One of the biggest joys in life for many people is owning a dog. Dogs are loyal companions that bring a lot of love and laughter to a home. They typically want nothing more than to please their owner and give and receive lots of love! Itβs a great idea to teach your pup some easy tricks as soon as you can. While some tricks are simply fun for them to learn, such as βplay dead,β others will be useful for them in the future. Letβs take a look at some tips and easy tricks you can teach your dog today!
What should I use during training sessions?
You will want to have these three tools on hand before you start training your dog: dog training collar, clicker, and treats.
Dog training collar – There are many types of dog training collars on the market that will be extremely useful when you wish to teach your dog a few tricks. From shock collars to choke chains to harnesses, youβll have a variety of choices to pick from. The Pampered Pup already did the homework for which type of dog training collar you should use for your breed before buying one so make sure to visit them before you make the final choice.
Clicker – A clicker is useful for dogs that may not respond to verbal cues as well as you would like them to. When your pup does what they are supposed to do, click the device to reinforce that behavior. Then, give them a treat as an added bonus. Your dog will quickly learn that a positive behavior equals a yummy treat!
Treats – Dogs respond well to verbal praise, but theyβll train even better when they know a treat is forthcoming! Have a variety on hand to reward your dog while you teach them tricks.
Easy Tricks to Teach Your Dog
- Shake Paw
This trick is an easy one that can be taught to a dog of any age. Most canines enjoy using their paws as a way to get your attention, so it usually only takes a few sessions to get your dog to respond to this command. You can teach this and the tricks that follow your dog. However, you might want to go deeper and want your dog to learn even more to unleash all its potential.Β This pageΒ is a great source to get to know what you and your dog need to learn as much as possible. There are no doubts about it: these practices will strengthen your bonds with your pet.
- First, hold out your hand to your dog. You donβt need to implement a verbal command just yet. Your dog will probably start to lick and sniff at your hand to see what you want from them. As soon as they raise their paw to your hand, praise them or use a clicker to show positive reinforcement before giving them a small treat.
- Repeat this until your dog learns to paw at your hand. Then, start holding their paw for longer periods of time. Youβll want to hold their paw longer each time you do the trick so that they understand you want to βshakeβ their paw; if not, they will start to think you want them to just paw at you. When they learn to hold their paw in yours you can start to give them the verbal cue to βshake paw.β
- Sit Down
To start training your dog to sit down, youβll need to first lure them into a sitting position. Use an object that they want, like a small treat or a favorite toy, to get them to sit down. Use a motion to have them sit that they will learn to recognize. Youβll want to fade out the lure and treats after your dog learns this trick.
- To get them to sit down, hold a small treat in your hand. Let them have a whiff of it.
- Next, start moving your hand slowly from their nose back to their forehead. This action will usually cause them to watch your hand by tilting up their head to follow the scent with their nose. This will cause them to sit on the floor as you wanted.
- As soon as their backside hits your floor, itβs time to reward them. Click and praise while giving them the treat. You can then start implementing the verbal cue as they catch on to the intended trick. When your dog starts sitting quickly without you having to fully lure them down, you can begin to fade out your hand lure.
- Beg
This is a trick that is best taught after your dog learns how to sit. Itβs a cute move that will have you and your friends smiling from ear to ear!
- First, have your dog sit in front of you as you hold a treat up in front of their nose. Hold the treat so your dog has to look up at it. You can give it to them as a reward for sitting in this position.
- Next, get another treat and hold it up higher until your dog has to lift its front paws off of the ground to get at it. Just donβt lift it so high that they lose their balance and fall over!
- When their balance begins to improve, you can then lift up the treat higher until they are in the begging position you desire. Once they get this move down pat, you can use the word βbegβ and a hand signal to get them to do their trick. Always reward them when they get into the desired position.
These three tricks are easy ones that your dog will enjoy doing, especially when there is a yummy reward waiting for them at the end. Be patient and consistent when you teach your dog. But above all, have fun!