10 Fun Tricks to Teach Your Dog

Dogs are known for many things – their playful demeanor, their adorable faces, their constant grins, and many more. But arguably one of the most impressive characteristics that most dogs exhibit is that they’re able to learn tricks. Whether it’s a simple sit command or more advanced tricks like playing dead, dogs can pick up tricks pretty quickly if trained right.

If you want to teach your dog some tricks, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve listed ten of the best tricks that any dog should learn. Not only are these tricks fun to show off to others, but they can also serve practical uses every now and then.

Sit

This is, without a doubt, the most important trick you should teach your dog, and as such should also be the first. Why? Because teaching a dog how to sit is incredibly simple. You don’t need to move it around or show it anything fancy. If you’re using positive reinforcement training, you simply have to reward it once it sits while you issue the “sit” command.

Once your dog learns its first trick, it’ll become more accustomed to positive reinforcement training. This will speed up the training process in the future for both you and your dog. It’ll more quickly understand what you want them to do. So if you haven’t trained your dog at all, make “sit” your top priority.

Roll Over

Rolling over is another common dog trick you’ll see in videos and real life. While not as simple as sitting, it’s still relatively easy to teach. The idea is to move a treat around while the dog is lying down, forcing them to roll over as you say the keywords. Do this for long enough and you’ll have your dog rolling over carpets and wooden floors in no time.

Paw Out/Shake

Who says dogs can’t learn manners? Have your dog learn human greetings by teaching them the paw out trick. If executed correctly, you can ask them to extend their paw, and they’ll do as if offering a handshake of sorts. Of course, they can’t shake your hand, so you’ll have to do the shaking yourself.

This trick is especially great for beginner trainers because some dogs naturally extend their paws to you, usually as a sign of affection. You can use this to your advantage and turn it into a trick that you can use whenever you meet your dog.

Bang/Play Dead

Playing dead is a fun little trick that you can show off at family gatherings or parties. Your dog will have to lie on their backs to pull this trick off, which can be difficult to teach at first. Once you’re able to teach the trick, though, you can add a little bit of acting into the mix. For example, instead of saying “play dead”, you can say “bang!” while pointing at them with a finger gun to signal the command. This makes the act seem a little more realistic and a lot more interesting.

Hold/Patience

One of the best ways to showcase a well-trained dog is through the patience trick. You place a treat on the dog’s nose and tell it to “hold”, not moving until you say so. They’re free to eat the treat once you finish the trick, too, so dogs love this particular trick. If you own an active dog, you may find it a little challenging, but it’ll get the hang of it sooner or later. This trick is a lot more impressive if you’re able to leave the room with the dog still holding the treat.

Standing on Hind Legs

While dogs are four-legged animals, they can definitely handle standing upright on just two. The trick is incredibly simple, but the novelty in seeing a dog stand on its hind legs can result in some surprising reactions when shown off. 

Bark

Ever wanted to hold a conversation with your dog? Well, this is the closest you can get to having one. Teaching your dog to bark on command is pretty fun on its own, but you can take it a step further. By using words or phrases for training that sound natural in conversations, such as “am I right?”, you can create the illusion that your dog is joining in the dialogue. Just be sure that it’s a word or phrase you don’t often use because you don’t want your dog chiming in on phone calls or serious conversations at home.

Stay

Teaching a dog to stay can really be worth the time and effort. It’s a trick that can be used in many situations. For example, if you want to buy something from a store, but they don’t allow dogs inside, you can tell them to stay right outside the entrance. If you want to let them stay where they are to take that perfect Instagram photo, all you have to do is say the word. It’s a trick that revolves around trust, so be sure to give your dog lots of love while teaching it.

Heel

Have you ever seen dogs follow closely beside their owners in public without a leash? They’ve probably learned how to heel. Teaching a dog to heel makes it a lot easier to bring them around in public, as you won’t have to bring around a leash at all times. Be sure that your dog is comfortable in crowded areas before using this in public, though.

Hush

The hush trick is a handy trick to teach your dog if you’re in a public space with it, or if you want to stop it from barking late in the night. If you’re living in an apartment complex, you’ll probably end up using this trick quite often, especially if you don’t want to inconvenience your neighbors. A word of advice, though – to be able to teach this trick, you’ll first need to catch them in the act of barking, so we suggest teaching them this trick in an area where dog barks are accepted, such as a park.

Conclusion

Teaching tricks to a dog can be a great way to bond with your pet. These ten dog tricks aren’t only just for show – you’ll use them in your everyday life too, and more often than you think.