Cute Trick Alert: Teach Your Dog to Unroll Your Yoga Mat

Preparing for Success: Gathering Your Tools and Mindset

Before you begin any training session, proper preparation is paramount. Setting up the right environment and having the necessary tools on hand will significantly increase your chances of success and make the experience more enjoyable for your dog. The goal is to create a positive, low-pressure atmosphere where your dog feels eager to learn.

Essential Training Tools

You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to teach this trick, but having the right items will make the process smoother:

• A Yoga Mat: Initially, it’s best to use an older or inexpensive mat. Your dog might use its paws or teeth at first, so don’t use your favorite high-end mat until the behavior is polished. A lighter-weight mat is also easier for a dog to move.
• High-Value Treats: These are special, delicious treats that your dog absolutely loves and doesn’t get at any other time. Small, soft, and smelly treats like tiny pieces of cheese, boiled chicken, or commercial training treats work best. You’ll need quite a few, so cut them into pea-sized portions to avoid overfeeding.
• A Clicker (Optional): A clicker is a powerful tool for marking the exact moment your dog performs the correct behavior. If you’re new to clicker training, you’ll first need to ‘charge’ the clicker by clicking and immediately giving a treat, repeating this about 10-15 times until your dog associates the sound with a reward.
• A Quiet Training Space: Choose a location free from distractions. A living room or any open area where you normally practice yoga is ideal, as it helps the dog associate the behavior with the context. Ensure other pets or family members won’t interrupt your session.

Cultivating the Right Mindset

Your attitude and approach are just as important as the physical tools. Remember these key principles:

• Patience is Key: Every dog learns at a different pace. There will be moments of brilliance and moments of confusion. Never get frustrated or punish your dog. End the session on a positive note if you or your dog are feeling overwhelmed.
• Keep Sessions Short and Sweet: Dogs, especially puppies, have short attention spans. Aim for multiple short sessions of 5-10 minutes per day rather than one long, grueling session. This keeps the dog engaged and prevents burnout.
• Stay Positive: Your dog is highly attuned to your energy. Keep your voice upbeat and offer plenty of verbal praise, smiles, and petting in addition to treats. Training should always feel like a fun game, not a chore.

Laying the Foundation: Mastering the ‘Touch’ Command

Most complex tricks are simply a chain of smaller, simpler behaviors. Before your dog can push a yoga mat open, it first needs to understand the concept of intentionally touching an object with its nose. This is called targeting, and the ‘touch’ command is the perfect foundation. It teaches your dog to engage with objects on cue, a skill that is transferable to countless other tricks and useful behaviors.

How to Teach ‘Touch’ (Nose-to-Hand Targeting)

Follow these steps to build a reliable nose target:

1. Present Your Hand: Hold your hand out flat, with your palm open, a few inches from your dog’s nose. Most dogs will naturally be curious and move forward to sniff it.
2. Mark and Reward: The very instant your dog’s nose makes contact with your palm, mark the behavior with a ‘click’ from your clicker or a verbal marker like ‘Yes!’. Immediately give your dog a high-value treat from your other hand.
3. Reset and Repeat: Pull both hands back. Then, present your open palm again. Repeat the process. In the beginning, reward any physical contact, even a slight bump. Your goal is to build a strong association: Nose touches hand = Click/Yes! = Treat.
4. Fade the Lure: Initially, you might have held a treat in your target hand to lure the dog. Once they understand the game, present an empty hand. The reward should always come from your other hand to keep the target hand ‘clean’.
5. Add the Verbal Cue: When your dog is reliably and enthusiastically touching your hand every time you present it, you can start adding the verbal cue. Just as you present your hand, say the word ‘Touch’. Mark and reward upon contact. After several repetitions, your dog will associate the word with the action.
6. Generalize the Behavior: Practice in different rooms, in the yard, and with your hand in different positions (higher, lower, to the side) to solidify the command. This ensures the dog understands the concept of ‘touch’ itself, not just touching your hand in one specific spot.

Expert Tip: Keep your ‘touch’ hand still. Moving it towards your dog can be intimidating for some and may cause them to back away. Let your dog be the one to initiate the contact.

The Main Event: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Unroll Trick

With a solid ‘touch’ command established, you’re ready to transfer that skill to the yoga mat. This process is called ‘shaping,’ where you reward successive approximations of the final behavior. You’ll start with a simple touch and gradually build up to a full unroll. Remember to work in short, positive sessions.

1. Step 1: Introduce the Mat: Place the rolled-up yoga mat on the floor. Let your dog investigate it freely. If they sniff or touch it out of curiosity, click and treat. You want them to form a positive association with the object right from the start.
2. Step 2: Transfer the ‘Touch’ to the Mat: Now, ask for the ‘touch’ command, but instead of holding out your hand, point to the flat, circular end of the rolled-up mat. When their nose touches the end of the mat, click and treat. Repeat this until they are confidently targeting the end of the mat on cue.
3. Step 3: Encourage a Push: This is where shaping begins. Start withholding the click and treat for a simple, delicate touch. Wait for a slightly harder nose bump. The moment you feel any pressure or forward momentum from their nose, click and give a ‘jackpot’ reward (multiple treats at once) to signify they’ve done something great. This encourages them to repeat the stronger push.
4. Step 4: Capture the First Movement: Continue rewarding only the stronger pushes. Eventually, your dog’s push will be strong enough to cause the mat to move or unroll slightly. The very first time this happens, even if it’s just an inch, react with excitement! Click and deliver a jackpot reward. This is the ‘aha!’ moment for your dog.
5. Step 5: Build Duration and Distance: Once your dog understands that pushing makes the mat move and earns a reward, you can start asking for more. Wait for them to push the mat for two inches, then click and treat. Then three. Then ask for two or three pushes in a row before rewarding. Gradually shape the behavior until they can unroll the entire mat in one go.
6. Step 6: Add the Verbal Cue: When your dog is reliably unrolling the mat a significant distance without any hand-pointing cues, you can add a verbal command. Choose a fun cue like, ‘Unroll,’ ‘Yoga time,’ or ‘Get the mat!’ Say the cue right as your dog begins to perform the action. After many repetitions, they will associate the phrase with the entire unrolling sequence.
7. Step 7: Fading the Lures: Over time, phase out your pointing finger. Your goal is to have the dog respond to the verbal cue alone. Practice from further away, eventually being able to give the cue from across the room.

Troubleshooting Common Hurdles

Even with the best plan, you might encounter a few bumps along the road. This is a normal part of the training process. Here’s how to address some common challenges with patience and positive redirection.

Beyond the Basics: Advancing the Trick and Other Fun Ideas

Once your dog has mastered the art of unrolling the yoga mat on cue, you can add layers of complexity to keep their minds sharp and the game interesting. This is also a great jumping-off point for teaching other useful, cooperative behaviors related to your daily routines.

Increasing the Difficulty

• Generalization: Practice the trick in different locations—in the backyard, at a friend’s house, or in a different room. Use different mats of various textures and weights. This process, known as generalization, helps your dog understand that the ‘Unroll’ cue applies to any mat, anywhere, not just the specific one you used for training.
• Adding Distance and Distractions: Can your dog perform the cue while you are sitting on the couch across the room? Start by taking one step back before giving the cue. Gradually increase the distance. Next, add mild distractions, like another person walking through the room or the TV playing softly. This builds focus and reliability.
• Creating a Behavior Chain: Chain the unroll command with other tricks. For example, you could teach your dog to first fetch the strap off the yoga mat, then unroll it, and then lie down on their own small mat beside yours. This creates a full ‘yoga setup’ routine.

What’s Next? Other ‘Helper’ Tricks

The principles you used to teach the unroll trick—targeting and shaping—can be applied to an endless variety of fun and helpful behaviors. Consider teaching your dog to:

• Roll the mat back up: This is a significantly more advanced trick requiring precise shaping of nudging the mat from the side to get it to roll over itself. It’s a great challenge for a dog that loves to learn.
• Fetch your yoga blocks: Using the ‘touch’ command, you can transition to a ‘take it’ and ‘hold’ command for a yoga block.
• Close a door or cabinet: The same nose-pushing motion can be used to teach your dog to close doors, drawers, or cabinets on cue.

Remember the Goal: The ultimate purpose of trick training extends beyond the trick itself. It is about engaging your dog’s mind, building their confidence, and finding new ways to communicate and have fun together. Every training session is an investment in your relationship.