5 Easy Trick to Teach Your Dog
Trick training is one of the best ways to bond with your dog, increase their ability to learn, provide them with mental stimulation. In addition, trick training can help you to develop stronger behaviors and provide you with creative ways to reinforce your dog!
Here are five of our favorite and easiest tricks to teach your dog for the beginning of your trick training journey!
5 Easy Dog Tricks for All Dogs
1. Touch
This behavior is great for a myriad of reasons. First, you can use โtouchโ to teach a variety of other tricks like โupโ and โoffโ! This behavior can also be used as a substitute for a come when called behavior since your dog has to come all the way to you to touch their nose to your hand. Lastly, you can easily move your dog from one location to another using the โtouchโ behavior!
Step 1: Present your flat hand for your dog to sniff. Click & treat your dog while theyโre sniffing your hand. Repeat 10x.
Step 2: Say โtouchโ then quickly present your hand to your dog to sniff or touch with their nose. Click while your dogโs nose is touching your hand. Repeat 5-10x.
Step 3: Next session, warm your dog up with a few easy โtouchesโ, presenting your hand directly in front of their nose, then begin to add some variety. Start to present your hand a bit to the left, a bit to the right, back a bit further, above their head, and down below so they realize โtouchโ means to touch their nose to your hand regardless of where your hand is!
2. Spin & Twirl
Spin & Twirl are great behaviors for teaching your dog body awareness. Most dogs donโt pay attention to where their hind ends are stepping, so spin & twirl will get your dog thinking about their back paws more. Spin & twirl can also be used to get your dog untangled from their leash, and to get them into a nice โheelingโ position at your side!
Step 1: Pinch a treat between your thumb and your fingers in your right hand. Cross your body with your right arm so that your palm is facing the right side of your body. Put the treat right on your dogโs nose, and slowly lure them in a circle clockwise. Repeat 5-10x.
Step 2: Now, say โspinโ then quickly lure your dog clockwise using your right hand. Repeat 5x.
Step 3: During your next session, begin to use just the verbal cue โspinโ and then use your empty hand to gesture your dog into a spin. Click while your dog is about to complete the spin and treat. Repeat 5x.
Step 4: To โfadeโ your hand from the picture and use just a โverbalโ cue, say the cue โspinโ each time, then slowly use less fingers to gesture your dog, each repetition, until youโre using just your pointer finger to gesture, then raise your hand slightly above your dogโs head each repetition, until your hand is at shoulder height making the spinning gesture with just your pointer finger. From there you will say โspinโ and slowly bring your hand closer to your body each repetition, until your hand is no longer in the picture and your dog responds to just the verbal cue โspinโ.
Step 5: To teach twirl, follow the exact same steps, but use your left hand and prompt your dog to spin counter clockwise.
3.Middle
This is one of our favorite behaviors! We love โmiddleโ for the safety it provides your dog. Shy or nervous dogs love โmiddleโ because it gives them a safe space to be out in public. You can also use โmiddleโ if you need your dog to get out of the way of people walking by on a trail or sidewalk, or if youโre standing in line paying for coffee and want to be sure your dog isnโt getting into anything!
Step 1: Using a treat squished between your thumb and four fingers, lure your dog behind you, and then using your other hand, lure them from the front in between your legs. Say โyesโ when their head pops between your legs and feed them several treats. Repeat 5-10x.
Step 2: Say โmiddleโ then lure your dog behind you and between your legs, marking with a โyesโ and rewarding them while theyโre between your legs. Repeat 5x.
Step 3: Say โmiddleโ then gesture your dog behind you and between your legs, marking and then treating them while theyโre between your legs. Repeat 5x.
Step 4: To fade your hand gesture out of the picture, say โmiddleโ then begin to gesture your dog slightly less prominently by only luring your dog behind you, but not through your legs, then gesturing them just to your hip, then gesturing them just with a quick flick of your hand at the front of your body, until you do not have to gesture at all and your dog responds to just the โmiddleโ cue. Keep in mind you will โfade the gestureโ just slightly each repetition, and you should reward your dog highly for responding to each step of the process. This can take several days to accomplish!
4. Bow
Teaching your dog to bow is a great party trick, and a good way to get your dog to stretch! After a walk, get your dog to perform a few โbowsโ to stretch out their warm muscles and protect against future injury!
Step 1: Hold a treat between your thumb and your four fingers. Put the treat on your dogโs nose and slowly lure their nose down and back to the ground, until their elbows touch the ground. As soon as your dogโs elbows touch the ground, click and release the treat! Toss a reset treat and repeat 10x.
Step 2: Next, say โtake a bowโ and then lure your dog into the bowing position. Click and reward. Repeat 5-10x.
Step 3: Say โtake a bowโ and then gesture your dog into the bow position without a treat in your hand. Repeat 5x.
Step 4: To slowly fade your hand out of the picture, each repetition, begin to lean down less and less so that your hand is no longer touching the ground, and you are able to stand up straight while asking your dog to โtake a bowโ until youโre standing up straight, and do not need to gesture your dog into the bow at all.
5. Roll Over
This is one of those fun party tricks that also helps improve body awareness and muscle stretching. Not only does your dog have to think about how their weight is shifting, but theyโll also get a nice neck and back stretch while performing a roll over. After your dogโs walk, ask for a couple โroll oversโ to work those muscles!
Step 1: Get your dog into a โdownโ position by either cueing a โdownโ or through luring. Click and treat your dog for the down position.
Step 2: Hold a treat between your thumb and your four fingers and put the food lure right on your dogโs nose. Slowly lure their head toward their shoulder. Click and reward your dog. Repeat 5x.
Step 3: Using a food lure, lure your dogโs head to their shoulders and slightly above their back so that their weight shifts to their side. Click and treat. Repeat 5x.
Step 4: Using your food lure, lure your dogโs head so that they shift their weight to the side, then finish the circle by luring them all the way to the other side of their body. Repeat a few times.
Step 5: Add the cue by saying โroll overโ then luring them into the roll over behavior. Repeat several times.
Step 6: On a different day, or a later session, fade the food lure by saying โroll overโ then gesturing your dog into the roll over position. Repeat several times.
Step 7: You can fade your gesture into a hand signal or fade it completely by saying โroll overโ then using your hand make a circle gesture that starts at their nose and loops behind your dogโs neck to prompt them to roll over. Each repetition, fade your fingers out until youโre making a circle with just your pointer finger to prompt the roll over. From there you will stop circling behind your back and only make a circle prompt/gesture at your dogโs nose.
Step 8: To completely fade the gesture, begin to make your circle smaller and smaller each repetition, and gradually pull your arm into your waist.
Bonus Tip: Wear a Treat Bag to Teach on-the-go
Help encourage good behavior with this wearable treat bag. Find one with an audible click of the magnetic closure, to let your pup know they're about to be rewarded!
We love this one from Ruffwear Treat Trader because it can attach to the waist or be worn as a belt for quick access to rewards.
It's made with durable fabric and waterproof lining for less mess and features an outer pocket for small essentials like keys or pickup bags.
Highly recommend you purchase one for yourself!
REMEMBER: To ensure your dog learns these behaviors fluently, practice them first in a low-distraction environment, then teach the behaviors from scratch in several new progressively more challenging environments.
Have fun teaching your dog these new tricks & reaping the benefits of trick training!
