Teaching a dog tricks should be done at an early age when they are still pretty receptive to learning. While the old adage that says "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" is in no way true, you can do better if you do teach your Maltese tricks while they are fairly young. Teaching a young Maltese certain dog tricks is said to be pretty easy since this dog breed is said to be one of the more obedient breeds around. How your dog responds to commands and training may still have to be dependent on your dog's attitude and receptiveness to commands.
Starting With Obedience
An obedient dog is one that is easy to train and Maltese are dogs that are well known for being a pretty obedient breed. There is not much problem with these dogs being obedient and their rather high intelligence has given them the knack to easily absorb what they are being trained to do. This means that training your Maltese won't be too hard for you since it already possesses an attitude that is conducive to learning. You can start your Maltese off with a few obedience tricks like the basic sit, stay and fetch commands. Other tricks that may require more time and effort may have to be taught in a professional dog training institute.
Showing Kindness Instead of Harshness
There are those people who try and train their dogs by being hard on them or being too harsh. This kind of a strategy may work for those dog breeds that are pretty stubborn or hard-headed but the rather obedient and mild natured Maltese does not need such strategies to get it to learn how to do tricks. They should be taught with a gentle hand and a firm word as well as patience and the proper knowledge of how to teach them the kind of tricks you want them to learn. You can easily get them to learn numerous tricks simply by using the reward system.
If All Else Fails
With a little research on the internet or in training books, you can get your Maltese to learn more complex tricks like rolling over, jumping through hoops and walking on its hind legs. This takes time and patience and if you find that you do not have much of both or if you find that you simply cannot get your Maltese to learn these tricks with you teaching it alone, you can probably try and enroll your dog into a school or an institute. Not only will they help you teach your dog tricks you can use when you want to entertain others, but they will help in making your Maltese a fully trained dog that is obedient and house trained as well.
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