Play Dead

Difficulty: advanced

Estimated time: 2-6 weeks

Prerequisites: o2, t5

Supplies: treats, soft surface

Age suitability: From about 8 months.

Physical suitability: Use the same caution profile as roll over and avoid forcing vulnerable positions.

Why dogs take to it: This trick relies on shaping and stillness duration rather than an innate natural pattern.

Breed tendencies: Steady, impulse-controlled dogs often progress faster than highly fidgety high-drive dogs.

Verbal cues: play dead, bang, sleep

Hand signal: Downward sweep or chosen cue signal.

History: Play dead has been a staple behavior in performance and film dog training for decades.