Who doesn’t love teaching their Boston Terrier some new tricks? Teaching your pup to balance a treat on its nose is a fun way to bond and help build obedience.
This trick also helps define boundaries, as it requires the pup to remain still and focus.
Here’s how you can teach your Boston this neat trick step-by-step.
Training Your Boston Terrier To Balance A Treat On Its Nose
Training Basics
Before we get into the specific steps for training your Boston Terrier, let’s go over a few basics of training. First, make sure that you have plenty of treats on hand so that you can reward your pup for stepping up to the challenge.
It is also important to give verbal commands when appropriate and use words that are short and clear; otherwise, it will be harder for them to understand what you want them to do.
Lastly, be patient with your pup as they learn this new trick! It may take some time for them to master this behavior.
What to avoid when training
When training your Boston Terrier to balance a treat on its nose, it is important to avoid distractions. This means that you should keep your pup in an environment where there are as few distractions as possible so that they can focus on the task at hand.
Additionally, you will want to avoid using negative reinforcement when training this trick. This means that you should not punish your pup for making a mistake, but rather reward them for positive behavior.
Are there basic commands I should teach my Boston before teaching him how to balance a treat in his nose?
Yes, there are a few basic commands that you should teach your Boston before training them how to balance a treat in their nose. These include sit, stay, lie down, and come. Teaching these commands will help set the foundation for teaching your pup more complex behaviors, like balancing a treat on their nose.
Sit is one of the most common commands, and it simply means that the pup will sit still until the command is given again.
Stay requires your Boston to stay in one place until you give them a release command, such as “okay” or “release.”
Lie down is another basic command that requires the pup to lie down until the command is given again.
Come is another important command for training a Boston Terrier, as it involves recalling your pup to you.
Once these commands are mastered, then you can move on to teaching your pup how to balance a treat in their nose.
Step by Step – How to Train Your Boston To Balance Treat
Step 1: Laying Down
The first step in training your Boston Terrier is getting them comfortable lying down in one spot without moving around too much. To achieve this, command them “lie down” while using a treat as encouragement until they lay down flat on the ground.
Once they stay in that position without moving too much, reward them with the treat and pat them on the back or head. Repeat this process until they can lay down and stay put without needing a treat every time!
Step 2: Introducing the Treat
Once your pup is comfortable laying down without needing treats as motivation, slowly introduce the treat by placing it on top of their nose while they are laying down and command “hold” or “stay” (whichever works best for you).
Initially, start off with just lightly placing the treat so that it sits comfortably on the tip of their nose and then gradually increase pressure over time if needed. As soon as they keep the treat from falling off their nose for a period of time (even if it’s just one second), reward them with another treat or verbal praise!
Repeat this process until your Boston can keep the treat balanced on its nose for longer periods of time without having it fall off.
You may also want to add in different types of treats such as soft treats or crunchy ones like kibble; giving different types will help motivate them even more! Just be sure not to give anything bigger than what fits comfortably on their little short nose.
Step 3: Adding Movement
Now that your Boston Terrier is comfortable balancing different types of treats comfortably on their noses, start introducing movement into the mix by slowly increasing the distance between you and your Boston while commanding “hold” or “stay“.
Gradually increase the distance between each repetition until eventually, you can walk away completely out of sight and have them still hold onto the treat without any issues!
Make sure you reward each successful attempt with either verbal praise or another tasty treat – whichever works best for motivating them further!
What Other Amazing Tricks Can I Teach My Boston Terrier?
Once your Boston Terrier has grasped the basic commands and the ability to balance a treat in their nose, there are plenty of other impressive tricks that can be taught.
For instance, they can be taught how to turn around in circles or spin in place on command. This trick can be used as an alternative to sit when you need your pup to stay in a specific spot.
With some patience and practice, you can also teach your Boston Terrier how to do a high five or shake hands! This trick is both fun and impressive – especially when paired with the balancing treat trick.
Final Thoughts
With patience, consistency, and plenty of tasty treats, teaching your Boston Terrier how to balance a treat on its nose should be easy peasy lemon squeezy!
Not only does this trick serve as an impressive party trick but it also helps reinforce boundaries between humans and dogs by helping pups understand what behaviors are acceptable versus unacceptable ones in certain situations. Plus who wouldn’t want an adorable photo op!
If you want to learn more commands and tricks you can teach your Boston Terrier, be sure to visit our article, 49 Commands And Tricks You Can Teach Your Boston!