10 COMMON DOG TRICKS

Teaching your dog tricks is a good way for you to bond with your canine pet. It also helps to stimulate his mind and keep him from becoming bored.

It is also a fun way for your pet to learn obedience and good manners since poorly trained dogs could bring chaos to an otherwise orderly household.

Usually, the best time to start teaching your dog some basic dog tricks is when

they aren’t fully grown yet. There are also some tricks that a certain type of dog will have difficulty in learning.

For example, dominant dogs will have a hard time learning how to roll over since they don’t like to expose their bellies. One the other hand, some dogs find it natural to carry something with their mouths since they were born with that instinct.

Rewarding your dog by giving some small treat and praising him could make it easier for your pet to follow your command. It is also advisable to practice new dog tricks for only a few minutes at a time to prevent your canine pet from getting bored.

Here are 10 common dog tricks that you can teach your dog and have fun doing:

1. SIT. This is the most common dog trick that you can teach your dog. This trick is very easy to do since a dog usually sits down when its owner holds a treat on his hand.

You can then firmly say “SIT” while holding the treat with one hand while your other hand gently pushes the dog’s rear end to the ground. When your dog does the sitting position, you can give him the treat and praise him soundly.

2. ROLL OVER. This trick shows the dog rolling over on its back and coming back on its feet. Make your dog lie down on his stomach over a soft surface like carpet or grass.

Hold a treat to his nose and move it around and behind him, making him lie down on his side and roll over! However, some dogs, especially dominant ones, don’t like to do the roll over trick since they are scared to put their belly up.

After he does the dog tricks successfully, give him the treat and praise him.

3. PLAY DEAD. On this trick, your dog will simply roll on his back with his feet up in the air, like he was a “dead” dog. Make your dog lie down on his belly and gently roll him on his side saying “PLAY DEAD” and make him stay down for a few seconds.

Then say “OK” and let him stand up and give him a reward. Remember not to give him a reward when he is lying down. Wait for him to finish his dog tricks and give him a treat.

4. BEG. This could be a difficult trick for most dogs to do since it involves balance. Make your dog face you and hold a treat just above his head and tell him “BEG”.

Your dog will raise his front feet off the ground to try and reach the treat that you are dangling. As soon as he does this, give him the treat.

Gradually lengthen the time you give him the treat to help him develop his balance.

5. FETCH. Dogs have the natural instinct to chase after things but the problem is how to make them bring it back. Have a treat ready for them and they will come back.

If your dog doesn’t like to fetch, slit open a tennis ball or a rubber ball and show him that you are putting some treats inside and give her one. Then throw the ball and run with her to fetch the ball and give her a treat.

Try to give him treats less often until he runs after the ball without needing any treats.

6. SHAKE HANDS. Make your dog sit and then say “SHAKE HANDS”. Hold his paw with your hand and praise him or give him a treat. Eventually, say ”SHAKE HANDS” but don’t take his hand.

See if he will raise his paw by himself and then give him a treat. If not, go back to practising him again by holding his paw.

7. SPEAK. Get your dog pretty excited so that he will bark. Once he barks say, “SPEAK” and praise him. However, if you already have a problem with your dog because of his barking, you might think of other dog tricks to teach him.

8. KISS. This is an easy trick to teach although it could get a bit messy. When your dog licks your face say, “GIVE ME A KISS” and praise him. You could put some peanut butter on your cheek and say, “GIVE ME A KISS”, if your dog isn’t a licker.

9. WAVE. This is an easy trick to do once your dog already knows how to shake hands. When your dog brings up his paw to shake hands, don’t grab it and say “WAVE”. After that you can give him a treat or praise him.

10. QUIET. This is a very easy trick if your dog already knows how to “speak”. When your dog is barking, get in front of him and say “QUIET”. The instant he stops, even if just to take a breath, give him a treat.

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Practice this dog tricks often and gradually increase the quiet time from 2 seconds to 5 or longer.

It will entertain your friends and make your dog look smart in front of other people.