A Bow is when your dog drops its front elbows to the floor but remains standing on its hind legs. It is a common behaviour that most puppies and dogs perform, especially when they are playing. What we are going to cover in this topic is how to get your dog to bow on command.

There are two ways that I commonly use to teach a dog to bow on command, one is using Capturing and the second is using Luring

To use Capturing simply use your clicker and reward your dog every time you see it naturally perform the behaviour. As noted above, this will commonly occur when you are playing with your dog, or when your dog wants to engage you in a play, so have your clicker and treats ready. As soon as your dog Bows, Click or say Yes and try to reward in the position to give value to the position. Ideally place the reward in between your dog’s two front legs.

Some dogs are not as natural at bowing than others and with such dogs, using Luring is often a better option.

To use Luring to teach the bow you are going to need to use a piece of food that you place between their two front legs.

• Make sure you have a good high value treat in your hand.
• Start with the treat near to your dog’s nose so you get its interest, so it will want to follow your hand to get the treat.
• As shown by the blue arrow in the image below, lower your hand slowly to the floor but at the same time, move it between your dog’s front legs. The speed of movement should be slow enough that you dog can follow your hand’s movement with his nose

• Once your dog is in the Bow position, reward with multiple treats.
• When you dog understands the trick, introduce the “Bow” verbal cue to it.

In the following video, we demonstrate and discuss in more detail how to teach the bow using both the Capturing and Luring techniques

When you dog understands the verbal cue, you can gradually progress the trick by getting your dog to perform it in the following different scenarios:

• Whilst you are standing next to your dog instead of kneeling
• While you are in a different environment, for example in your garden or in the local park.
• Get your dog to perform the trick during a lead walk
• Try to see if your dog will do the trick whilst your back is turned to it, so it does not have eye contact with you; this is a hard one!