So, you want to train your dog some cool new tricks...First and foremost, the best way to teach your dog a new trick is to make it fun! Praise, along with some tasty treats, can go a long way when training effectively. While puppies learn awfully fast, they have short attention spans, and can be easily distracted, therefore it is a good idea to teach any lessons in a quiet space. In order to help your dog to be an effective learner, it is important that both you and your puppy are also having fun when you are doing this. Do remember not to push your dog too hard, as it is almost impossible for your young puppy to learn and pick up the tricks in a single lesson, since any training tricks require a much longer time interval to be taught. Instead, simply stop for a break when you feel tired or when you sense that your puppy is getting frustrated. Use as many rewards as possible such as your puppy’s favorite snack or more play time since it will serve as good motivation to keep your puppy going.
One of the most popular puppy training tricks which are the people’s all time favorite is the "Paw" or "Hand Shake". Almost everyone will be impressed when your dog presents the paw out for a shake as a form of greeting. This is one of the first puppy training tricks you can teach your dog.
SHAKE
Start by having your dog sit. Say, "Shake" or "Paw" and take his paw with your hand. Hold his paw and say, "Good dog!" Let go of his paw. Do this a few times every day. After a while, say "Shake" or "Paw" but don't his paw. See if he raises his paw on his own. If he doesn't, keep repeating it with your hand out. He might not pick it up right away, but that's okay, he's learning!
TWIRL
Start by having your dog stand up facing you. Stand still and say "Twirl". Lead the dog's nose around to the right with the treat so he walks in a circle. When he comes back to where he's facing you again, say "Good dog!" and give him the treat. Be careful though, don't get your dog too dizzy!
CRAWL
Start by having your dog lay down. Hold a treat just in front of his nose and say "Crawl." If he starts to stand up, say, "No, down...crawl." Pull the treat away, keeping it low, near the ground and say, "Craaawl." When your dog moves in an inch or two without standing up, praise him and say, "Good dog! Craaawl." Your dog must know 'Down' ' before he can learn this trick.
DOWN
Start by having your dog sit in front of you. Kneel down and hold a treat in your hand, right near the dog's nose. Say "Down" and slowly bring the treat straight down (keeping the treat near the nose). Praise him and give him the treat for any slight movement toward a "down" postion. Be sure to say the word "Good" when praising him. Repeat until your dog responds to "Down" without you holding a treat. Make sure he goes all the way down and stays down until you gesture that it's okay for him to move.
SPEAK
Choose a game that your dog loves to play, like catch, hide and seek with a toy, etc. Then get him excited by saying, "Let's play! Want to play?" and show him his favorite ball or toy. Jump and act silly so he barks and then say, "Good dog, speak!" Then play the game as his reward for learning "Speak".
PLAY DEAD (or NAP)
Have your dog lay down on his tummy. As you gently roll him over on his side, say "Play dead." While he is lying on his side, keeping his head on the floor, say "Play dead." Don't give him a treat. Encourage him to stay there for a couple of seconds. Then say, "Ok" or "Wake up!", let him stand up, and give him his reward. Sometimes it's scary to see how well they can pull this one off!
BEG
Have your dog sit, facing you. Hold his favorite treat just above his head and tell him, "Say please." Your dog will probably lift his front feet off the ground to reach the treat. As soon as the feet are lifted, even a little bit, give him the treat. This is a hard trick for most dogs. Wait a little longer each time before giving the treat, but be careful not to let your dog fall over on his back. You are helping your dog develop his balance. Be patient, and only do this a couple of times.
KISS
Here's an easy one. Everytime your dog licks your face, say "Give me a kiss. Good boy! Give me a kiss." If he isn't a licker, put a little peanut butter on your cheek and say "Give me a kiss." When he licks it off say "Give me a kiss" again. Voila!
Tricks like this work because you put words with something your dog does. Pretty soon your dog hears "Give me a kiss" and thinks about licking your face. Then you give him a hug, rub his ears and say "Good boy!" Dogs love that.
ROLL OVER
Start by having your dog lay down on his belly. You can stand over him or kneel beside him. Using a treat, hold it by his nose, and then move it around and behind him, so that he lays on his side and then rolls over. Only roll your dog on soft surfaces like carpet or grass so he doesn't hurt his back. Some dogs don't like to roll over. It can be a little scary for them to put their belly up. Try it a few times, and if it's not fun for your dog, just try another trick!
FETCH
If your dog doesn't fetch naturally, cut a slit in a tennis ball (or a smaller, rubber ball if that is too big). Put some treats inside the tennis ball. Show your dog that there are treats in there, and give her one. Then throw the ball. In the beginning, run with her and get the ball, then give her the treat. After your dog has figured out what she has to do to get a treat, start throwing the ball two times in a row without giving her the treat. What you are trying to do is give her the treats less and less, so that someday she won't need the treats in the ball to fetch it. And, it's the perfect backyard exercise for your dog!
SAY HELLO
Start by sitting on a chair. While holding a treat, put your hand between your knees and encourage your dog to get it. As soon as your dog's chin touches your leg, say "Say Hello!". Then say "Release" or "OK" and give him the treat after he lifts his head. Only give your dog the treat after you have released him. Increase the time his chin is touching your leg, so eventually your dog will keep it there while you pet him. Then release him and reward him. Your dog will soon charm your friends with this trick!
GO BACK
This is an easy one! Stand facing your dog and as you walk toward him, say "Go back". He will want to get out of the way and will automatically walk backwards! If your dog doesn't walk back in a straight line, practice up against a wall or in a narrow hallway. After your dog is walking backward with you, try walking toward him only a step or two. Eventually, you will be able to stand still and say "Go back".
TAKE A BOW
Their are two different effecitve ways to train your dog to "take a bow." We'll start with the first. When you see your dog take a big stretch, with his head down low, say "Take a bow." Every time he wakes up and stretches, say "Take a bow." Someday you will say "Take a bow" and your dog will take a big stretch, but it will look like he is bowing. As soon as he is finished, give him a treat. Tricks like this work because you put words with something your dog does. It may take some dogs longer than others to figure this one out. Some dogs learn it in a week and some take years...yes, years! But one day you will say "Take a bow," and maybe, just maybe, your dog will take a bow.
The second way would be to get your dog in a standing position, take a treat, and hold it near the floor under his nose. As your dog reaches down to get it (he may try to lay down), slip your hand under his belly to hold his rear end up. Hold him in that position and say "Take a bow." Keep the treat right by his nose, but don't feed him. Stay there for just a second, release him, and then feed the treat. If you feed your dog the treat while he is in the bowing position, in the future he won't bow until he sees the treat in your hand. If he learns that the treat comes later, he'll be willing to perform for you without it right there all the time.
YAWNHere's one of those tricks that your dog has to perform before he actually learns it. Hopefully, you have a dog that yawns a lot. Be patient. This one can take a long time. Be sure to really praise your pup when he yawns. He'll think he's doing something totally wonderful. And eventually he will be! Every time you see your dog yawn, say the command you want to use like "Give us a yawn" or "Are you sleepy?". If he yawns enough and hears those words enough, he will eventually yawn whenever he hears those words.
WAVE
Your dog should know how to shake hands before learning this trick. Face your dog and hold out your hand. When your dog lifts her paw to shake, don't grab it, just pull back your hand, and say "Wave". Then give your dog a treat. At first, your dog may not lift her paw very high. But once she realizes that you're going to give her a treat if she holds it up there, she'll get it. You may have to tease her a little with your hand so she thinks you are going to shake with her. Waving your hand a little may help to get her paw into a waving motion as well.
QUIET
This is easiest if your dog already knows how to speak. Tell your dog to speak or catch him when he is barking. Get right in front of him and say "Quiet". The second he stops, even if it is to take a breath, give him a treat. You might want to hold your hand or palm in front of his face to add a visual signal. Practice playing Quiet often and your dog will be loving the word.
As you teach your dog Quiet, gradually increase the quiet time from 2 seconds to 5 seconds or more. Then, when he understands the trick, make a game of it. Tell him to "Speak", "Speak", "Speak", and then "Quiet". Then "Speak" again. It's a great trick that will entertain your friends and your pup will look so smart!
WHICH ONE?
Put a treat in one hand, show your dog, and then close both of your hands, making two fists. Hold your fists in front of you, about six inches apart and say "Which one?" Your dog will try to pry at your fists with his mouth to find the treat, but don't open your hands. Wait until he tries to use his paw (he will if you wait long enough), let him touch the correct hand and then give him the treat. If you have tried this several times, but your dog still won't use his paws to touch your hand, let him use his mouth to point out the correct hand. It'll be just as good and your audience will love the trick just as much.
COME (to a whistle)
Have your dog sit in front of you. Using a dog whistle from your local pet store, blow it once and give your dog a treat. Do this several times and repeat several times during the day. Repeat this over several days, trying it a increased distances. Your dog should soon be running to you every time he hears the whistle. Use a small treat, one that your dog really loves. After your dog will come to you from different areas in the house, move outside, to fenced areas only of course. When you notice your dog is a little distracted, give the whistle a blow and see if he comes. By now, he should be coming. If not, go back to shorter distances without distractions and take the steps a bit slower.
GO TO BED"Go to bed" means go to the bed AND lay down. You should only need to say "Go to bed".
Put a bed, blanket, or towel 6-10 feet away from you. With your dog beside you say "Go to bed" and then together go to the bed. Have your dog lie down on the bed, give her a treat, and praise. Repeat many times. Later on, try sending your dog by herself. At first, make sure that someone is waiting at the bed with a treat. Later, your dog will do it herself, and you will walk over to her while she is lying down and reward her.
It will take many repetitions, but she'll start to figure out that going AND lying down on the bed will get her a reward. It's important that your dog knows how to lie down. At first you might have to say lie down real softly to get your dog to go down, but try not to use it very much. What you want to say is "Go to Bed". Remember "Go to bed" means go to the bed AND lie down.
FIND THE TREASURE (or DIG)
"Find the treasure" means the dog will use one or two front paws to dig at the ground. Here's one way to teach it on command. Gather some treats and put them under a towel while your dog is watching closely. Don't let your dog use his nose to get under the towel. Keep encouraging him verbally while showing him that there are treats under the towel, and eventually, he'll start pawing at the towel. As soon as he moves that paw just a little, say "Find the treasure!" Reward your dog immediately with a treat from your hand or even from under the towel.
For dogs that are not natural diggers, this may take a while. Remember that you're looking for that digging behavior. You can give him treats from under the towel or from your hand as encouragement. If he happens to uncover a treat by himself, then praise him!
Note: If you have a dog that digs in the garden and causes trouble because of his digging, you might not want to use this trick, as it will only further encourage his behavior...
Enjoy the new tricks!!
