Updated on April 16, 2023
Except for maybe one or two, most dogs pick up new skills quickly and even enjoy it, especially if they know they’ll be rewarded with a tasty treat. Training your dog to roll over is a great (and impressive) party trick, and they’ll get extra compliments and “awws” from guests when they perform it.
Teaching your dog tricks like the roll over is fun and cute, but it’s not as crucial as teaching him or her the basics like recall, stay, and sit.
Regular training sessions with your dog, regardless of the trick, teach and help with obedience by showing your dog that when it listens to and does what you command, it receives positive reinforcement. Not to mention, a dog’s tummy being rolled over is the cutest thing ever.
BASIC STEPS
Have your dog lie down.
To train your dog to come when you call, hold a tasty food at its nose and draw it toward its shoulder.
Your dog should be laying on their side at this point; to get them to stay in this position, slowly pull the treat in a complete circle.
Offer your dog the treat and give them lots of praise if they roll over to follow the treat.
Seems very elementary, right? The truth is that many dogs won’t roll over the first time you ask them to do so; some will instead jump up and wriggle, while others will turn their heads the other way in an attempt to reach for the treat.
BREAKING IT DOWN
Even though teaching a dog to roll over isn’t very difficult, it is more complicated than teaching basic instructions like sit and lie down, therefore it’s best to teach it in stages.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT
Your dog’s ability and comfort level to perform any trick, not only the roll over, are greatly influenced by your disposition and the surrounding surroundings. Make sure you’re calm and patient before training your dog, since showing signs of displeasure when it doesn’t comply will only make matters worse. Every training session should be entertaining and rewarding for both you and your pet; after all, that’s why you’re doing it in the first place!
Keep the area clear of unnecessary items; your dog won’t be able to roll over if there isn’t enough room, and you don’t want to annoy them by leaving their focus elsewhere. Dogs, as we are all aware, are quickly sidetracked.
A tile floor won’t be very pleasant for your dog to roll over onto, therefore a carpet or huge rug will make for a great training surface.
Bring an abundance of delicious snacks; the more pungent, the better. If you plan to utilise a clicker for training purposes, make sure to bring it along.
LIE DOWN
If your dog already knows the lie down command, just tell it to do so and go on.
Teaching your dog to roll over
How to train your dog to do a rollover
If they don’t already know how to do this, you may either teach them to lie down first, or you can practise rolling over while they’re already lying on the floor. Thankfully, it’s not too hard to do so. To teach your dog to sit, put a treat close to its nose, then slowly lower it toward its chest and the floor. So long as their nose is drawn to the goodie, they should relax and lie down on their own.
Our comprehensive, step-by-step tutorial will help you train your dog to lie down in no time.
DRAW A CIRCLE
Now that your dog has settled down in front of you, you can go down to his or her level by squatting beside them. Hold a high value reward right near your dog’s nose and then start to draw your hand towards their shoulder.
With any luck, they’ll tilt their head to the side in order to sniff out the reward. As soon as their head moves in the desired direction, give them a treat and positive reinforcement (click the clicker). It will appear as though you are beginning to draw a circle in midair.
Keep repeating this until your dog’s head starts to turn that far towards their shoulder, they end up resting flat on their side. Don’t stop praising and repeating this step. You want your dog’s nose to be practically glued to the treat at all times, so if he or she seems perplexed, try moving more slowly.
KEEP IT MOVING
After your dog has consistently lain on his side in response to the treat, you can stop moving your hand. By gradually lowering the reward toward the spine, you can encourage the baby to roll over onto its back and expose its belly. Now, keep the treat out of your dog’s reach on the new side until they’ve rolled over completely.
Rolling over a dog: training tips
A Canine’s Guide to Learning to Roll Over
Remember that bigger dogs will likely need more space to turn over, and that they may not be able to do so as smoothly or easily as smaller dogs. The roll over of a large dog is likely to appear clumsy and disjointed.
INTRODUCE YOUR COMMAND WORD
Practice makes perfect at this point, so return to the previous step until they consistently complete a full rotation. Here is where you introduce your cue, with “turn over” being the most elementary example.
PHASE OUT THE TREAT
You want your dog to be able to do this trick automatically, without having to be bribed with treats each time. Therefore, gradually reduce the frequency with which you use the treat, switch to a hand gesture as your luring cue, consistently use your command word, and lavish verbal praise on your dog whenever he or she obeys.
However, if you want to reinforce the trick and keep it exciting for your dog, you should continue to reward it with yummy treats every so often. Their hard effort will be appreciated more on the rare occasions when they receive a reward.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Be careful to give your dog plenty of opportunities to practise rolling over. It’s time to step it up a notch and start practising your dog’s new trick in different environments, preferably with a variety of distractions and people around.
Dog roll-over training
To teach a dog to turn over
If you want your dog to roll over reliably whenever someone asks, you need to put in the time during the training sessions.
MAKE ROLL OVER EVEN BETTER
Your dog’s ability to roll over is probably already impressive, but why not take it to the next level?
You can try teaching your dog to wrap themselves in a blanket now that they are an expert at the roll. Tell your dog to lie down on the floor on top of the blanket you just laid down. To teach your dog to roll over, use a treat to entice him to grab the blanket’s corner with his mouth.
If you’re lucky, your dog will turn over while holding the blanket in its mouth and cuddle up in a warm and cosy position. If you put in the time and effort, you can achieve adorable results with this technique.
Many dog owners also teach their pets to “play dead,” which is essentially the same as “roll over,” except with a brief stop midway through. To train your dog to play dead, have him or her roll over onto his or her side and then immediately stop. Treat them and then teach them the ‘play dead’ cue to distinguish it from ‘roll over.’
WHY WON’T MY DOG ROLL OVER?
There are many possible explanations for why teaching a dog to roll over could take more time than you anticipated.
Your dog may act completely perplexed by this trick, shifting their weight from one foot to another, or even getting up and walking away. If that’s the case, maybe you’re moving too quickly and confusing your dog; in that case, you should either start over or return to the last step where your dog was successful.
It’s important to remember that grabbing your dog’s legs or forcing him to roll over will only make him more frustrated and resistant. If you do this, your dog will associate training with unpleasant feelings of frustration and will be less likely to listen to you in the future.
Due to the inherent risk of embarrassing themselves by showing their bellies, many dogs are uncomfortable rolling over at all. Your dog is in a precarious position, so you must reassure him that this is an enjoyable activity. Keep training sessions short and sweet, use lots of treats, and talk in a friendly, upbeat voice. If your dog is normally reluctant to expose his stomach to you, try rewarding him with praise and a treat whenever he does so on his own accord.
Your dog shouldn’t be made to perform in front of an audience or anywhere else it feels uneasy. For the time being, they should only roll over when alone in a familiar space, as they may feel awkward about baring their stomach in front of strangers.
Keep in mind that some dogs, due to their build, may find it extremely difficult to roll over. If your dog has a deep chest and you’re having trouble teaching him to roll over, you might want to try another trick or just stick with something simple like “play dead.” This, as we all know, is very similar to rolling over except that it halts in midair; however, it is still impressive.
RECAP
In conclusion, teaching your dog to roll over is just a cute and clever way to show off your dog’s cuteness and your own. Most dogs are receptive to teaching them new tricks; some are easier to teach than others, but with practise and persistence, you’ll have a performing pet in no time!
You can teach a new skill to any dog, regardless of its age, and doing so may be a lot of fun for both of you.
