Behavior Tips : Teaching Your Dog Tricks

When your dog is of age to obedience training, many owners will also choose to teach their dogs parlor tricks. These tricks are fun for both dogs and owners, as you and your dog can show off new skills for friends and family members.

However, when you are teaching your dog tricks, first ensure your dog knows the basic obedience steps before working on any unnecessary tricks. There is a difference between obedience and tricks, and obedience skills are necessary for any dog to live a happy, healthy, and safe life. No dog risks potential harm if he cannot successfully shake hands or play dead, but is at a great risk for injury or accident if he does not come when called.

Perhaps the most popular trick for dogs is for a dog to shake hands—or paws—with a human. This trick is timeless and probably has been performed by dogs since they were first domesticated by ancient man. There are a great many variations to this trick, including switching paws and offering both paws into a human’s waiting hands. Furthermore, hip dogs would rather give high fives instead of shaking hands, so that is a viable option today.

Just as with teaching any trick or skill, the key is repetition to ensure the trick is learned as quickly as possible. Use the same vocal command and hand gesture (for example, commanding the dog to “shake” while offering your hand) each time and be sure to provide your dog with plenty of praise and or treats.

Another popular parlor tricks for dogs is the classic, play dead. For this trick, the dog lies down and preferably rolls over after given the command or in the response to a particular comment. Usually, the dog is commanded to “play dead” or responds to a sound like “bang” that follows a hand gesture using your thumb and forefinger to create a gun.

Fun alternatives on this trick include asking your dog questions, for example, asking your dog if he would root for an unfavored team or university. For instance, Fido, would you ever attend the University of North Carolina Tar Heels? In response, Fido would promptly roll over and play dead.

More fun parlor tricks include those that showcase a dog’s quickness or speed. For example, you may want to teach your dog to catch a treat that is balanced on his nose. This trick is often a crowd pleaser in addition to pleasing the dog, who gets to enjoy a treat at the end of the trick. Learning this trick may take a bit more practice than the other tricks, but use the same training methods and focus on repetition until your dog can successfully execute the trick. With all those treats, your dog certainly will not mind the practice.

Finally, consider teaching your dog tricks based on his athleticism. Use athletic equipment like balls or frisbees to prompt your dog to catch an object thrown at him. The Frisbee circuit is quite competitive and dogs often compete against other four legged athletes when it comes to catching these round flying discs.

You also may want to teach your dog tricks based on your favorite sport. For example, many dogs showcase skills in soccer, football, or basketball taught to them by owners with a love of the sport. There are even dogs that have learned to ride a skateboard or hang ten on a surfboard! Whatever your sport of choice, work to include your dog and teach him some fantastic tricks he can perform in front of your friends and family members.