Multiple International Freestyle Champion Michele Pouliot frequently dazzles crowds with her Head-Tuck Bow routine. In this video, Michele shows you how you can teach this behavior easily at home using raised platforms. The platforms help to keep the dog’s front and rear legs stationary while Michele uses strategic reward placement to encourage a head tuck. Once the head tuck is established, she begins to separate the platforms to increase the distance between the dog’s front and back paws. As the dog becomes comfortable with this new position, Michele extends the treat behind the dog’s front paws, slowly building duration until the dog achieves a full head tuck bow!

Canine freestyle, also known as musical freestyle, is a modern sport where dogs and handlers perform dazzling choreographed routines set to music. Each behavior is taught individually and cued throughout the performance. Canine freestyle champion Michele Pouliot’s award-winning routines often feature the trick behavior “head in a prop.”