Ready to learn how to teach a dog to roll over? We’ve created a simple step-by-step dog training guide that’ll have your pup rolling over in seven simple steps.
You Will Need
✓ A quiet space
✓ Training treats for dogs
✓ Clicker trainer tool (optional)
✓ 15 to 30 minutes per day
✓ Patience
✓ Enthusiasm
7 Simple Steps to Teach a Dog to Roll Over
1. Start in a quiet space.
When learning how to teach a dog or puppy to roll over, it’s best to do so in a quiet area where there are minimal distractions. This will help your pup focus on the task at hand so they can more quickly learn and perform the trick.
2. Ask your dog to lie down.
Give your dog the “lie down” command. Once your dog is in the lying position, determine which way their body is leaning. For example, if the dog is lying with their left leg out, they’re primed to roll over to the right. If you try to roll the dog the other way, it will be very difficult since the left leg will be in the way.
Pro Tip: Getting your dog into the lying position is key when learning how to teach a dog to roll over. If your pet hasn’t learned this cue yet, you can refer to this helpful guide: https://be.chewy.com/basic-dog-commands-how-to-teach-a-dog-to-lie-down/
3. Holding a treat close to your dog’s nose, “draw a circle.”
Hold a treat your dog loves in front of your dog’s nose, making sure it’s pressed firmly between your thumb and forefinger so they can’t get it away from you. Very slowly, and keeping the treat very close to your dog’s nose the entire time, “draw a circle” in the direction the dog should be rolling. If your dog straightens up or stands up, get them back into the down position and then try again.
4. Reward your dog with a treat for rolling over.
Wait until your dog rolls all the way over, and then praise and feed the treat you were using as a lure.
If your pup is having trouble rolling all the way over, praise and feed the treat a couple of times as soon as they wind up on their side, then go back to trying to get the whole roll-over movement.
If your dog won’t even roll onto their side (and is physically OK to do so), tip the dog as far as you can to the side, praise them, and then feed the treat. Do this only a couple of times before holding out for more movement, otherwise your dog can get stuck at that level.
Pro Tip: It may take some trial and error to figure out what size and position of circle works best for your dog. When in doubt, slow down your hand movement. You want your dog’s nose glued to that treat!
5. Repeat without treats.
Once your dog is rolling over reliably as you guide them with the treat lure, do a repetition with an empty hand. Pretend you’re holding a treat and move your hand the same way as before. As soon as your dog rolls over, praise, and then grab a treat from nearby—a closed container of treats at your side works—and reward your dog with the treat. Do this until your dog is reliably following your hand movement even when you are not holding a treat.
Pro Tip: In addition to using treats, you can also do clicker training. This is a form of positive reinforcement training where a repeated action (a clicking sound) is paired with the behavior and a treat.
6. Begin using the “roll over” cue.
Now you can introduce the “roll over” command. To seamlessly transition, say “roll over,” count to three, and use the hand movement to guide your dog through the rollover. When your pup successfully completes the roll, praise them, then give them a treat. Repeat this three times. On the fourth go, count to four before moving your hand and repeat. Then count to five before moving your hand.
Continue in this pattern, saying the roll over cue, pausing for a count of whatever number you’re up to, then doing your hand movement. Do this until you notice your dog starts to roll over almost before you give the hand signal. Keep practicing with longer and longer counts until your dog is rolling over when they hear the verbal cue and no longer waits for your hand movement at all.
7. Practice, practice, practice.
After your dog has mastered the “roll over” command, continue to practice several times a week, at least, to keep the behavior fresh. Sometimes dogs can “forget” what they learned even after doing well for a while. If this does happen, go back to using the hand signal after you say the word for a few repetitions, to give your dog a refresher.
Looking for more fun obedience tricks? Check out our step-by-step guides to the post popular dog commands: https://be.chewy.com/sit-stay-and-beyond-weve-got-the-essential-guide-to-basic-dog-obedience-training/
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