15 Tricks To Teach During Crate Rest

Crate rest can be challenging for both you and your dog, but it’s a great opportunity to work on mental stimulation and reinforce positive behaviours.

It is important to remember that there are many different reasons a dog may be on crate rest. Depending on your situation some of these tricks may not be suitable to teach your dog during this time – please check with your veterinarian to determine which tricks are safe to teach your dog during their rest period

Here are 15 tricks that you can teach your dog, along with their benefits and how to teach them:

1. Sit Pretty (Beg):
2. • Benefit: Strengthens core muscles.
   • How to Teach: Hold a treat above your dog’s head, encouraging them to sit back on their haunches. Reward and repeat.
2. Shake Hands:
3. • Benefit: Provides mental stimulation and reinforces good manners.
   • How to Teach: Offer your hand and say “shake.” When your dog lifts their paw, reward with a treat.
3. High Five:
4. • Benefit: Builds on shake hands, adding a fun and impressive element.
   • How to Teach: After teaching shake hands, raise your hand higher. Reward when your dog paws at your hand.
4. Spin:
5. • Benefit: Encourages flexibility and provides mental stimulation.
   • How to Teach: Use a treat to lure your dog in a circular motion. Reward when they complete the spin.
5. Paw Targeting:
6. • Benefit: Enhances focus and coordination.
   • How to Teach: Use a target (e.g., your hand) and reward when your dog touches it with their paw.
6. Roll Over:
7. • Benefit: Promotes flexibility and provides mental stimulation.
   • How to Teach: Start with your dog in a lying down position, then use a treat to lure them into a roll. Reward when they complete the roll.
7. Play Dead:
8. • Benefit: Adds a fun and advanced element to basic commands.
   • How to Teach: Start with a down position, then gently guide your dog onto their side. Reward when they lie on their side.
8. Stay:
9. • Benefit: Reinforces impulse control and helps keep your dog calm.
   • How to Teach: Begin with short durations and gradually increase. Reward when your dog stays in place.
9. Balance on Hind Legs:
10. • Benefit: Strengthens hind leg muscles and improves balance.
    • How to Teach: Hold a treat above your dog’s head while encouraging them to stand on their hind legs. Reward and repeat.
10. Fetch (Gentle Version):

• Benefit: Provides mental stimulation without excessive physical activity.
• How to Teach: Encourage your dog to pick up a soft toy and bring it back to you. Reward when they release the toy.

11. Find It:

• Benefit: Stimulates your dog’s sense of smell and provides mental exercise.
• How to Teach: Hide treats around the room and encourage your dog to find them using the “find it” command. Reward when they locate the treats.

12. Puzzle Toys:

• Benefit: Keeps your dog mentally engaged.
• How to Use: Introduce puzzle toys that dispense treats when manipulated. Encourage your dog to figure out how to get the treats.

13. Targeting (with Nose):

• Benefit: Enhances focus and coordination.
• How to Teach: Use a target (e.g., your hand) and reward when your dog touches it with their nose.

14. Speak/Bark on Command:

• Benefit: Teaches your dog to bark on command, providing mental stimulation.
• How to Teach: Use a trigger word (e.g., “speak”) and reward when your dog barks. Gradually phase out treats and reward for the command only.

15. Kiss/Touch:

• Benefit: Reinforces gentle behaviour.
• How to Teach: Encourage your dog to touch their nose to your cheek or hand. Reward with praise.

Remember to keep training sessions short and positive, using treats and praise as rewards. Adjust the difficulty based on your dog’s abilities and gradually increase challenges as they progress. Always consult with your veterinarian to ensure that the activities are suitable for your dog’s specific injury and recovery plan.

None of those fit the bill or your dog already knows them? Here are 20 more to consider!

1. Crawl:
2. • Benefit: Encourages low-impact movement and strengthens core muscles.
   • How to Teach: Use a treat to lure your dog forward while keeping their belly close to the ground. Reward when they crawl.
2. Bow:
3. • Benefit: Promotes flexibility and is a cute, playful behavior.
   • How to Teach: Hold a treat near your dog’s nose, then lower it to the ground. Reward when they follow the treat with a bowing motion.
3. Back Up:
4. • Benefit: Reinforces reverse movement and body awareness.
   • How to Teach: Stand in front of your dog and gently encourage them to back up by stepping towards them. Reward when they move backward.
4. Wave:
5. • Benefit: Adds a friendly and interactive element to greetings.
   • How to Teach: After teaching shake hands, extend your hand and encourage your dog to lift their paw higher, resembling a wave. Reward when they wave.
5. Take a Bow:
6. • Benefit: Combines elements of bowing and sitting pretty for an impressive trick.
   • How to Teach: Start with your dog standing, then lure them into a bow. Reward when they achieve the bow position.
6. Cross Paws:
7. • Benefit: Encourages coordination and adds a cute touch to tricks.
   • How to Teach: Hold a treat near one of your dog’s paws, encouraging them to lift it and cross over the other paw. Reward and repeat.
7. Leg Weave:
8. • Benefit: Enhances coordination and body awareness.
   • How to Teach: Use treats to guide your dog through your legs as they walk, alternating sides. Reward when they successfully weave through your legs.
8. Hug:
9. • Benefit: Creates a sweet and gentle interaction.
   • How to Teach: Hold a treat close to your chest and encourage your dog to put their paws on your shoulders. Reward when they “hug” you.
9. Play Bow:
10. • Benefit: Communicates playfulness and is a social behavior.
    • How to Teach: When your dog is excited or in a playful mood, reinforce the bowing motion they naturally make. Reward when they initiate a play bow.
10. Balance a Treat on Nose:
11. • Benefit: Enhances focus and patience.
    • How to Teach: Start with short durations of balancing a treat on your dog’s nose. Gradually increase the time, rewarding when they remain still.
11. Paws Up:
12. • Benefit: Reinforces the behavior of placing paws on a designated surface.
    • How to Teach: Encourage your dog to place their front paws on a raised surface (e.g., a stool or low platform). Reward when they do so.
12. Hold/Carry:
13. • Benefit: Teaches your dog to hold an item gently in their mouth.
    • How to Teach: Offer a soft toy or small object, and reward when your dog holds it in their mouth without biting down too hard.
13. Find Your Toy:
14. • Benefit: Engages your dog’s sense of smell and reinforces object recognition.
    • How to Teach: Start by hiding your dog’s favorite toy in plain sight, then gradually make it more challenging. Encourage them to find the toy and reward when they do.
14. Circle Around You:
15. • Benefit: Reinforces movement and coordination.
    • How to Teach: Use a treat to guide your dog in a circle around you. Reward when they complete the circle.
15. Salute:
16. • Benefit: Adds a fun and unique touch to tricks.
    • How to Teach: Gently lift one of your dog’s front paws towards their head, resembling a salute. Reward when they hold the position.
16. Retrieve Specific Items:
17. • Benefit: Teaches your dog to fetch specific objects.
    • How to Teach: Start by associating names with different toys. Gradually introduce the names during fetch sessions, rewarding when your dog brings the correct item.
17. Targeting (with Paw):
18. • Benefit: Enhances focus and coordination.
    • How to Teach: Use a target (e.g., your hand) and reward when your dog touches it with their paw, not their nose.
18. Chin Rest:
19. • Benefit: Encourages your dog to rest their chin on your hand or a designated surface.
    • How to Teach: Gently guide your dog’s chin to your hand, rewarding when they rest it there.
19. Speak on Cue and Quiet:
20. • Benefit: Teaches your dog to bark on command and stop barking.
    • How to Teach: Use a trigger word (e.g., “speak”) and reward when your dog barks. Introduce a “quiet” command and reward when they stop barking.
20. Counting:
21. • Benefit: Adds a cognitive element to tricks.
    • How to Teach: Teach your dog to touch different objects in sequence (e.g., “one,” “two,” etc.) with their paw. Reward for each correct touch.

Remember to adapt the difficulty of tricks based on your dog’s abilities and gradually increase challenges as they progress. Always monitor your dog’s comfort level, and consult with your veterinarian to ensure that the activities are suitable for their specific injury and recovery plan.