Guide to How to teach your Yorkie to roll over
Every owner wants that their dog should be able to perform certain basic tricks, one of which is rolling over. Dog owners, especially Yorkie owners, need answers to how to teach your Yorkie to roll over because it’s fun to watch them performing such tricks.
Why do Yorkies Roll Over?
You may have witnessed your dogs rolling over whether you have trained your dog or not to perform that. Traditionally rolling the dog is considered as their submissive gesture, but it is something more than that. There are several possible reasons why dogs roll over.
To Disguise:
Even though dogs have been domesticated for over 10,000 years but they still portray some behavior that is received from their wolf ancestors. One such instinct is survival. Rolling their backs is one such protection strategy through which they coat themselves with some new scent so that the enemies cannot recognize them from their scent. This is why you may have noticed that your dog usually roll themselves in wet mud or sand because it is their natural behavior. You can teach your dog the “leave it” command to avoid such instances.
Itchiness:
If you have observed the canine skeleton system, you may have noticed that they do not have access to particular areas on their back. It is difficult for the dog to scratch such areas in case of irritation. They can use any surface that develops friction to calm themselves from scratching. If your dog is scratching itself on occasions, it is okay, but for regular scratching, you may have to check for the presence of fleas, ticks, and other parasites on their body.
Defensive or Submissive:
Researchers have shown that dogs who love to fight or play with other dogs roles more. It is one of their defensive technique by which they gain a better position so that they can bite at their opponent more effectively.
If not defensive, it can also be submissive and such habit they have received from their ancestors, who then roll over in front of their alpha dog to show their submissive attitude towards him. Now, as you are his pack leader, they show a submissive attitude to you.
Basic Training for Yorkies:
Before knowing how to teach your Yorkie to roll over, you should provide basic training to your Yorkie. It is slightly difficult to train a Yorkie because they are not so smart dogs but are intelligent and a little bit stubborn. But it is not impossible to train Yorkie if you are consistent in teaching. Here are some of the tricks that you should follow to train your Yorkies easily.
Fundamental Tricks of a Yorkie training
- It is good that you begin the training session of your dog at an early stage of their life. You can begin training your dog when they reach at least 8-12 months of their age. This time is considered best as Yorkies are ready to learn and remember new things.
- Repetition of the tricks is also essential so that your Yorkie can grasp a particular trick. It is just as revision like we do before our exams.
- You should use positive reinforcement techniques to train your puppies. Such technique includes providing them with treats, petting them, hugging them when they complete the task successfully, etc.
- Consistency is also equally important for training. You should provide regular training and should follow the same procedure to train your Yorkie. Also, choose the same command words to train your Yorkie without any confusion.
Basic Training:
Sit:
Sit command is one of the most important commands that you should teach your dog. To train your Yorkie for this command, grab a treat and let them take a sniff of it. Now bring a treat over their head so that it naturally comes in a sitting position, if not slightly push his lower back so that he sits. Now say the command sit and give him a treat. Repeat this training at least 2-3 times a day in the beginning.
Lie Down:
Once your dog has learned the sitting command, move to the lie-down command. Once your dog is in his sitting position, bring the treat near to its mouth and gradually move away from him across the floor and say the command down. If she starts to walk forward, remind the dog to sit. You may have to your Yorkie at first, but ultimately they will grasp the trick.
Stay:
For this command, you can either use vocal command stay or through your hands with your palm facing towards the ground. Once your dog is in a sitting position, use the stay command and slowly walk away from him. Now you can also teach the come command so that you’re Yorkie comes towards you. Similarly, you can teach commands such as speak, spin, shake, rollover, play dead, etc., to Your Yorkie.
Apart from this, there are several behaviors of Yorkies that are intolerable, and you have to stop them. It includes chewing things, barking, or biting. In such cases, using negative reinforcement is the best approach. Such negative reinforcement technique includes spraying water, using no-shock barking collars, or teaching them the “No” command, or leaving from the scene for a moment.
If your Yorkie bites you accidentally or playfully, just say “Ouch” and leave the scene. Through this dog will understand your attitude and will not repeat the mistake. Similarly, you can train them for potty training by understanding their bowel moments’ timing. Never hit or shout at your dogs as it is of no use and will make the matter worse. Your Yorkie will then start to avoid training. You can also hire a professional trainer if you feel you are not good enough.
The easiest way to how to teach your Yorkie to roll over
You can easily learn how to teach rollover baby to your dog by following a proper approach. Remember practicing is the best way to get successful results; here are the ways by which you can teach your Yorkie this particular act.
- To learn the rollover trick, your dog is required to understand the lying down command. If your dog is not trained with this command, you have to train them first because this is the initial pose of the dog through which he will follow the rollover command.
- Get some of the favorite treats of your Yorkie. Break the treats into small pieces, so there are enough pieces of treats during the entire training session. Breaking the treats into pieces is also necessary because it will keep your dog hungry, and hence he will be motivated to learn the trick avoid fatty food and salts-based treats.
- Select a good place to start the training of your dog. Such a place should be free from people, noise, and any other distraction. Choose a spacious room also inform your family about the training session so that they do not disturb you and your Yorkie during the training session.
- In a lie-down position, bring a treat near the mouth of your Yorkie. Make sure that you have a firm grip on the treat so that your dog cannot snatch it before completing the trick. Now bring the treat towards his nose, compelling him to roll over and say roll over a firm but friendly voice. And move the treat around the side of his head. You can teach them either to roll in the right or left direction to roll or both.
- You have to keep practicing at least 15-30 minutes daily for a week for effective results. Remember to provide tret to your dog as soon as he completes the task. After few days, you can simply say rollover without any treats to monitor his performance.
Some Common FAQs:
QUE: What is the easiest way to teach a dog to roll over?
ANS: The easiest way to teach a Yorkie to roll over is to move a treat above and around their body.
QUE: What tricks can you teach a Yorkie?
ANS: You can teach basic tricks such as kiss, shaking a hand, stopping barking, lying down, etc., to Your Yorkie.
QUE: How do I get my Yorkie to lay down?
ANS: You can get your Yorkie to lay down by bringing the treat near to its mouth and slowly bringing the treat down, and gradually moving it away.
QUE: Why do Yorkies roll around?
ANS: Yorkies generally roll around to get rid of their scent to save themselves from any imagined or real predators. They think that through this, predators cannot recognize their presence.
QUE: What is the hardest trick to teach your dog?
ANS: Army crawling, wait, and stop barking are some of the commands that are difficult to teach your dog.
QUE: What are the 7 basic dog commands?
ANS: The seven basic dog commands sit, stand, bark, stop barking, wait, lie down, and rollover.
I hope that now you have all the answers to How to teach your Yorkie to roll over. Yorkies are lovely breeds of dogs, and training your dog to perform tricks not only makes the moment enjoyable but also enhances bonding between an owner and their dog.