) Sharon McCutcheon (Black Labrador Retriever sitting inside by a window,) Ken Reid (senior dog sitting down,) Marek Szturc (white Husky eating a treat,) Jamie Street (Duck Toller sitting down outside.)