SNEEZE

The old standby “Wait until your dog does it and then give him the command” is ineffective here. Just how often does your dog sneeze? Induce your dog to sneeze and then say AHHHH SNEEZE. The AHHHH portion of the command makes it look like you are going to sneeze and does more than get you in the mood. It makes the trick more dramatic and interesting. You can toss your head back and then forward, sneezing out the command. You and Sneeze can do sneezing duets.

There are two basic approaches to induce your dog to sneeze on command, with variations on both. First, you can give your dog something that will make him sneeze.

Pepper is excellent. Use it sparingly and not too frequently. Put a small quantity in your cupped hand. If your palm is a little sweaty, that’s okay. It will keep the pepper on your hand and you will have less falling on the floor. Cup your hand over your dog’s nose and say AHHHH SNEEZE. Keep your hand there until Sneezy obliges, and then rapidly pull it away and praise him profusely. Do this no more than twice in succession. After a short while, you’ll find that a cupped hand without pepper in it will get your dog to sneeze, too.

But pepper tends to be messy and may even get you to sneeze. Try the second method first. Put your hand around your dog’s muzzle and blow into his nostrils. This will get most dogs to sneeze and is easier on the dog and the kitchen floor. Of course, don’t try this with a bitting dog. (Shame on you if your Sneezy is a biter. Why are you fooling around with tricks?) A variation that works with many dogs is simply to blow in the dog’s face, anywhere around the nose. Different dogs sneeze at different spots, so experiment and blast away. What can you do with this trick? Remember, we call it a Trick with Sass. Think cheeky and punch it up with a sassy patter.

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