How to Teach Your Dog to Play Dead on Command

Last Updated: March 26, 2023 References Approved

Teaching your dog new tricks is always fun. Some tricks, like teaching your dog how to play dead, will take a little more time for him to master than other tricks. Fortunately, other than your dog, all you’ll really need for this trick is your fingers, a clicker, and some small treats.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Teaching Your Dog the Down Command

1
Teach your dog the ‘down’ command before teaching him how to play dead. Playing dead involves your dog lying down. Before he can learn this trick, he should be comfortable with the command to lie down.^{[1]
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Choose a comfortable area to train your dog. Preferably, this area should also be quiet so that your dog does not become easily distracted.^{[2]
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3
Command your dog to sit. If your dog does not already know this command, teach him by holding a treat high in the air with your hand. As he is looking up at the treat, push on his back end until he sits; firmly say the word 'sit' as you are doing this.^{[3]
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- Once he is seated, reward him with the treat by bringing the treat to him instead of allowing him to jump up to get the treat.^{[4]
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  Alexis Toriello
  Certified Dog Behavior Consultant
  Expert Interview. 23 February 2021} Firmly tell him 'No' if he jumps up.^{[5]
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- Practice this several times a day for few days until he can sit without you pushing on his back end. Each practice session should last about 10-15 minutes.^{[6]
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- Continue to give him treats as positive reinforcement each time that he sits.
4
Stand directly in front of your dog while he is seated. Hold a treat in front of his nose, but do not allow him to eat it. Instead, slowly move the treat down to the ground while still holding it in front of his nose.^{[7]
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- Say the verbal cue 'down' as you are moving the treat to the ground so that your dog associates the verbal cue with the action of lying down.^{[8]
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- Your dog should be lying down by the time you move the treat down to the ground.^{[9]
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- If he gets back up, continue practicing until he lies down each time you move the treat down to the ground.^{[10]
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- Reward with him a treat when he lies down without quickly getting back up.^{[11]
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5
Guide your dog to lie down without a treat. Hold your hand in front of your dog’s nose as if you had the treat, but do not have a treat in your hand.^{[12]
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- Use the same hand motion as if you had the treat to get your dog to lie down. ^{[13]
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- Once again, reward him with a treat when he reliably lies down without quickly getting back up.^{[14]
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6
Continue practicing until your dog learns how to lie down at your command. You will need to practice this command with your dog several times a day for at least a few days.^{[15]
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- Each practice session should last about 10-15 minutes.
- If you want to challenge your dog, you can gradually decrease the visual cue until he learns how to respond to only your verbal cue to lie down.^{[16]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Teaching Your Dog to Stay

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Teach your dog to stay before teaching him how to play dead. If your dog does not know how to stay, it will be challenging to teach him how to play dead. Make sure that he is comfortable staying in a certain position before teaching him the trick.^{[17]
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Choose a comfortable area to train your dog. Areas such as his bed or a comfortable mat would be good choices. You could also choose a grassy area outside.^{[18]
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3
Command your dog to be in the position in which you would like him to stay. Teaching your dog to stay from the ‘sit’ or ‘stand’ positions will help him get ready for learning how to play dead. ^{[19]
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Stand directly in front of him for 1-2 seconds. If your dog begins to move towards you before that amount of time has passed, then start over again. Once your dog can stay for 1-2 seconds, reward him with a treat.^{[20]
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- After you give him his treat, he can move towards you, since he has successfully stayed in place.
5
Increase the amount of time that you stand in front of him. Increase the amount of time in small increments until he can stay in the same place for at least 10 seconds.^{[21]
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- Increments of 1-2 seconds will help your dog stay for longer periods of time.
- Give your dog a treat each time that he can stay for a few extra seconds.
6
Add a verbal cue and a visual cue. When he is in the position in which you want him to stay, say the word ‘stay’ and hold your hand up like a stop sign.^{[22]
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- It will probably take a few days for your dog to associate these cues with staying, so be patient with him.
- Reward him with a treat when he successfully and consistently follows these cues.
7
Increase the distance from your dog. Although you can practice having him stay when he can’t see you,^{[23]
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- You can increase your distance from him where he can still see you, such as to his right or left.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Teaching Your Dog to Play Dead

1
Command your dog to lie down from sitting/standing. Your dog may prefer to lean to one side or the other when he’s down, so make a mental note of which side he prefers.^{[24]
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- Command him to stay seated or standing, and then command him to lie down.
- As you practice the trick, always have him lay down on the floor from the side that he leans on; he’ll probably prefer to do this anyway.
2
Guide your dog to lie down on his side. Do not use a verbal cue for this; use your hands, some treats, and a clicker. Be mindful that this step will probably take some coaxing, so be patient with your dog as he learns how to follow your guidance to lie on his side.
- You can get him to lie on his side by gently pushing him with both hands from the down position. Once he is lying down, reward him with some positive reinforcement (eg, verbal praise, belly rub, treat).^{[25]
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- You can also lure him with food to get him to lie down. To do this, hold a treat in front of his nose. Then, move the treat back to his shoulders (his left shoulder if he’s leaning to the right, or his right shoulder if he’s leaning to the left). As he turns his head to get to the treat, he will eventually lie down on his side. Use your clicker and other positive reinforcement when he lies down so that he knows he did the right thing.^{[26]
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3
Practice having your dog go from sitting/standing to lying down on his side. The better your dog is able to move fluidly from one position to the other, the closer he will be to mastering how to play dead.
- Use your clicker and give him a treat when he moves from sitting/standing to the down position, and again when he moves from the down position to lying on his side.^{[27]
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4
Add a verbal cue to get your dog to play dead. You will know when your dog is ready for the verbal cue when he automatically lies down on his side when he sees that you have a treat or when you lure him with food.^{[28]
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- You can use whichever verbal cue that you are comfortable with. ‘BANG!’ is a verbal cue that is commonly used for this trick.
- Be consistent with whichever verbal cue you use. You do not want to confuse your dog by using different verbal cues for the same command.^{[29]
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5
Use the verbal cue more frequently than the lure of food. At this stage of teaching your down to play dead, your goal is to get your dog to be able to play dead just by responding to your verbal cue, rather than having to be lured by food as well.^{[30]
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Alexis Toriello
Certified Dog Behavior Consultant
Expert Interview. 23 February 2021}^{[31]
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- It may take some time before your dog can respond without the lure of food, so just be patient with him.
6
Use a visual cue (hand signal) to command your dog to play dead. A common visual cue to use for this trick is the shape of a pistol. Your dog will not immediately understand what the visual cue is, so it will be helpful to pair it with the verbal cue that you have chosen for this trick.^{[32]
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- There are a couple of ways that you can make a pistol signal: the thumb and index finger of one hand, the thumb and index and middle fingers of one hand, or the thumb and index finger of both hands placed together. For the last option, your other fingers would be intertwined.
- Give your dog the visual cue at the same time that you give your verbal cue.^{[33]
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- Alternatively, you can use the visual cue after the verbal cue. If you try it this way, use the visual cue before your dog responds to the verbal cue. If your dog responds to the verbal cue before you have the chance to use the visual cue, and continues to do so after repeated attempts, you can either stop using the visual cue at all or use it at the same time as the verbal cue.^{[34]
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- Practice using both the verbal and visual cues together until your dog demonstrates that he can play dead using these cues together.
7
Use only the visual cue. Ultimately, you want your dog to play dead by responding to just your visual cue. Even after your dog understands what the visual cue is, it will take extra time for him to be able to respond to it without any verbal cues, commands, or the lure of food.^{[35]
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- Gradually use the visual cue by itself more frequently, and use the verbal cue and other commands less frequently.
- Reward him with a treat each time that he performs the trick with just the visual cue.
8
Practice the trick in different locations. The fact that your dog has mastered the trick in one location does not mean that he’ll automatically be able to do it in other locations or situations. Practicing the trick in different areas, or around different people, will allow your dog to become even better at playing dead.^{[36]
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- Other locations include different rooms of the house, a dog park, or in front of a crowd of people. ^{[37]
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Be patient with your dog until he masters the trick. He may learn this in a few days, or it may take him a few weeks. Whatever his pace is, reward him generously for his progress.^{[38]
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Warnings

Avoid giving your dog treats that are toxic to him, such as dark chocolate. If you are not sure what treats to give, go to a local pet store and ask for advice on safe treats for your dog.

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Do not teach your dog this trick if he has arthritis or other joint problems. It would be very difficult and painful for him to move from position to position if his joints hurt.^{[41]
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