Of all the dog tricks, rollover is probably one of the most entertaining acts a dog would do. If you're a dog owner, you would surely want to have your pet learn the rollover trick and have him do it just like other dogs do.

If you were able to teach your dog even the simplest tricks like "sit," it would also be easy for him to learn the rollover trick. More often than not, if you have some dog treats in your hand, you can get him to learn the trick in no time.

The first thing to do is to get your dog in "play dead" position. Once he's lying on one side, gently grab both of the bottom hind and front legs and move him to the other side (if he was originally at is left side, move him to his right side, and vice versa). Once his position is at the other side, your dog would most likely rise and jump as if wanting to play with you. So, just before he jumps, make sure to give him a treat for allowing you to help him do the rollover trick.

Repeat the process a couple more times, making sure you give him a treat once you've rolled him over. As long as he is in a happy, upbeat mood, and until he gets the trick on his own, you can have him do the rollover trick steps over and over again. Just make sure though that he learns to roll over first before he starts to jump again.

Getting him to recognize and understand the command is also one thing that you should achieve. Make sure that when you show him how to rollover, you are actually saying the words "rollover." You can also do a hand signal if you want. Just make sure that he has a verbal or non-verbal signal to indicate him that it's time for him to follow the command.

You might also want to teach your dog the rollover trick on a couch or on a bed. But if he looks happier to do it on the floor or on the ground, then let him be, as long as he gets to understand the trick.
One thing that you have to remember when teaching your dog the rollover trick is to avoid pulling or tugging with his legs while you teach the trick. You dog might think that you are hurting him and instead of teaching him something fun and getting a treat afterwards, he might just instantly acquire a phobia of doing the trick. You have to be gentle when you teach him. The last thing that you want to happen is to see your dog running away from you because he thinks you were hurting him.

Another way of teaching your dog to do the rollover trick is by luring him with food while acting on the command. You can do this by taking out a piece of meat or his favorite food while he's in "play dead" position." Hold the food just right under his nose. Once he starts smelling it, move it from side to side, making him follow the direction of a rollover motion. Don't let him try to eat it though until he is able to do the rollover trick. With this kind of "food stimulus," most dogs would probably start rolling over by themselves even if there's no food yet. It's their way of saying that feeding them with food should come next since they have performed the trick.

You might get lucky and get a dog who just doesn't want to do the rollover trick. Try to check though before forcing him to do it because he could have a leg or a back problem or a previous trauma for doing the trick. If this is the case, skip the rollover and teach him a different trick instead, one that won't cause him any physical pain.

The trick to getting a dog follow a command is by winning his confidence and trust. If you can't get him to be in "play dead" position, try to play with him first. Once you catch him in "play dead" position while playing, praise him so he'll remember to do it again.

Eventually, you will have to get your dog do the rollover trick without your help or any treat or food for that matter. It might take awhile to do it but with consistency in practice, he will get it. You only have to be patient.

If at first you are holding both legs to get your dog to rollover, you will, later on, have to just gently touch one leg for a second then let him do the rollover himself. You can also gently hold one leg for a few seconds, then if he doesn't complain, move on to hold each leg separately. Once he continues to cooperate, gently roll him over. If you're able to move him to the other side with him complaining, start praising him for a job well done, then move him back to his original position then praise him again.