Teaching your dog tricksPart of · Teaching your dog tricks

The "Do As I Do" trick: teaching your dog to imitate you

8 min read

Why this is a trick apart

Most tricks, your dog works out by trial and error: they try something, it pays off, they do it again. "Do as I do" opens up another route: copying a model. Topál and colleagues (2006) were the first to show that a dog could reproduce a human action on request, and Fugazza and Miklósi (2014) described deferred imitation learning, with the dog repeating a gesture even after a delay. For your dog, it is a genuine mental workout: following what you do, holding it in memory, then translating it with their own body.

One thing to settle straight away, because it takes all the pressure off: this trick serves no everyday purpose. Nobody needs their dog to imitate. So if they cannot manage it, it is no big deal, and that is exactly what makes it such a relaxed playground. You have nothing to prove, neither you nor your dog.

Now is the right time if…

Your dog already knows three or four behaviours by their cue ("spin", "touch", "go to your mat").
They naturally watch you when you move, and take an interest in what you do.
You both enjoy learning together, with no stakes, just for the fun of it.
You accept that setting up the rule will take several sessions before the slightest "trick" appears.

Better to wait a little if…

No behaviour is yet reliable on its cue: start by laying down a few playful basics.
Your dog does not spontaneously look at you: work on eye contact first ("watch me").
You are after a genuinely useful trick: this is not the one, aim instead for "touch" or named objects.

Before you start, gather what you need to make the sessions easy and joyful.

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Building the rule, step by step

Do not skip a step: each one is built over several short sessions, never in a single evening.

Step 1 / 4

Il copie une action familière sans hésiter.
- Have your dog wait facing you.
- Do an action YOURSELF that they have mastered (spinning on the spot, for example), then say "Do it!".
- They reproduce the action: mark it with a "yes!" and reward within three seconds.
- At the very start, follow straight on from your demonstration so the link is obvious.
Move on when: Copie fiable d'une action connue, plusieurs séances de suite.
Il comprend la règle « refais ce que je viens de faire », pas « fais ton tour habituel ».
- Change the demonstrated action from one go to the next, at random.
- Present four or five different familiar actions, never in the same order.
- Mark and pay for every good copy.
Move on when: Sur des actions tirées au hasard, il copie la bonne la plupart du temps.
Copie spontanée d'une action inédite, la vraie signature de l'imitation.
- Demonstrate an action they have NEVER trained.
- Say "Do it!" and watch without helping.
- If they produce a recognisable copy, even a rough one: you have cracked it, the rule is there.
Move on when: Il tente de reproduire du neuf, sans entraînement préalable.
Le tour tient avec quelqu'un d'autre et ailleurs que dans le salon.
- When a copied action becomes reliable, give it its own word so you can ask for it again without a demonstration.
- Vary the demonstrator: let another member of the household take over.
- Change room, position, moment.
Move on when: Copie fiable avec un second démonstrateur et dans un autre contexte.

Imitation rule mastered

The trap for pairs who are pleased with themselves: mistaking a coincidence for real imitation. A dog who "succeeds" sometimes just offers their favourite trick, or reads your involuntary micro-cues (a glance, a step), like the famous horse Clever Hans described by Pfungst (1907). The proof of an acquired rule is copying a new action, ideally tested with someone else at the controls.

The protocol itself is purely cognitive, with no physical risk at all. The only thing to watch comes from the action YOU demonstrate: if you mime a jump, a spin or standing up, choose gentle, safe gestures, especially with a growing puppy or an older dog. With such a high mental load, short, spaced-out sessions do better than one long session (Demant et al., 2011): at the first sign they are switching off, you stop.

Topál et al. — Reproducing human actions and action sequences: « Do as I Do! » in a dog, Animal Cognition (2006)
Fugazza & Miklósi — Deferred imitation and declarative memory in domestic dogs, Animal Cognition (2014)
Fugazza & Miklósi — Social learning in dog training: « Do as I Do » compared with shaping, Applied Animal Behaviour Science (2015)
Demant et al. — The effect of frequency and duration of training sessions on acquisition and long-term memory in dogs, Applied Animal Behaviour Science (2011)
Pfungst — Clever Hans: the horse of Mr von Osten (the involuntary-cue effect) (1907)
AVSAB — Position statement on humane dog training (2021)

To go further

guideThe "watch me"Eye contact, the prerequisite for them to follow your demonstration.Read the guide guideNamed objectsAnother advanced route, where the hands-off test matters just as much.Read the guide

Frequently asked questions

How do you teach a dog to imitate?

Start by having them copy actions they already know: you do the gesture, you say "Do it!", they reproduce it, you mark it with a "yes!" and reward. Vary the actions at random until they grasp the rule "do again what I just did", before testing a new action.

What is the Do As I Do method for dogs?

It is learning through imitation: the dog learns a general rule ("reproduce what the human just did") on the cue "Do it!", then extends it to novel actions. Described by Topál et al. (2006) and Fugazza & Miklósi (2014), it rests 100% on willing cooperation, never on physical placement.

Can my dog really copy what I do?

Yes, it is documented: some dogs reproduce a human action, sometimes even after a delay (deferred imitation, Fugazza & Miklósi 2014). Do be careful, though, not to confuse a real copy with a coincidence: the proof is that they copy a new action, ideally tested by another person.

What are the prerequisites before starting "do as I do"?

Your dog needs to already know three or four behaviours by their cue and to look at you when you move. Without these basics and without eye contact, the imitation rule cannot settle in: lay them down first, gently.

How long does it take for a dog to learn imitation?

There is no guaranteed timeframe: the set-up phase is built over several short, spaced-out sessions, which teach better than one long session (Demant et al. 2011). Some dogs pick it up quickly, others never really do, and that is no problem at all: this trick is made for fun.

Is Do As I Do more effective than classic methods for teaching tricks?

For complex or object-related actions, imitation has proved at least as effective as shaping, sometimes faster (Fugazza & Miklósi 2015). But for a simple movement like "sit" or "spin", luring works just as well. It is a complement for an already well-practised pair, not a replacement. And in every case, a simple vocal marker word is enough to mark the right gesture.

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