How to teach a dog to take a bow

The AKC describes the play bow plainly: front end down, back end in the air, a shape dogs use while playing. A stretch bow looks the same, only slower, and usually comes right after the dog gets up. Watch for a day or two and note when your dog does it. Most dogs stretch within a minute of leaving a crate or a bed, so you can be ready with a treat and a marker word and simply catch it. That is capturing, and it is the easiest road to a bow.

For the lured version you need a standing dog and a non-slip surface. Think about the body, too. The AKC's conditioning article says to make sure your vet approves before any conditioning program, and notes that severe arthritis can make some movements inappropriate. A deep bow loads the shoulders, elbows and the front of the spine, so a dog with front-leg lameness, shoulder or neck trouble or arthritis should get the vet's view first. A young puppy can learn a shallow bow without being asked to hold it.

The AKC's article on conditioning exercises calls stretching useful for warming up before exercise and cooling down after, and suggests teaching stretches by marking a natural stretch and adding a cue once the dog offers it, which is exactly the captured bow. A bow lengthens the front legs, shoulders and spine, and the dog decides how deep to go. That makes it a safer stretch than pulling a leg forward yourself, which is easy to overdo.

Use it on cold Cape Ann mornings. Before a walk on the off-season sand turns into a sprint, or before fetch in the yard, walk for five minutes first, then ask for two bows and a couple of slow spins. Repeat the bows after the run as a cool-down. A dog that has spent the night in a crate or the car comes out stiff, so let it stretch on its own before asking for anything deep. The bow comes after the walk, never instead of it.

Private sessions from $94 can fix a bow that always collapses, usually with better timing and a better lure position. Dogtown Academy days, $89 full or $69 half, include fitness work with treadmill sessions, low-height agility and the A-frame, a training session with our trainer and a report card on what to practice at home, which suits a Gloucester dog that enjoys having a job. Gabriella Pope leads our training team, and every method we use is force-free.

In the AKC Trick Dog program the bow appears twice. It is among the ideas for Novice handler's choice tricks, where a lure is allowed, and it is an Advanced trick done with no lure, described as looking like a play bow: rear end up, front paws out, head down. A dog that bows on a small hand signal is well on the way, and an AKC Approved CGC Evaluator can test it in person or virtually.