Are you eager to impress friends and family with your dog’s remarkable abilities? Delving into advanced tricks offers a fantastic opportunity to mentally stimulate and physically challenge your canine companion. Beyond the sheer enjoyment of showing off these impressive feats, mastering such tricks can also contribute to earning prestigious AKC Trick Dog titles. This guide will walk you through various techniques and provide specific instructions on Tricks How To Train Your Dog, fostering a stronger bond and unlocking their full potential.
To embark on this exciting training journey, you’ll need a few essential items: an abundance of patience, dedicated time, a generous supply of high-value dog treats, and your dog’s favorite toys if they are particularly toy-motivated. If you utilize a clicker for precision in your training sessions, ensure you have one readily available to mark the exact moment your dog performs the desired behavior. Additionally, a quiet, distraction-free environment will significantly enhance your dog’s focus and learning experience, making it easier to teach them easy tricks to train your dog.
How to Teach Your Dog to Catch
Teaching your dog to catch is a highly rewarding trick that enhances their coordination and focus. Begin by having your dog sit or stand directly in front of you. Once you have their full attention, perhaps by holding a treat at eye level, gently toss a treat with an underhanded motion. The key is to start with a soft, short toss to minimize the chance of them missing. If your dog successfully catches the treat, offer immediate, enthusiastic praise and a follow-up treat. If they miss, try to quickly pick up the treat before they can eat it off the floor, and simply try again. Patience is paramount here, as some dogs take a little longer to grasp the concept of catching.
Labrador Retriever excitedly anticipating a thrown tennis ball for the "catch" trick.
Repeat this exercise several times during each short training session to build consistency. As your dog becomes more proficient at catching tossed treats, you can gradually introduce lightweight, soft toys they enjoy. Start with simple throws, praising and rewarding them with a treat each time they successfully catch their toy. This progression helps generalize the “catch” behavior from treats to other objects.
How to Teach “Under the Bridge”
The “under the bridge” trick is an adorable and engaging maneuver that requires your dog to crawl beneath your legs. To begin, sit on the floor with your knees bent and raised, forming a triangular “bridge” shape. Ensure you have high-value treats or a favorite toy ready to motivate your dog. Position your dog on one side of your body, holding the treat or toy in your hand on the opposite side. Reach your hand, with the lure, under your legs, allowing your dog to sniff it.
Slowly lower the treat or toy towards the ground, guiding it under your legs. As your dog tracks the lure, they will naturally lower their body and follow it through. Once they have successfully crawled through, offer immediate praise and reward them with the toy or treat. After several repetitions, once your dog consistently performs the action, you can introduce a verbal cue such as “under” or “bridge” just as they begin to move. Eventually, you can fade out the physical lure, relying solely on your verbal cue, followed by praise and a reward for a successful execution.
How to Teach Your Dog to Speak
Teaching your dog to “speak” is often most effectively done through a method called capturing, which involves marking and rewarding a naturally occurring behavior. Have treats ready and be observant. Whenever your dog naturally barks, perhaps out of excitement or in response to a doorbell, immediately mark the barking with a chosen verbal cue like “talk” or “speak,” then promptly give them a treat. Using a clicker during this process can be incredibly beneficial, as it allows you to precisely mark the exact second your dog barks, helping them to clearly understand which behavior is being rewarded.
Dachshund howling and barking in a yard, demonstrating the "speak" command.
After a number of successful repetitions of marking and rewarding, your dog will begin to associate the cue with the action of barking. To prevent your dog from barking excessively on their own, it’s crucial that once they understand the trick, you only reward them when they bark in direct response to your verbal cue. This helps them learn to offer the behavior on command, rather than indiscriminately.
How to Teach Leg Weaves
Leg weaves are dynamic and impressive cool things to train your dog to do, creating a flowing figure-eight pattern around your legs. Start in a safe, open area without a leash, to prevent any entanglement. Position your dog in front of you while you stand with your legs comfortably wide apart. Hold a treat in one hand behind your legs, which will allow you to lure your dog through and around your legs smoothly, rather than trying to push them from the front. Bend your knees slightly and use the treat to guide your dog to walk between your legs. As your dog passes through, offer praise and a treat.
Once your dog is comfortable with this initial step, use another treat to guide them through your legs and then around one of your legs, bringing them back to their starting position in front of you. You can allow them to lick or nibble the treat to maintain their focus and position as they follow your hand. Praise and treat when they return to the initial stance. When they confidently follow the treat through your legs and around one side, repeat the process to teach them to go through and around the other leg.
When your dog consistently performs the weave around both legs independently, it’s time to link the movements into the full figure-8 pattern. Start by luring your dog between your legs and around your right leg, then immediately transition to lure them around your left leg before finally treating them. Gradually, you can begin to fade out the treat lure, using an empty hand to guide your dog. Once they can weave purely by following your empty hand, introduce a verbal cue like “weave” or “legs.” With more practice, your dog will recognize your bending-knee body language as the physical cue for the trick, allowing you to eventually phase out the empty-handed lure completely. To advance, teach them to weave while you walk forward, starting with large, slow steps, reintroducing the treat lure if necessary, and gradually increasing speed and decreasing step size as they gain confidence.
How to Teach Your Dog to Shake Hands
Teaching your dog to shake hands is a classic and charming trick. Begin by holding your open hand out towards your dog, low to the ground. Initially, your dog might lick or sniff your hand; ignore these actions. The moment your dog paws at your hand, immediately mark that behavior with enthusiastic praise or a click, and then give them a treat. Repeat this process until your dog consistently paws at your hand when you present it.
Australian Shepherd practicing the "shake hands" trick outdoors, gently placing its paw in a human's hand.
Next, start to build the duration of the paw-on-hand contact. Instead of rewarding immediately, wait until their paw rests on your hand for a second or two before clicking or praising and rewarding. Slowly increase this duration as your dog understands that maintaining contact is part of the desired behavior. Once your dog consistently places their paw on your hand and waits patiently, introduce a verbal cue such as “shake” or “hello.” At this point, you can also flatten your hand and hold it vertically, as if preparing to shake someone’s hand, while still using a treat to guide the motion. Gradually introduce a gentle, up-and-down shaking movement with your hand before delivering the treat. For more advanced interactions, you might explore resources like the everything dog training and tricks book.
How to Teach Yes and No
This impressive trick allows your dog to seemingly answer “yes” or “no” to your questions by nodding or shaking their head. To teach “yes,” hold a high-value treat in a closed fist or use another simple hand signal. Slowly move the hand with the treat (or just your empty hand, if they are already treat-motivated) in an up-and-down motion. As your dog follows the lure and nods their head, immediately reward them with the treat.
Once your dog consistently follows your fist or hand with their head nodding, practice the motion without a treat in your hand. When your dog nods, praise and give a treat from your other hand. With consistent practice, the closed fist or hand signal will become the physical cue for your dog to nod their head, and you can eventually phase out the guiding motion.
To teach “no,” employ a similar capturing technique but with a distinct hand signal, perhaps a closed fist with your pointer finger extended. Move your hand slowly from side to side. As your dog tracks your hand, their head will naturally move from side to side, mimicking a head shake. Praise and reward your dog the moment they perform this head movement. Through repetition, the distinct hand signal will serve as the physical cue for your dog to shake their head, adding another layer of impressive communication to your repertoire of good tricks to train your dog.
How to Teach Your Dog to Bow
The “bow” trick is not only a charming display but also a great stretch for your dog. Start with your dog standing in front of you. Get their attention with a treat held in your hand. Lure their nose down between their front legs and then back towards their chest and belly. As your dog follows the treat, they will naturally lower their front body into the “bow” position, keeping their rear end elevated. Praise and treat your dog immediately. To prevent them from collapsing into a “down” position, you can gently toss a treat forward to encourage them to stand after the bow. Repeat this over several short practice sessions.
If your dog tends to collapse into a “down” rather than a bow, Penny Leigh, CPDT-KA, Director of the AKC GoodDog Helpline (GDH), suggests lightly placing a hand or even just a finger on your dog’s stomach, just below the loin. This subtle cue can help them understand that you are not asking for a full “down” command.
Dog performing the "bow" trick, stretching its front paws forward while keeping its rear elevated, demonstrating flexibility and strength.
Once your dog consistently follows the food lure into a bow, begin to lure them with an empty hand, still rewarding them with a treat after they achieve the position. When they confidently follow the empty hand lure, introduce a verbal cue such as “bow” or “fancy.” With continued practice, your dog will develop the strength and coordination to hold the bow longer. You can also gradually fade out your physical lure, eventually evolving the physical cue for this trick to simply you bowing or curtsying yourself.
How to Teach Your Dog to Make a Circle
Teaching your dog to spin or make a circle is a simple yet engaging trick. Begin by getting your dog’s attention with a treat or a favorite toy. Hold the lure just above your dog’s nose and slowly move your hand in a large circular motion. As your dog’s nose follows the treat or toy, they will naturally walk in a circle. Praise and immediately reward your dog upon completing the circle. After a few repetitions, when your dog consistently follows the lure, you can introduce your chosen verbal cue, such as “spin,” “twirl,” or “around.”
Next, use the same technique to lure your dog in a spinning motion in the opposite direction. Once they consistently follow your lure to spin the other way, add in a distinct verbal cue for that direction, or simply use the same cue if you prefer a single command for both directions. When your dog reliably responds to your verbal cue in both directions, you can begin to use the circular hand motion without a treat in your hand, combined with your verbal cue. Reward your dog with praise and a treat each time they spin successfully. This trick is one of many fun tricks to train your dog that offers both mental and physical benefits.
How to Teach Your Dog to Play Peekaboo
The “Peekaboo” trick, also sometimes known as “Middle,” is a practical skill that teaches your dog to position themselves closely between your legs, useful for navigating crowded spaces or simply keeping them near you. To begin, stand in front of your dog, with both of you facing the same direction. Hold a treat in your hand to get their attention. When your dog moves forward and comes between your legs, immediately offer praise and a treat.
Small dog successfully performing the "peekaboo" or "middle" trick, standing comfortably between a person's legs.
After a few successful repetitions, introduce a verbal cue of your choice, such as “middle” or “peekaboo,” as your dog moves into position between your legs. Once your dog is in the correct position, you can use a release cue (if you have one) or toss a treat a short distance away to encourage them to move out of position, allowing you to practice again. With consistent practice, you will be able to fade out the treat lure, and your dog will respond solely to your verbal cue to enter the “Peekaboo” position, making it a valuable command for both safety and bonding.
Conclusion
Training your dog these impressive tricks is a journey of patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement. Each trick you teach not only enriches your dog’s life by providing mental and physical stimulation but also strengthens the incredible bond you share. From the playful “Catch” to the communicative “Yes and No,” these skills demonstrate your dog’s intelligence and your dedication as a trainer. Remember to keep sessions short, fun, and always end on a positive note. Continue to explore new challenges and celebrate every small victory. Embrace the process, and soon you’ll have a canine companion whose trick repertoire will truly be the talk of the town. For more expert guides and training advice, explore other helpful articles on Dog Care Story.
References
- American Kennel Club (AKC) – Why Trick Training Is Good For Dogs
- American Kennel Club (AKC) – AKC Trick Dog Titles
- American Kennel Club (AKC) – Dog Training Treats
- American Kennel Club (AKC) – What Motivates Your Dog to Work?
- American Kennel Club (AKC) – Clicker Training Your Dog: Mark and Reward
