Dog Tricks: Teach Your Dog How To ‘Show Teeth’

Brad asked how to teach a dog to bare his teeth on command.

My very tame American Eskimo, Jersey, (who wouldn’t hurt a flea by the way) used to show his teeth. But it was only when our new little puppy, Destin — and then years later our newest puppy, Tenor — would get on his nerves.

So out of frustration, Jersey would simply bare his teeth as if to show some sort of dominance to these young pups. It was if he was saying, ‘Okay, I’ve had enough… stay away… I’m done playing.’

It was cute. But it can actually be a scary situation if you don’t know you’re dog’s own limits and how to read a dog’s body language.

That said, there are ways that you can teach your dog to ‘show teeth’…

 

A Simple Trick

While I never took the time to try this dog trick myself (because my dog did it on his own), from what I know about dog training in general — and dog tricks in particular — your best bet is to:

1. Simply watch your dog’s own behavior.

2. At the very moment that your dog displays some form of teeth baring (maybe a funny smile), then you have to REWARD that behavior and call it something.

3. Be consistent… try to encourage your dog to do it again. And always call that behavior the same thing and always reward it — IF you want your dog to do it on cue at some point.

 

Ways To Teach Your Dog To Show Teeth

If you get your dog used to teeth-brushing on a regular basis, your dog might become more accustomed to showing teeth on command — simply because it’s part of the exercise and it’s a required behavior in order to get the teeth brushing done.

That, and the fact that some dogs don’t like the taste of the doggie toothpaste and may make a face like this as a reaction to the strange tasting toothpaste.

For that matter, introducing any dog-safe human foods to your dog for the first time could lead to a teeth showing behavior. You never know… especially with strange or bitter-tasting foods that are safe for dogs to eat (like some fruits & vegetables).

As with most dog tricks… a dog is never too old to learn a new trick. However, the younger your dog is when you start teaching new tricks, the quicker they catch on and the easier it is.

 

Videos Of Dogs Showing Teeth On Cue

Here are some videos of others getting their dogs to bare their teeth or ‘Show Teeth’.

If you’re wanting to teach your dog this cute dog trick, perhaps you will find some clues in these videos:

 

A 6-month-old Boxer dog reluctantly shows teeth on command…

 

Fudley’s owners simply display a hand gesture, and it causes the dog to show teeth…

 

Sometimes “show me your teeth” is all it takes…