Roll Over

“Bozo, ‘roll over’.”
“But I don’t need or want to teach my dog party tricks,” you say.
Fair enough but consider another view. “Roll over’ is guaranteed to bring “aahs” of appreciation when performed AND teaching Bozo anything is a fun activity for both of you AND whenever you or the vet or the groomer has reason to examine Bozo’s undercarriage, “Bozo, ’roll over’ “ makes it incredibly simple.
Convinced yet? Good. We’ll carry on then.
Have Bozo in a ‘down-stay’. Give him the initial ‘game on’ piece of kibble. With another piece of kibble in your hand, move your hand back along the side of his muzzle (towards his body) and over the top of his shoulder blades. The pup will begin to roll. Keep moving the lure until he has rolled all the way to his other side. Praise profusely and give him the kibble.
Now, say, “Bozo, ‘roll the other way’,” keep moving the kibble over his shoulder blades again until he has rolled back to his original position. Praise and treat.
As you already know, repetition is the key to learning. Be mindful though not to do so many repetitions that you stress Bozo. So, do the usual 3 -5 reps, and call it good. Don’t forget to release him. Do more later.
‘Sit’, ‘down’, ‘stand’, ’come’, and ‘roll over’ are now all cues that Bozo understands. It is important to continue to ask for each and every one of them in different locations regularly and frequently (reinforcement), as you go about your daily routine.
Hint: If Bozo is not inclined to roll over on your first attempt at this exercise, tickle him ever so gently in the groin area. That ought to make him raise one hind leg and you’re on your way.
You can also start this exercise while Bozo is lying on his side, instead of in sphinx position.
Once you’ve lured him to his back, you can ask for a ‘stay’ in that position as well by holding the lure treat still. You may want to name this posture (on his back, feet in the air) something like, ‘dead dog’. It then becomes something else that Bozo does naturally that you have put on cue i.e. taught him to do when asked.
Has Bozo now learned to do something new? Yes and no. He could always roll over and lie on his back. What he has now learned is to do it upon request.
If you make the cue (command) for the dead dog position, “Bang”, the kids will love it and I bet you’ll have no trouble getting that one repeated frequently!
To get a ‘roll over’ from a ‘sit’ or a ‘stand’, ask for a ‘down’ using the palm down, hand moving downward signal, followed by the hand moving in an arc over the shoulder blades once he’s in the ‘down’.
You already know to take the training in small increments and to go back to what Bozo already knows if he doesn’t “get” new thing. It bears repeating though. Set him up for success.
If you go for the “bang”, ‘dead dog’, I can guarantee some very entertaining moments when you do this especially if you ask for it while on you’re on a walk.
Have fun!