Learn Amazing Dog Tricks | Fun & Easy Training Tips

Training dogs to perform a few tricks is a fun way to spend some quality bonding time, as well as exercising your dog’s brain and body in a way that isn’t exhausting. However, training tricks require both patience and a sense of humour. Obviously, your dog needs to be mentally engaged, but they also need to have some fun and enjoy training for it to be useful in developing a relationship.

And in a perfect world, your dog should be rewarded for correctly executing the tricks, so that they know how to do it again the next time. Nobody wants a dim-witted dog! But a useful repertoire of dog tricks ensures not only your dog’s mental stimulation but a growing connection with you. It’s a long work in progress but learning dog tricks dog trick training is fun so use positive reinforcement and be patient.

Why is Dog Training Important?

Regardless the breed, dog training is definitely an important skill that any pet owner should learn. This practice has several advantages in terms of dogs and their owners. First of all, training is important for the dog's obedience, which helps the owner to live peacefully even with a puppy. Secondly, training reduces the stress levels of the dog, keeping them healthy and content.

Improving Obedience

The goal of dog training is to instil good behavior and a no-nonsense foundation of obedience from the start. The current instruction for a dog during a training session is to, very simply, sit, stay, come and lie down. You’re letting him know his place, what you expect, and what your boundaries are. By teaching your dog sit, stay, come or lie down, you are allowing him to live a much more confident life and to communicate with you – or with anyone, for that matter.

They’re not as easily distracted and can absorb more down the line, and since good manners are central to making a dog happy in a home, they are the bricks that climate for any other type of training. All dogs benefit from obedience training, even if they’re going to be sporting or working dogs since basic obedience helps to develop good habits in dogs who tend to jump on people and chew shoes, and it’s the foundation for all other types of training. After all, unless a dog knows how to obey, she will never learn anything more advanced.

Reducing Stress

Some stressors are shared with us humans – dogs get stressed and anxious, too! So training can be a tool in helping them manage their anxiety around specific stressors. A dog that has the confidence their trainer/guardian can help them to deal with unfamiliar phenomena is much less likely to develop anxiety. Positive reinforcement techniques can be used in training to make a dog more confident. Your dog can be trained to act in ways that helps them manage anxiety. So, instead of barking at children who run up to him, he can become a dog that knows how to greet children gently but enthusiastically. And your dog can be trained to stem separation anxiety, by providing them with a routine, rules, and positive reinforcement. Separation anxiety is one of the most commonly reported behaviour problems in dogs – so this could benefit many dogs.

As we all know, dogs need exercise and stimulation. A joint-involved dog might have a shorter life expectancy and they become bored and destructive, but a fit dog enjoys good health and longevity. Nutrition plays an equal role in a pet's well-being.

This provides a framework to meet your dog’s physical and mental needs through training, and it prevents or gets rid of behaviour problems that aren’t the result of anxiety, as well.

Ensuring Safety

Any dog-owner knows that training her dog safe ways to behave is imperative to the dog’s wellbeing and safety, and those around her. Since most of us keep dogs in populated areas and let them off leash occasionally, it is important that we make efforts to teach our dogs to respond to our commands reliably and predictably – regardless of the presence of distraction or stressors – so that we can exert some control over their behaviour in order to avoid an accident or other potential danger.

Obedience training is also a great way to help reduce and manage your dog’s anxiety, and lays the foundation for any positive relationship with your dog, including trust.

A well-trained dog is easier to socialise than an untrained dog While there’s little evidence that training really calms dogs down, or reduces their excitability, research suggests that obedience classes do in fact have some socialising benefits – since dogs in classes are well-controlled and are brought together in a hidden structure.

Through discussing the significance of training your dog to follow commands, be social, and be safe, you clarify the benefits your dog can reap from having a training routine taught by an experienced professional, as well as the many advantages for the dog and the dog’s owner. As your dog is better prepared for future challenges and obstacles, they can successfully work through issues, enabling both you and your pet to enjoy a happier and more fulfilling life together.

Fun Training Techniques

• Using Positive Reinforcement

Dogs do best with praise, treats or a toy as the reward for doing what you have asked of them. If the reward is given immediately after a desired behaviour, the dog will be more likely to repeat that behaviour; this is known as positive reinforcement training. The timing is very important: the reward must occur within a few seconds of the target behaviour or the dog will not understand what he is being praised for.

Because ultimately the dogs respond by reading our body language, we need them in a ‘sit stay’ or a ‘down stay’ before we even try to give a verbal command. Everyone in the family needs to use the cues. If we are inconsistent, we will confuse the dog. Reward the things you want the dog to do and never reinforce bad behaviour.

Withholding positive reinforcement can serve as punishment, although this is usually not a very effective strategy. Employing positive reinforcement can in turn be used to teach the dog new cues — so sitting to go out the door (so that this prevents door-darting), sitting to be picked up (so that this prevents jumping), and sitting before meals (so that this prevents grabbing from the table). Of course, you always have to watch out that you don’t accidentally reinforce bad behaviour — a classic example is allowing your dog out every time he barks at a noise.

If the trick is complex, then some shaping or approximation may be involved, starting from something close to the end result and then raising the criteria each time successfully, often until the dog is doing the trick without the approximation or ‘guide’ on board. If you are using any of these training strategies, food treats will help to reinforce the behaviour. However, food treats are not always necessary for wily, food-oblivious dogs (a rarity, but they do exist) – praise, petting, toys or games can also effectively function as the reinforcers.

A head nod for the paw lift, followed by a tiny treat for the shake. Training a new behaviour? Keep at continuous reinforcement (a reward for every correct response) until the behaviour is well learned, where you can then shift to intermittent reinforcement. With positive reinforcement, your dog will work harder and harder for your verbal praise, and your occasional treat.

• Incorporating Games

The addition of games and play to training sessions, particularly for the dog, makes this process more fun and hence more pleasurable for trainer and trainee alike. Because it is challenging mentally, helps develop problem-solving skills, and offers the chance to regulate emotional arousal, it is one of the fundamental keys to mental health along with love and work.

You would be embarking on a range of benefits from your dog, including: energy release; learning; conflict resolution; eye-hand coordination, directional skills and balance; impulse control and self-confidence, and so much more. Play brings a whole new dimension to the training arena, where you can reinforce new behaviours with a treat one minute, chase or tug the next.

That means you can apply the Premack Principle: a highly reinforcing activity can be offered only after a currently more desirable activity is completed. You can play ‘tug’ only if we sit up first. You can play ‘hide’ (if you run away without peeking) only if you practice a stay and a recall (coming when called). You can play ‘seek’ only if you can control your impulses and wait patiently.

• Maintaining Patience

Patience is the ability to maintain your composure when things go awry and have confidence that, eventually, you will get it right. It stands to reason, then, that this is a highly valuable dog-training skill, considering that frustration and anger can wreck a relationship and create opportunities for misunderstanding with your dog.

It is also useful to set a duration for training sessions, as training can sometimes become a job, with reasonably defined start and end times. If your frustration starts to build, set the training session aside and try again when you’ve regained control.

Achieving this kind of self-awareness enables us to notice when frustration may be tapping on the shoulder, and then to decide to turn away from those feelings and focus inward, rather than lashing out, while we still have time left in training. Patience enhances communication, offers a deeper connection to our dog, feels more joyful and produces success, and earns the respect of everyone as a trainer.

Patience is also required in order not to stop a pup in mid-loaf, allowing them to make their own mistakes. While all dogs make the same mistakes at roughly the same rate, they do it in their own time, so patience is also required in order to give them that time, while keeping it enjoyable for the two of you.

Easy Tricks to Teach Your Dog

Dogs look forward to training because they enjoy learning new skills. The more advanced the tricks, the better.

• Roll Over - One of the first tricks that many dogs learn is ‘roll over’. This is a straightforward trick that provides some variety in hand signals. First, have your dog down; face a side so that your left side, your dog’s back and your dog’s left side are aligned. Hold the treat immediately under his or her nose and move it in an arc from your dog’s nose, over your dog’s shoulder, and behind your dog’s head. As he or she rolls over to locate the treat with ear, then head, and finally body follow, say ‘roll over’ then give the treat. Repeat this until your dog learns to respond to the cue.

• Jump Through Hoops | Jumping through a hoop is one of the more dramatic-looking tricks that can be trained. Begin by placing the hoop on the floor and bring your dog through it on a leash. Reinforce at every step. Then raise the hoop a few inches and repeat that process a few times, continuing to reinforce, and then raise it again a few inches more. Continue elevating the hoop until your dog is jumping over it. Use a cue such as ‘hoop’ or ‘jump’ to label the behaviour.

• Back Up - Teaching your dog to back up on cue could be helpful for creating space or getting her to back off or back up to make it easier for you to move her when needed. Start by getting in front of your dog and put a treat close to your dog’s nose, right under her nose. Then take a step backward saying ‘back up’ and as soon as she starts to move back, reward her. Repeat this distance that you take backwards by two more times. Continue saying ‘back up’ when she begins to move backward and able you move one step backward, reward her. Then add a duration, stay in the same place and continue with each attempt, get in front of your dog and put a treat close to the tip of her nose and wait for ‘backing up’ and reward when she starts moving backward then the moment she takes one step backward, reward and repeat. Therefore, you should break down new tricks into more manageable steps and reinforce with positivity – and be patient and consistent, recognising that every dog is an individual and can learn at their own pace. Through regular practice and a positive attitude towards sharing new experiences, you can form a lasting relationship with your dog while teaching them something new that you and your dog can enjoy together.

Utilizing Modern Resources

In the digital age, modern resources have revolutionized the way we learn and teach dog tricks. From video tutorials to interactive e-books, these tools offer a wealth of knowledge and guidance, making the process of training your furry companion more accessible and engaging than ever before.

• Video Training

Video training platforms are a popular preference for dog owners who want to see it in action instead of just reading it For example, I wanted my dog to learn how to ‘weave’ between my legs, which involves changing directions to pass between my calves and then back up and around. There were a few different ways to teach dogs how to do this, and by using the video training platform, I was able to look up the best approach for his specific needs. Much like video instructions for making pizza or sushi, these videos provide a visual demonstration of the steps involved, then allow you to pause, rewind and play again. This way, you’re left with a solid understanding of the technique when you’re done.

The other benefit of video training is that you can see how the trainer is interacting with the dog – their body language, tone and timing – and as soon as you watch someone who is really good at it, you can quickly replicate it with your own dog, because you get to see what works, and how it works.

• Ebooks

it has become common to seek stanched advice on teaching a dog a new trick from an e-book. New to a command? Check the contents. Need guidance on handling unwanted behaviour? Look for the section-headings. Much of the advice is illustrative and may include step-by-step photographs. Where the author mentions a trick gone awry, s/he may provide helpful troubleshooting. E-books help trainers, sometimes novices and others experienced, train their dogs.

One of the e-book’s best features is the opportunity to give explanations of how we know what we know: the more you know about the psychology, biology and behaviour of dogs, the better trained your dog will be, because you’ll be able to develop a more comprehensive perspective on how that training system works to change the world for your dog, so that he finds it more rewarding to do what you want him to do.

Secondly, most e-books afford you some testing of your new skills – you often get quizzes and exercises embedded in the texts, and get the opportunity to see your results. For better or worse, it can actually encourage brief moments of self-competition. Some e-books now also include videos/animations as well, providing those visual aids while still getting a good exposition of the underlying principles.

But with the use of today’s video training and e-books, teaching your dog new tricks can unlock a whole world of excitement with you as the trainer. These can serve as a source of new information while being easy and fun for both of you to learn together.

Conclusion

A good alternative to delayed reinforcement techniques is teaching your dog to do fun tricks. It’s a great way for both you and your dog to have fun, while challenging their brains and providing another lasting memory of your time together. Learning fun tricks allows your dog to relax and enjoy their training session while still gaining huge mental benefits, along with some physical exercise, of course. Teaching your dog new tricks also gives you a chance to refine your training skills together while creating a bond between you and your dog that you otherwise wouldn’t have. Armed with some patience, positive reinforcement training skills, and a little creativity, you can give your dog a chance to flex their mental muscles and learn some new skills.

FAQs

1. What are some impressive tricks to teach your dog?

Some of the most impressive tricks you can teach your dog include:

• Sit: This basic command tells your dog to remain where he is until the next command.

• Opening and Closing Doors: This can be both fun and useful.

• Hide & Seek and Playing Soccer: Great for mental and physical exercise.

• Water Fetch: Perfect for dogs who love water.

• Sing and High-Five: These are fun and surprisingly easy to teach.

2. Which dog tricks are the most challenging to teach?

Some of the most challenging tricks to teach your dog include:

• Focus On Me: Teaching your dog to maintain focus on you despite distractions.

• Handstand and Playing the Piano: These require significant skill and patience.

• Clean Up: Getting your dog to tidy up toys.

3. How can you teach a puppy the release command?

To teach a puppy the release command, start with a command your puppy already knows well, such as "sit" or "down." Give the release cue while your puppy is in the commanded position. You can use any word or phrase like "let's go," "release," or a specific hand signal. Encourage your puppy to get up and come towards you to enforce the release command.