4 Cool Tricks to Teach Your Dog

4 Cool Tricks You Should Teach Your Dog

Dogs naturally love to learn and earn treats, so it comes as no surprise that they respond well to training. By exploring dog tricks together, you and your pup can strengthen your bond and improve communication. Learning dog tricks is also an excellent way to troubleshoot problem behaviors and improve overall obedience. As an added bonus, tricks are a great way to entertain your friends and family as well.

Before diving headfirst into training, however, just remember to be patient and to keep your sessions brief and fun. When rewarding your pup after a successful trick, offer a treat right away so they learn to associate the behavior with receiving food. Although some dog breeds are easier to train than others, how you handle each session will also make a difference.

If you’re looking to get a puppy, learning how to train your dog should come right after finding the right dog breeders and doing proper research on the breed you’re going to get. Here, we’ve rounded up our favorite tricks that you should try to teach your dog when she’s ready to be trained. 

Dog Trick #1 – Paw Shake

One of the most popular tricks to teach your pup is the paw shake. This is usually the first trick that pet owners teach their dogs, as it is the easiest to teach and most dogs pick it up fairly quickly. To train your pup how to do the paw shake, simply hold out a treat just out of reach in front of your furry companion while it is sitting. Repeat the phrase “shake hands” and tap one of your dog’s front paws with your free hand. If you’re training an older dog who is on a diet, use positive reinforcement as the reward or a toy that they can play with. 

Most dogs will respond by raising their paw to get the treat. As your dog raises its paw, catch it with your free hand and repeat the phrase again. Doing so helps your pup connect the action with the command.

Dog Trick #2 – Doggy Kiss

Most canines love to lick their human companions to express their affection, so this can be quite challenging to teach your pup. To teach your furry companion how to kiss, hold a treat up to your face and say “kiss” before moving your cheek towards your dog. Wait until your dog touches your face with its nose. When it does that, move back before it licks you and give your pup a treat. In time, your pup will learn to associate the command with the action.

Dog Trick #3 – Wave

Training your pup how to wave hello or goodbye is always a neat party trick and is fairly simple to teach, especially if it already knows how to do the “paw shake”. To start training your pup to perform this trick, give the command for “shake hands”. Once your dog lifts its paw to shake your hand, move your hand slightly upwards.

Your furry companion will most likely respond by moving its paw up a bit to reach your hand. When your pup moves its paw farther to shake, move your hand from left to right. Repeat this action a few times and each time your pup raises its paw above its head and mimics the action, give him or her a treat.

Dog Trick #4 – Spin

The spin is another simple trick that can improve your dog’s obedience. Simply hold a treat near your dog’s nose to lure it into a spin. To add more difficulty to the dog trick, teach your pup how to spin in a specific direction with the appropriate commands for spinning “left” and “right”. This trick will surely amaze your family and friends when you show them how your four-legged companion can tell the difference between right and left.

Final Words:

These are just a few simple tricks you can teach your dog. After learning the basics, you can slowly progress to more complex tricks. Teaching your pup these cool tricks can help build your relationship and strengthen your bond. Remember though that you should teach your pup when she’s ready to be trained and focused. And make sure you give her a break when she starts to lose attentiveness.