Easy dog tricks that will impress your family and friends

There are some dogs that struggle with the so called easy dog tricks and excel at tricks perceived to be more advanced; every dog has its own unique abilities.

The best easy dog tricks are those where you build upon skills your dog already possesses. For instance, most Coton Dogs love to stand on their hind legs so why not teach them to dance?

Showing off your dog’s intelligence to your family and friends is fun, but it’s also a great way to bond with your dog and reinforce basic commands. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Remember that each trick can be learned in many different ways, so if one method doesn’t work for your dog just search for another method. If you or your dog start to get frustrated –STOP. These easy dog tricks should always be fun.

The key to all of these easy dog tricks is to be patient and consistent.

Wave

1. Let your dog see you put a treat in your hand

2. Put your fist with the treat in it near your dog’s paws

3. As soon as he starts pawing at your fist say “Good wave” and give him the treat

4. After he can consistently wave, put him in a sit position

5. Put your fist a bit out of his reach so he has to reach his paw out – it will look like he’s waving

High Five

This is pretty easy once your dog has mastered the wave:

1. While he’s waving, put your palm on his pads and say “high five” or “give me five”

2. Reward with a treat

Shake Hands

Easy dog tricks like Shaking Hands can usually impress people. This one’s relatively easy, but may require a lot of repetition before mastering:

1. Put your dog in a sit position and have some treats ready

2. Reach out and take your dog’s paw and say “shake” or “shake hands”

3. Give him the treat, and say “good shake”

4. Repeat. You may need to repeat many times until your dog puts his paw on your hand without your help. Don’t worry, most dogs eventually get this one.

Take a Bow

1. Have dog stand a couple of feet in front of you and have a treat ready

2. Hold treat with both hands and move toward his front paws while saying “bow” or “take a bow”

3. When your dog moves his head down to take the treat and is in the bow position, reward and praise

Flip Treat Off Nose

1. Hold your dog’s muzzle with one hand and place a treat on the middle of his nose with your other hand

2. Slowly move your hands away and say “take it” or “get it”

3. If the treat falls before he accomplishes the task, grab it so he’s not rewarded until he’s successful. He will eventually figure out how to grab the treat before it hits the ground.

4. If you want your dog to wait before grabbing the treat, give him the “hold it” or “leave it” command and them slowly remove your hand from his muzzle and say “take it”.

Dance

Does your dog love to stand on his hind legs? Teach him to do it on cue to learn how to dance.

1. Put your dog in a sit position

2. Hold a treat above his head (a few inches higher than when doing the sit command) so he has to stand on his hind legs to get the treat.

3. Move the treat so he has to walk in a circle to get the treat

4. Say “Good Dance” and praise and reward him with a treat

Teaching your dog tricks is a great way to spend quality time with your dog. This should always be a fun experience for you and your dog so if one trick causes stress, try another one.

Remember, your dog’s main job is to please you, but if he doesn’t understand what you want him to do, it will be very frustrating for both of you. Take advantage of the wealth of information available to help you whether it’s training books, DVD’s, local obedience classes, professional trainers, etc.

The most important thing is for you and your dog to have fun with these easy dog tricks.

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