The Best Dog Tricks

Tricks help dogs learn and are an excellent way to introduce your pet to obedience lessons. Everyone loves a dog that can perform cool tricks but even more significant is a well-behaved dog that respects its master. Behavioral issues with dogs often stem from lack of consistent training and time spent with your four-legged friend. Keep trick training sessions short and have patience. If either you or the dog are having a bad day, abandon the session for something less stressful and try again another day.

  1. Obedience Tricks

    • Training your dog obedience tricks is an extremely important part of dog ownership. Obedient dogs respect their masters and are, therefore, easy to manage. Many dogs end up in the pound each year because no one ever taught them any obedience skills. Teaching obedience does not have to be boring for the dog or the owner. Many games can be played with your dogs that will teach it to sit, stay, lay down and heel. Reward your dog often while training obedience tricks but also keep your dog in firm control. Your dog must understand that you are in charge before obedience training will be successful. Use a firm but loving hand during all training exercises.

    Practical Tricks

    • Your dog can be much more than a doormat if you train it properly. Dogs are very smart and can perform a vast array of practical tasks. Many breeds of dogs love to play a game of fetch, which can lead into the practical application of retrieval of any number of desired objects. Having your dog bring your slippers and the newspaper can be a reality with practical trick training. Hunters know the value of dogs who love to retrieve. A well-trained hunting dog begins skill training with the simple fetch game that can advance to animal retrieval on command.

    Cute Tricks

    • After teaching basic obedience skills, it is easy to introduce your furry friend to endearing tricks such as roll over, give kisses and stand up. Although dogs are very intelligent animals, some dogs do better with cute tricks than others. Every dog has its own personality. Working faithfully with your dog on just one cute trick at a time will result in more success than trying to introduce them all at once. Praise your dog when it does well and use a firm, loving hand when it does not obey.

    Athletic Tricks

    • Athletic trick training is particularly suited for larger breeds and those with high energy. Channeling that extra energy into athletic tricks is fun for both you and the dog. Agility training with a few obstacles is an excellent place to start. Set up some jumps, bridges and tunnels for your dog and work until it has accomplished these obstacles before adding more. Agility equipment can be made or purchased from many companies such as Dog Agility Equipment (affordableagility.com). Keep safety in mind if you are going to construct your own agility course pieces. Some agility tricks to try include bar jump, tire jump, tunnel and weaving poles.