In this video, the Golden Retriever named Watson does a trust fall with his Dad. Looks like Watson has mastered this art of falling back. Wonder if Watson or his Dad is more entertained by this game. I was curious how a dog can learn to do the trust fall, so I did some research. Chloe from Everythingdogs showed a video on how you can teach your dog the Trust Fall trick.
To begin, sit on the floor with your legs in a V shape so your dog can fit in front of you. Put a cushion in front of you to support your dog as he falls back. Ask your dog to sit with his back toward you. Put one of your hands under your dog’s chest as support. With your other hand, hold a favorite treat close to his nose. Hold your dog and move backward so he is leaning against you. Reward him with a treat and shower him with praise.
How to teach your dog to do the Trust Fall
At first, he is going to feel not very secure about this movement of leaning back. Afterall, it’s not a natural movement for dogs! Nor for humans! With encouragement, he will get more comfortable. As your dog gets more accustomed to following the treat as you lean backward (while you are holding it to his nose) he is getting used to the sensation of “falling back”. When he gets good at this, you can remove the cushion in front of you. Remember, lots of praise, lots of yummy treats. And let him associate the “falling back” with a word that you want to use as a command. For example, “Trust fall.” Enjoy playing with this with your dog. You can learn more about teaching your dog this trick from Chloe here.
Enjoy watching this Golden Retriever do the trust fall with his dad. Watson is really good at this! Apparently, his dad has done a great job teaching him. And of course, it’s got to take a great deal of trust for a large dog to give his weight over.
Article source: Chloe of EverythingDogs
Image source: via Petcha
