Trick Training
God Bless AmericaTeaching your dog to do tricks is an excellent way to bond with your dog. Not only will you be working on a great relationship with him, you'll be stimulating his mind and giving him good exercise, too. Not to mention getting some help around the house that doesn't complain about what he was told to do! If you haven't started obedience training yet, teaching tricks is an excellent way to introduce the obedience commands. Any time you teach your dog a behavior you're opening his mind for other learning. Take advantage of this and teach your dog all you can. It will only make your dog better behaved. I suggest not doing any of these tricks ten times in a row but rather four to five times over the course of a day. You don't want your dog to become bored!Speak
This trick is very difficult to teach to puppies and some breeds who aren't vocally inclined. I've had the best results teaching male dogs over 1 year of age. This trick is pretty simple to do if your dog already uses his "voice". Get your dog's attention by clapping your hands, calling his name excitedly, anything. When he's focused on you, in a REALLY excited voice, tell him "speak". Keep repeating the word "speak" until he makes any noise at all. Once he does, praise him and give him a treat. After he's finished his treat, do it again! Repeat until he'll speak on command. If he's having difficulty learning this trick, tell him "speak" just before some one comes to your door, when you know he's going to bark, or any other time you know he's going to bark. Just be sure to always praise him in an excited voice whenever he makes any noise at all.
Rollover
Don't teach this command to dominant dogs! Wait until your dog knows his place in the family first. Teaching this command is a dominant action so if your dog shows any signs of dominance while teaching this trick, stop and read your online guide (Puppy Raising 101 or Double Puppy Home) on how to teach your dog that you are the "alpha". If your dog knows the "down" command, have him lie down. If he doesn't know "down", now is a good time to teach him! Now that he's laying on the floor, tell him "rollover" in an excited voice and gently roll him over. As soon as he's rolled over, praise him and give him a treat. Repeat the command. You'll probably have to roll him over yourself quite a few times before he catches on. Just repeat it 4-5 times a couple times per day and before you know it he'll be rolling over on command! After showing him a couple times how to rollover wait after saying "rollover" to see if he'll do it on his own.
Bang! You’re Dead
Teach this trick after you've taught "rollover". It will be easier to teach and your dog won't become confused. Have your dog lie down on the floor. Using your fingers to make a gun (do not use a real gun!) and say Bang! (or boom, or whatever you want to say) and gently roll your dog onto his side and hold him there for a few seconds. When you let him go, praise him and give him a treat. Keep repeating a couple times in a row a couple times per day. Be sure to always use the same hand gesture and command and to wait a second or two after saying "bang" to see if he'll do it on his own.
Sit-Up
Have your dog sit in front of you. Take a treat and hold it just above his head. Tell him "sit up" (or whatever command you want) and move the treat further above his head so he has to bring his front paws off the ground to reach the treat. Once his front paws are off the ground and he's balancing at least a little, tell him how good he is and give him the treat. Keep repeating making sure to always tell him to "sit up" before you put the treat above his head. It may help to do this in a corner so if your dog loses his balance he won't topple over backwards. Another way to teach this is to tell your dog "sit up" and grab his front paws until he's sitting up how you want him to, then give him a treat. You'll have to repeat both methods quite a few times before your dog will catch on. Wait a few seconds after saying "sit up" to see if he'll do it by himself after you've shown him what you want him to do.
Crawl
This is one of the easiest tricks to teach! Have your dog lie down, and, holding a treat, tell him "crawl" and move the treat a few inches in front of him on the ground. If he moves on the ground to get the treat, praise him and give him the treat. When he finishes the treat, tell him "crawl" again and move the treat along the ground until he moves further than before. Give him the treat and praise him. Keep repeating this until he's moved at least a couple feet on the ground. Now tell him to "crawl" and see if he moves on his own. If he does, treat him and praise him! If he doesn't, move the treat along the ground until he crawls a couple feet. Just keep repeating until he'll move on his own after you've said "crawl". Wait a second or two after you say the command to see if he'll do it on his own.
Shake
This is probably the easiest trick to teach your dog. Have your dog sit in front of you. If he doesn’t know the command “sit” just look in your online guide to find out how to teach him. Tell him "shake" and grab his front paw and give it a gentle shake. Then give him a treat. Do this a couple times. After the fifth or sixth time, tell him "shake" and just put your hand in front of him and see if he'll offer his paw. If he does, really praise him and give him a treat. If not, grab his paw and keep repeating until he’ll offer his paw on his own.
Take a Bow
To teach this trick, have your dog stand with his side facing you. Tell him "take a bow" and move your hand under his front paws to lower him into a bow. As soon as he's bowed, praise and give him a treat. Keep repeating until he'll bow down on command.
Say Your Prayers
While sitting in a chair, have your dog sit in front of you. Tell him "say your prayers" and bring his front paws up onto your lap or the chair then move a treat under his front legs so he can see it if he lowers his head to look between his legs. As soon as he lowers his head to get the treat, tell him how good he is and let him have the treat. Keep repeating until he'll place his paws on your lap or the chair and bow his head as if saying his prayers.
Get Me a Soda
This trick works best when teaching to get a soda out of a cooler that's easily opened. I suggest not teaching your dog to get you a soda out of the frig since he may then decide to eat the steaks you expect to have for dinner! First you must teach your dog to bring you a soda that's sitting in the open. Place a soda on a low table and tell your dog "bring me a soda (or pop)". Walk with him to the soda and encourage him to take it in his mouth. If he puts it in his mouth, praise him and have him drop the soda in your hand. Repeat this until he'll go get the soda with you sitting a few feet away. Once he'll go get the soda and bring it to you, place the soda in a cooler while he watches you. Go back and sit in your chair and tell him to "get me a soda" and give him the chance to figure out how to get it. If he does it, really praise him and give him a treat! If he doesn't, walk with him to the cooler and help him open it to get a soda. You'll have to encourage him to open the cooler with his nose. This will probably take quite a few lessons. Once he'll open the cooler and get the soda and bring it to you, add a few sodas to the cooler and repeat. When he's accomplished this step, add some ice to the cooler. Keep working your way up until the cooler's filled with ice and soda and he can open it on his own and bring you a soda. When he does this for the first time, really praise him and give him a couple treats. He's just done you a great favor! Keep in mind that he won’t be able to bring you a specific kind if there’s more than one kind in the cooler!
Find the Keys, Phone, Remote, etc.
This uses the same method as teaching to get a soda. You have to start with just one object, let's say the remote control. Place the remote in his mouth as you say "find the remote". If he holds it in his mouth for a second, let him drop it in your hand and praise him. Once he'll hold it in his mouth for a few seconds, place the remote on the floor or a table and repeat until he'll pick it up off the floor or a table as you tell him to "find the remote". Once he'll pick it up, place it a couple feet away on the floor and tell him to "find the remote". If he gets it and brings it to you, really praise him and give him a treat. If he doesn't, walk with him and, kneeling next to the remote, tell him "find the remote". He should then pick it up and hand it to you. Just keep repeating until you can place the remote across the room and he'll go get it for you. Use this procedure for anything: keys, leash, phone, towel, dog dish, blanket, anything. Use your imagination and you'll end up with a dog who will help you around the house willingly!
Put Your Toys Away
This trick uses the same teaching method as "find the keys". The only difference is instead of bringing the object to you he'll put it in his toy box or other designated area. Tell him to "put your toys away" and take him to each of his toys (lain in a five foot radius of where you are) having him pick each one up and put it in his toy box. You'll have to help him pick each one up and walk with him to his toy box and tell him to "drop it". To teach the "drop it" command consult your online training guide. Just keep doing this and he'll catch on in no time. The hardest part about teaching this trick, and the other ones where your dog has to pick something up, is teaching him to pick it up and hold it in his mouth. This is best taught by gently placing the object in his mouth and holding it here for just a second or two then taking it from his mouth. You must tell him to "take it" before you put the object in him mouth. Be gently about this and don't scold him if he doesn't want to hold the object in his mouth. Just keep at it and always praise, even if he opens his mouth to take it. Start small and work your way up!
Jump Through a Hoop
Don't start teaching this trick until your dog is at least one year of age or older if he's a giant breed (st. bernard, wolfhound, newfoundland, etc.). You want your dog to develop good hips! I suggest using a child's hoola-hoop. Holding the hoop in one hand, set it so one end is touching the ground. Tell your dog to jump and coax him to walk through it by placing a treat on the other side. Once he walks through, praise and give him the treat. Now move the hoop a few inches off the ground and repeat. Make sure you tell him to "jump" before you try to coax him through. Keep repeating until you can hold the hoop at least one foot off the ground. Depending on your dog's breed (border collie, springer spaniel, lab, shepherd, etc.), you can hold it two or three feet off the ground. You'll know your dog's limit when he touches the hoop with his hind paws. Also, please don't use a hoop with a ring of fire!
Catch the Treat I
There are two different treat catching tricks I like to teach. This one is having your dog balance a treat on his nose then catching it. To teach this, have your dog sit in front of you. Use a treat that can sit flat on his nose. You may have to hold his head still while placing the treat on the end of his nose. I suggest telling him "hold" while you place the treat there. Once it's there, help him hold it there for a few seconds. Then tell him "okay" or "catch it" and encourage him to get the treat and eat it. He'll probably just let it drop on the floor. If he does this, quickly grab the treat and place it back on his nose. Repeat the steps. If he makes an attempt to catch it let him have the treat. If he lets it fall, grab it and repeat again. Once he learns to balance it on his nose he'll learn quickly to catch it before it hits the floor. Just keep repeating and he'll catch on in no time.
Catch the Treat II
This is the second treat catching trick. With this one, your dog will be sitting in front of you and you'll be throwing treats to him hoping he'll catch one in his mouth. The best way to teach this one is to put your dog on "sit" and stand about 3 feet away. Using larger treats, just start tossing treats to your dog. If he catches one, really praise him and give him another treat. If he misses, quickly grab his attention before he starts to go after the treat he missed and toss him another one. Most dogs learn this one relatively quickly. It works even better if you teach two dogs at the same time. Each dog will want the treat and will be trying hard to catch them.
Mathematics
This trick will absolutely amaze everyone who sees your dog perform it! First, you must teach your dog to speak. Then you must teach him to speak using a signal of some sort. The signal you use should be noticeable only to your dog and not your audience. I suggest using a slight nod of your head, tapping of your foot, or some other normal gesture that no one will take note of. To get your dog to speak using a signal, do the signal as you say "speak". After a couple times, do the signal first, then say "speak". Keep doing this until your dog speaks before you say "speak". Be sure to always praise when he speaks on command. At this point, you're ready to teach your dog how to add and subtract. Practice this alone first, then with a small audience of a couple people and slowly make your way up to large crowds. Look at your dog and say "what’s 2+2" and do your signal to make him speak 4 times. Do different addition and subtraction problems but keep the answers single digits (3, 6, 1, etc.). Always praise your dog when he speaks every time you ask him to. Have fun with this one and amaze some children. Your dog will be the talk of the school yard!
Close the Door This is a great trick to teach your dog if you have children like mine who constantly forget to close the door. All you do is bring your dog to an open door and tell him "close the door" in a happy voice. Encourage him to push the door with his nose until it's shut. It may help to put a small dab of peanut butter near the edge of the door so as he licks it he'll be closing the door. When the door closes, really praise him and give him a treat. Repeat as many times as needed until he'll close the door on command.
Go Get Dad, Mom, etc.
Teach this trick after you've taught your dog to come and speak. For some great tips on teaching your puppy or dog to come check out your online training guide. You'll need some help from the rest of your family for this one. Have everyone gather in the same room but not sitting next to each other. Tell your dog to "get dad" and as soon as you say it have Dad call your dog. When he comes to Dad have Dad tell him to speak then praise him. Then call your dog back to you and have Dad follow. Say a few words to each other and praise your dog! Repeat this with Dad until your dog will go to him without Dad calling him and telling him to speak. Once he'll go to Dad move on to the other family members. This will probably take some time to teach but don't give up. Imagine, you won't have to yell for anyone anymore!
Wave
This should be taught after you've taught your dog to shake. Have your dog sit in front of you. Tell him to "wave" and grab his front leg by the elbow and hold it off the floor as if waving. Put his leg back on the ground and praise him. You'll have to repeat this a number of times but even if he lifts his leg off the ground even an inch praise him. Keep repeating until he'll lift his leg off the ground enough to make it look like a wave. When he does this, really praise him and give him a treat. Do it a few times more so he knows exactly what you want when you say "wave".
No Smoking
In today's society, smoking is less and less acceptable. Here's a cute way to let others know you don't allow smoking in your home or vehicle. First, you'll have to make a small sign, preferably on wood, that says "No Smoking Please". Make sure there are no splinters on it so your dog doesn't get hurt. Then, have a friend sit on your couch or chair and light up a cigarette. As soon as it's lit, making sure your dog saw them light it, walk your dog to where the sign is, have him take it in his mouth and then walk him over to your friend and lay it in his lap. Then tell him to sit next to that person. As soon as he's sitting praise him and play. Repeat this over and over. Have different people do this so your dog doesn’t think he's only to do this to one person. Have them sit in different areas in your house, too. Keep the sign in a place that your dog can get to easily and have one in your car if you take your dog with you places. By having your dog give the No Smoking Please sign to people you're saving yourself the task of asking people not to smoke in your home or car. Besides, who can refuse a dog giving a request in this manner without being told?
Fire!
This trick could actually save your life! Once it's taught to your dog I suggest testing him on it at least once per month. Have some one by the fire alarm in your home and another person laying in bed, pretending to be asleep. Say any word to cue the person to sound the fire alarm. As soon as it's sounding, quickly run your dog into the bedroom and have him Speak, Speak, Speak until the person in the bed "wakes" up and says okay to the dog. Praise your dog. Keep repeating this until your dog will go to the person in bed on his own as soon as he hears the fire alarm. Make sure you really praise him when he first goes to the person in bed without being taken there by you. Once he’ll do this, go through the fire drill your household has planned so your dog knows what will come after he wakes some one up. If you have kids, have them in bed so you can "wake" them up and get out of the house. Practice this as many times as needed until your dog will go directly to you in bed upon hearing the fire alarm and bark until you wake up. Don't forget to practice this at least once per month after your dog knows exactly what to do. Always praise a job well done. Especially this life-saving trick!
I hope you’ll find these tricks as fun to teach as I do! It’s even more fun to watch your dog perform them! Happy training!
Copyright 2006 Christine Copper