10 Dog Tricks

Start by having your dog sit down. Say the command "Shake hands," and take their paw with your hand. Hold their paw and say, "shake, good shake” then let go of their paw. Do this a few times every day.

Eventually you'll want to stop taking their paw after commanding shake hands. If your dog doesn’t immediately offer their paw keep repeating the steps of the trick. Your dog is not slow; they're just learning!

Start by having your dog stand up facing you. Let your dog see a reward in your hand. Stand still and say the command “turn around”. Lead your dog's nose around to the left (clockwise) with the treat so they walk in a circle. When they’re facing you again, say "good turn around" and give them the treat.

Eventually you can stop leading your dog by the nose for this trick. If they’re not ready to perform the tick on their own you should repeat the trick until the reaction is almost automatic.

Have your dog lie down in front of you. Hold a treat just in front of their nose and say the command "crawl." If they start to stand up, say "No, down...crawl." Pull the reward 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."

Your dog must know 'Down' before he can learn this trick.

With your dog facing you, take a treat and lead your dog's nose to the right and around your body. Let them follow the treat all the way around behind your back and around to the front. Give your dog the treat and praise them. They will be making a complete circle around you.

In the beginning you might have to give your dog several rewards while they are going around behind you and when they return to the front. Practice it several times a day, but only for five minutes or so, two or three times a day.

Your dog should know how to shake hands before learning this trick. Face your dog and hold out your hand as if you are going to shake. When your dog lifts their paw to shake, don't grab it, just pull back your hand, and say "Wave". Then give your dog a reward.

At first your dog may not lift their paw very high. But once they realize that you're going to give them a treat if they hold it up there, they'll get it. You may have to tease them a little with your hand so they think you are going to shake with them. Waving your hand a little may help to get their paw into a waving motion as well.

With your dog in a stand position, take a treat and hold it close to your dog’s nose and slowly move it down, holding it close to your dog’s body. This way you will use the treat to lure your dog down until his elbows are on the floor with his rear end remaining 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, as soon as your dog completes the bow then feed the treat.

Some dogs have trouble keeping their rear ends in the air when learning this trick. To keep your dog’s back half up, as your dog reaches down to get the treat, slip your hand under his belly to hold his rear end up. 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 the treat.

Stand in front of your dog. Make sure your dog is in the stand position. Hold the treat in the palm of your hand. Put your hand near the dog’s nose. Make sure the treat is out of your dog’s reach. Slowly move the treat over your dog’s head and towards the tail. Say your dog’s name and give your dog the command “Sit.” Keep the treat at nose level. If the treat is held too high, the dog will jump. Say the word “good” at the exact second the dog sits. Once your dog makes any movement that resembles the sit position, reward your dog.

Repeat this trick for another few minutes so your dog can understand and comprehend the trick. After awhile your dog may get bored so do it some more the next day. Your dog will not need to be rewarded after a while once it learns the command. But still reward him or her every once in a while.

You’re dog will need to know how to shake hands before teaching him or her how to high five. Once your dog starts to offer his or her paw, turn your hand up so your hand is facing your dog. Start saying “High five” while holding your hand up. When your dog hits your hand with his or her paw, reward your dog with a treat.

When your dog starts to hit your hand with his or her paw, start raising your hand slightly higher each time as you repeat the trick. Be sure to reward your dog along the way.

Starting from the “Sit” position, hold a treat right in front of the nose of your dog, then say the exact word “Stand!” and move it above him so that he or she will have to stand in order to reach it. As soon as he or she stands say “Good job” and reward your dog with a treat. While he or she is standing you can move, just a few steps while holding the treat – cheer him or her a lot if your dog follows you walking.

Remember to free your dog from the trick once you have completed the trick each time or tell your dog to “Sit.” Otherwise your dog will stand every time you hold something above him or her and this isn’t always good to have.

This is the most important trick teaching your dog how to stay put. Hold a treat in front of your dog and make him or her sit. Then say the word “Stay” and while holding your hand open in front of him, walk away a few steps, facing your dog and always saying “Good job” if the dog doesn’t move. Start with just a few steps and make the stay always longer with each time. When the dog seems to be following your “Stay” command, reward your dog with a treat.

If your dog starts getting up as you move away while holding your hand open repeating the “Stay” command. Be sure to keep repeating the word “Stay” so the dog knows that you want him or her to stay in that spot.