Teach Your Dog to Step onto Your Feet: A Fun Trick with Balance and Bonding
Looking for a fun way to strengthen your bond with your dog while building your dog’s body awareness and balance? Teaching your dog to step onto your feet is a cute trick and a fantastic foundation for more advanced freestyle moves.
In this post, I’ll walk you through a training session to begin this fun trick.
Step 1: Start with a Raised Object
The first step is getting your dog to step up onto an object. You can absolutely start with your own shoes (and you’ll want to eventually!), but I actually prefer using small balance pods first. You can find these online for dogs or people.
Why balance pods? They give your dog a little bit of movement underfoot, which is great preparation for stepping onto your shoes later. Your shoes aren’t flat or wide, so starting with something similar in feel can build confidence and success. Plus, we can use the balance pods for other tricks. If your dog has not learned to “step-up” you will want to start with that trick. Instead of going right to the balance pods, get your dog to step onto something solid like a low step, first.
No balance pods? No problem! If you don’t have this item, use your shoes instead, but begin with your shoes off of your feet so you can work on the trick facing your dog first. Use shoes that are not slippery and have plenty of surface area for your dog to place a paw.
Step 2: Lure the Behavior
To begin, I simply lowered my hand with a treat to guide my dog into stepping up onto the pods. At this stage, I’m not asking for anything fancy, just helping her understand that stepping up is the goal.
Once she got the idea, I gradually stopped luring and just waited to see what she would offer on her own. That’s one of my favorite parts of training, watching the lightbulb moment when the dog offers the behavior without help!
Step 3: Add Middle Position for Easier Transfer
When she was confidently stepping up, I lined the balance pods up with my feet. This is where the trick starts to come together. By placing the objects where my feet would be, I’m building a clean transfer later on.
If your dog already knows a “middle” position (standing between your legs facing forward), this step becomes even easier.
Step 4: Transition to Your Feet
Once your dog is confidently stepping on and off the balance pods, try removing them and seeing if your dog will offer placing their front paws on your actual shoes. The motion and the reward history should carry over.
You can help a little by angling your feet inward or raising your toes slightly to give your dog a more stable surface. Just like with any trick, take your time here. This won’t be perfect in one session, but the progress is exciting! Make sure your dog has enough space. Be careful not to put pressure on your dog with your legs. Your dog might need to step out to the side in order to meet your shoes, but that is part of the trick. It takes practice.
What to Expect
In session one, many dogs successfully move from stepping onto the pods to stepping onto feet. That’s a great start! It’ll take a few more short sessions to build fluency and add a cue. Keep in mind that all dogs are different. Sessions should be short and fun for your dog.
This is a trick that combines focus, balance, and trust. Once your dog learns to stay on your feet, you can begin adding movement and building toward more canine freestyle inspired behaviors.
Final Tips:
Keep sessions short and fun.
Use high-value rewards for early successes.
Reward the effort, not just perfection.
Mix in play or movement breaks between reps.
