I'm still teaching Thor to roll. It's taking forever. Dogs can feel vulnerable when they are rolling on their back, and if they are hopeless neurotics like Thor, it can be pretty difficult.
Assuming your dog is an "easy roller", you are supposed to:
- Put your dog in a Down.
- Lure his nose over his shoulder with a treat. He *should* roll on his side. Praise and reward.
- Once he's going on his side, lure his nose further back with a treat until he is rolls on his back (he should naturally complete the roll).
Now, here is what I did.
- Tried the above method 1,000,000 times.
- Praised and treated him when he rolled over on his own while he was playing. He would roll on his back, and I would push on his front leg a bit to complete his roll. Pretty soon he started doing it on his own. Unfortunately, this did not lead to him doing it on command.
- I rolled him on his back for about ten minutes at a time, praising and treating him constantly. He did not like this, but I would reward him for relaxing. I would also roll him from side to side and treat him on each side.
- This I think was the most effective. I broke the trick up into three parts: Down, then rolling on his side, and then rolling over. Classic training says to teach a trick sequence backwards so it gets easier for the dog as he progresses through the steps.
I would pick him up and put him on his side. Then I would give the command and gently roll him over. Pretty soon he would roll over on his own if I gave his shoulder a gentle push. He finally FINALLY rolled over on command all on his own last night. I'm thrilled!!!! He still doesn't have it down reliably, but the fact he's done it even a few times on command is heee-youge.
Anyway, I hope it's easier for you two than it has been for us.
