Train Your Dogs Some Basic Tricks

Would you like to train your dog basic tricks? Here are some very simple tricks that you could teach your dog.

HANDSHAKE
Start the training by having your dog sit. Say, "Shake hands," 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 hands," but don't take his paw. See if he raises his paw by himself. If not, keep showing him what to do by saying, "Shake hands," and taking his paw with your hand. Your dog is not slow; he is just learning


ROLL OVER
Start by having your dog lie 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 lies on his side and then rolls over. Tell him what a great dog he is!

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 but if it's not fun for your dog, choose another trick


HEAD DOWN
Start by sitting on the ground with your dog. While holding a treat, put your hand in front of your dog's nose and lead him toward the ground. As soon as your dog's chin touches ground only for a second, say "Head Down!". 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 the ground, 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


CRAWL
Start by having your dog lie 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 even an inch or two without standing up, praise him and say, "Good dog! Craaawl."


TURN AROUND
Start by having your dog stand up facing you. Let your dog see a treat in your hand. Stand still and say, "Turn around". Lead the dog's nose around to the left (clockwise) 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.

After some practice, hold the treat in front of you so your dog can see it and say, "Turn around," but don't lead his nose. See if he is ready to turn around by himself and get the treat. Pretty soon, he will turn around faster than you can say 'Lassie!"

If you choose to use the words, "Turn Left", use them all the time. Don't use "Turn around" sometimes, and "Turn Left" other times. Be consistent.


SPEAK
Choose a game that your dog loves to play, like catch with a ball, or hide and seek with a toy. Then get him excited by saying, "Let's play! Want to play?" and show him the 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".

You can't make a dog bark, but you can get him happy and excited so he wants to bark. After a while, your dog will bark when you say, "Speak."

Caution! If you have a dog that already causes trouble because of his barking, you might not want to encourage this behavior. If you decide it's ok to teach it, be sure to teach "Quiet", too, but do it at some other time.


PLAY DEAD
Have your dog lie down on his tummy. As you gently roll him over on his side, say, "Take a nap." While he is lying on his side, keeping his head on the floor, say, "Take a nap." 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.

You can use the treat to lure your dog into a lying down position. Don't give your a dog a reward while he is lying down. Give him a treat after he has completed the trick.


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 kind and only do this a couple of times


KISS
Here's an easy one: Every time 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.

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.


FETCH
If your dog doesn't fetch naturally, have an adult cut a slit in a tennis ball (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. Soon you will be able to throw the ball and she will go get it (because she wants the treat!).

After your dog has figured out what he has to do to get a treat, start throwing the ball two times in a row without giving him the treat. What you are trying to do is give him the treats less and less often so someday he won't need the treats in the ball to fetch it.