Crawl

An army crawl on the belly — an impressive advanced trick that works both muscles and concentration.

🐾🐾🐾🐾 · ~14 days · 5 min/session

Learn first: Down, Stay

Step-by-step

1. A solid down on a soft surface

   Choose carpet or grass — crawling on hard floors scrapes the elbows. Ask your dog to lie down and hold it calmly for a few seconds. A stable start is half the trick.

   💡 This trick loads elbows, shoulders and back — it’s for healthy, fully grown dogs. Ask your vet if unsure.

2. Lure one “scoot” forward

   Crouch in front of your down dog and put a treat at their nose. Drag it slowly along the floor just a hand-span away — close enough that standing up isn’t worth it. Reward the first forward scoot, even if it’s centimetres.

   💡 Keep the treat pressed to the floor. Lift it even a centimetre and the dog will stand.

3. A low hand as a ceiling

   If your dog keeps popping up, train under a “ceiling”: stretch your other arm low over their back, or use a low table. The obstacle makes staying down the obvious choice. Reward every bit of distance crawled beneath it.

4. Extend the crawl

   Grow the distance a hand-span at a time: two scoots before the reward, then three, then a metre. If the dog stands, calmly reset the down and shorten the distance. Keep sessions short — crawling is genuinely hard physical work.

5. Add the cue “Crawl”

   Once your dog crawls a metre or two confidently, say “Crawl” as the movement starts. Gradually swap the dragged treat for a slowly retreating empty hand held low. Reward at the end of the crawled distance.

6. Shape the performance

   Straighten up gradually until the dog crawls on the cue and a small floor-pointing gesture. Combine with other tricks — “Down”, “Crawl”, “Play dead” — into a little routine. Two or three short crawls per session keep the body safe.

Common mistakes

• A lure moved too fast or too high — the dog stands up and just walks.
• Crawling on slippery or rough floors — it hurts the elbows and the dog rightly refuses.
• Long distances too soon — this is a strength exercise, muscles are built gradually.
• Skipping the prerequisites — without a solid down and stay, the trick falls apart.

Problems & solutions

My dog stands up every half metre.

You’re asking for too much at once. Go back to a single rewarded scoot, use your arm as a “ceiling”, and only extend once ten reps in a row succeed without standing.

Only the front crawls, the rear stays up.

Keep the lure even lower and closer to the chest, and only reward when the back legs stay folded too. Try under a low table — a physical ceiling levels the whole body.

My dog crawled for two days and now refuses completely.

Likely sore muscles or scraped elbows — check the skin and rest a few days. Come back on a softer surface with shorter distances; if the refusal repeats, check with your vet.

Reward ideas

Soft, high-scent treats delivered at floor level. A jackpot at the end of each longer distance, with a rest break as a bonus reward.