Spending time playing with your beloved dog is a thoroughly rewarding experience for you both. Apart from games like ‘Fetch’, there are a number of fun activities you can involve your fur baby in a playful manner, that will help to build a strong and positive bond between you both.
Most of the basic commands and advanced dog training commands we’ve covered so far, are primarily used for control and used in public places, but there’s a number of dog tricks you get your clever canine to perform for you and your friends’ amusement.

As this command involves your dog’s belly rubbing along the floor, choose the surface you perform this dog trick wisely. Carpet, wooden floors, sand and grass are good options, but not bitumen or gravel please.
Note: This trick can be performed by puppies and older dogs alike, but if your dog suffers from arthritis, you may want to pass on this action, as your dog may experience discomfort or injury while trying to please you.

This fun dog obedience training article will teach you how to train your dog to crawl along the ground, commando style towards you, using the ‘Crawl Command‘ by utilising positive reinforcement training techniques.

The following list is what we recommend you have handy for this dog training command session:

• Small sized, soft treats that are very tempting
• Clicker
• Quite place, with soft carpet or wooden floor

If you don’t have, or prefer not to use a ‘clicker’, you can substitute it by using the word ‘Yes’, which I prefer to use, simply so you don’t have to constantly carry the clicker around with you.

Steps to Teaching the ‘Crawl Command’

Before we get started, it’s worth clarifying what we’d like from our dog after using this instruction.
Once your dog is in the ‘Down’ position, you want to be able to get your dog to stay on their belly, using their front paws to pull themselves towards you. Assistance with their back legs is okay, as long as one knee stays on the floor at all times’ just like a ‘Commando’ would crawl under a fence!

Crawling for dogs is something that comes naturally, and generally used when they get up to mischief, like crawling under a bed to reach a pair of shoes or crawling under a fence to show how good an escape artist they are.

1/ Ask your dog to lay ‘Down’, facing you. To start with, you’ll want to be down on the floor too.

2/ With an outstretched arm, and a treat in your closed right hand, place it under your dog’s nose, so he/she can smell it.

3/ Slowly, slide your hand away from your dog, towards you. Make sure you don’t raise your hand above your dog’s nose as this can cause him/her to get up off the ground.

4/ As soon as your dog starts to shuffle, or crawl forward, ‘mark’ the event by saying ‘Yes’ as you reward with the treat, followed by praise ‘Good Boy/Girl’ with some ear rubs.

5/ Place another tasty treat in your hand, slowly shuffling back yourself and repeat the steps until your clever canine is crawling smoothly towards you.

6/ Now it’s time to introduce the verbal ‘Crawl Command’. As you repeat the above steps, say ‘Crawl’ as soon as your hand starts to move away from your dog’s nose.
Repeat this 5 times.

7/ Next, stand up and repeat the above steps standing about 2 metres away from your dog.
The treats should only be in your right hand now, which you give on each successful crawl of over a metre. Keep repeating this step, gradually, and slowly moving back further away from your clever pooch, as your dog crawls towards you.

8/ Finally, to mix things up a bit, try to get your dog to crawl under physical objects, such as a plank of wood, securely resting on a pair of stools.

This dog trick is all about the fun, so when talking to your dog you should be using your happy voice, amped up bordering on excitement.
Every time my owner does this with me he laughs, which I love, making me want to keep doing it until I get giddy with excitement.