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My most frequently asked question when it comes to dog tricks and training is, “How did you train the burrito trick?!” If you don’t know what trick I’m referring to, check it out here.

I have a quick video tutorial here that I would suggest watching, but if you’re looking for more details, read on.

Step 1: Teach “Hold”

• Start off with something your dog is comfortable holding in their mouth, put it in their mouth, and tell them “hold”
  • Some dogs find it uncomfortable to hold things in their mouth so starting with something small, easy, and what they’re used to will help
  • You can *gently* hold their mouth closed to keep the object in place for a second or two, letting them know what you’re asking them to do
• Reward them for keeping it in their mouth until you say your release word (or click if you practice clicker training)
• Continue practicing, having them hold it longer and longer until they can hold it in their mouth for at least a few seconds
• Practice with different objects, making sure you include a blanket as one of the objects
• Then, you’ll need to teach them to pick up the object and hold it, instead of you putting it up to their mouth for them
• Place the object at their feet and tell them “hold” – rewarding for any correct behavior, such as attempting to pick up the object

Step 2: Teach “Roll Over” 

• Hold a treat over your dog while laying down, and guide them into the position you want them to go
• Say the “roll over” command as you are guiding them
• Reward them when they do it correctly 
• Begin practicing without having to guide them with your hand

Note

• Steps 1 and 2 can happen in any order
• Once your dog has mastered both “hold” and “roll over”, then you can begin working on “burrito”

Step 3: Teach “Burrito”

• Start with a medium sized blanket, nothing too big or heavy, and lay it flat on the floor 
• If your dog is like Roswell, they won’t do tricks on hard wood or hard flooring, so we always put our burrito blankets on top of a rug or carpet
• Position your dog at one of the top corners of the blanket – if your dog usually rolls to the left, start them in the top right corner of the blanket; if they roll to the right, start them in the top left corner
• Have your dog to lay down in the correct position
• Pick up the corner of the blanket near their mouth and tell your dog to “hold” it
• Work on this part of the trick until they have it down and are comfortable holding the blanket in their mouth for an extended period of time
• If they have mastered picking up objects themselves, without you having to pick it up for them, make sure they know to pick up the corner of the blanket by guiding them a few times
• Once they are comfortable holding the blanket in their mouth while laying on it, tell them to “roll over”
• It may take some time for them to understand that they can’t drop the blanket before rolling over, so reward for any correct attempt
• Continue until they are rolling over without dropping the blanket, which should automatically form a burrito
• Use the “burrito” command when they can master both tricks together, instead of saying “hold” and then “roll over”

You Got This!

Consistency is key! If you are consistently rewarding the desired behavior, or even a close attempt at the desired behavior, they will eventually figure out what you want them to do. Practice with them every day for about 15 minutes and I guarantee they will be burrito-ing in no time. Good luck and comment if you have any questions! Send me your videos once you nail it 🙂