How To Train A Dog To Circle You

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

A trick that involves the dog circling his master’s body, this looks neat and is very impressive.

1. The easiest way to teach this trick is to lure the dog around the body initially.
2. Have your dog sit in front of you.
3. Show him a treat and then quickly pass the treat around your body, when the dog is halfway around you add the reinforcement then as he gets to the front give him the treat.
4. Repeat and add the command, gradually bring the command forward and reduce the treats.

Top tip; when the dog has perfected the Circle me trick you can spin in the opposite direction to him, this makes the trick extra impressive.

Dog trainers love this trick because it is easy to teach but can be added to a sequence of heel work or obedience to add flair to any routine.

How To Train A Dog To Weave

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

This trick looks very intense and is indeed an expert example of teamwork; a walking handler is joined by a keen dog weaving through his masters legs.

1. Have your dog on your left hand side, show him a treat in your right hand then lift your right leg for him to go through and fetch the treat.
2. As he goes through your leg reinforce the action with your normal reinforcement method (voice or clicker)
3. Take another step forward and lure your dog back through you left leg with another treat in your left hand
4. Continue this while walking.
5. Add the command and gently reduce the treats.

Top tip; Begin slowly and build up to walking normally to build the confidence of your dog.

Dog trainers love this trick because it looks so smooth and easy when perfected.

How To Train A Dog To Roll Over

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

A dog that is laying down in front of you can easily and quickly be taught to roll over onto his back then return to his stomach in a quick 360 degree turn. A quick trick that can fit in perfectly with many other maneuvers

1. Ask your dog to lie down facing you
2. Take a treat and move it from the end of his nose, down his neck and over one of his shoulders, his head will automatically turn and your dog will if applied correctly roll over onto his back.
3. When he is on his back bring the treat, moving in the same direction, back to his nose and your dog will roll directly over back to his stomach. At this point you can reinforce the movement whilst your dog is still rolling back onto his stomach.
4. As he lands back on his stomach reward the position.
5. Add the command word and repeat the act whilst gradually removing the lure.

Top tip; You can use this technique to teach roll left and roll right, but teach them separately to avoid confusing your dog.

Dog trainers love this trick because it can also be used to teach a dog to roll in his blanket, an impressive enhancement to canine bedtime

How To Train A Dog To Do The Commando

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

A dog that crawls along on his belly is easy to teach even though this looks like a complicated trick.

1. Ask your dog to lie down and place a treat near the end of his nose.
2. Slowly move the treat away from him, so that he tries to follow it. It’s important to begin teaching this really slowly as the one thing that you must avoid is your dog getting up from the position of laying down.
3. Even if your dog moves a tiny distance with his stomach completely on the ground then you can reinforce and reward this action. If he stands up then you are going to quick and must begin again.
4. Gently increase the speed and distance of the dogs crawl then introduce the command word. Eventually increase the distance by asking your dog to wait in the down position taking a step away and holding a treat on the ground then use the command word to call him.

Top tip; if your dog gets up you have moved on too quickly, go back to the beginning and rebuild the trick

Dog trainers love this trick because it is simple to teach yet looks like a complicated behavior. The dog can then be taught to crawl under things, which is also an extremely cute trick.

How To Train A Dog To Pick Up A Stick

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

Any dog that will pick up a walking stick and pass it to his handler is impressive. Added to a dance routine it can be even more remarkable. This trick can be easily achieved by expanding on the previous targeting technique.

1. When your dog can touch the stick on command place it down in front of him and wait for him to touch it.
2. He will probably touch the stick a few times on the end and then attempt to work out why it’s not providing him with a reinforcement and reward. He will try other things to get the reward and if you ignore everything else then he will make a slight move to attempt picking up the stick.
3. Reinforce and reward these attempts until he actually picks up the item then add the command.
4. This may take some time and patience but eventually your dog will be picking up the stick and with further encouragement you can swap it for a treat with him.

Top tip; if your dog does not like the feel of the stick and is reluctant to pick it up you can help by wrapping some soft tape around it in the area that you would like him to pick it up.

Dog trainers love this trick because teaching a dog to pick up any item is simply a prelude to the dog picking up many more items, this can be a very useful exercise.

How To Train A Dog To Follow A Target Stick

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

A target stick is a great prop for a heelwork to music with your dog. It can be incorporated into the routine as a walking stick or umbrella. A target stick is brilliant for both directing your dog and as part of other more complicated tricks.

If your dog is targeted to the end of a stick he will follow it with his eyes and body in order to attempt to provoke a reward from you. This is an impressive act alone but will also open many doors for training further tricks.

1. Decide on a stick then place it on the floor in front of your dog, a walking stick or umbrella is fine.
2. Place a small treat at the end of the stick that you would like your dog to focus on
3. When your dog takes the treat, at the second he touches the stick, offer the reinforcement and reward.
4. Repeat the previous two stages until your dog is taking the treat from the stick and then looking to you for a second reward, at this point introduce the command. I would simply use the word stick.
5. Repeat many times until the dog touches the stick on command.
6. Now you can move the stick around, begin gradually and build up your dog’s confidence, soon you will be able to walk with the stick and your dog will touch it on command.

Top tip; Take things at your dogs pace, a moving stick can be daunting to touch so go easy on him and build his confidence gradually.

Dog trainers love targeting a canine to a stick because it opens up so many options when training a dog to do tricks.

How To Train A Dog To Twist

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

Twist is a great trick which consists of teaching a dog to spin, on all four feet, in a circle in front of his handler.

1. The easiest way to teach this trick is to offer a treat as a lure. Hold the treat at the dogs nose the take it around the body of your dog encouraging him to follow.
2. When the dog gets halfway around and is on the way back to facing you reinforce his position and give him the treat.
3. After the dog has followed your hand a few times raise the treat gradually higher and begin to introduce the command word.
4. Steadily as your dog is learning bring the hand above his body and eventually he will be able to twist with just a flick of your wrist.

Top tip; the dog can be taught twist left or twist right by using different command prompts. Teach one at a time though otherwise your dog may become confused.

Dog trainers love this trick because it’s easy to teach and great to lift the confidence of a dog in training.

How To Train A Dog To Walk Backwards

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

A set of ten tricks that can be taught individually or as part of a sequence to create longer routines, heelwork to music has become increasingly popular and even become winning acts in TV talent shows.

These tricks will break down the wonder that is a dancing dog into easy stages for you to learn with your pet.

Reverse

The act of the dog walking backwards whilst facing his handler, this is made even neater if the handler simultaneously walks towards the dog which gives the impression of dancing.

1. Stand in front of your dog with a treat and ensure that he is standing up and facing you
2. Keep facing your dog but encourage him to concentrate on you then take a step backwards. When your dog steps forwards reward him with your voice then step back towards him, as he takes a step backwards reinforce the step and give him the treat.
3. You can progress from this first step gently and reinforce each extra step as your dog progresses. Then add the command word gradually bringing it forward until your dog recognizes its meaning.

Top tip; if your dog bends in the middle whilst learning the reverse it may be easier to practice next to a wall.

Dog trainers love this trick because it teaches the dog to focus his mind on his handler whilst also carrying out another physical task.

How To Train A Dog To Take A Bow

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

Taking a bow is a nice trick that you can ask a dog to do after performing any other trick or routine. It is easier to teach this with the aid of a treat to lure him into the position that you can reinforce.

1. Stand in front of your dog with a treat, when he is looking at you and in the standing position place the treat under your foot. If he sits down pick the treat up again and encourage him to stand.
2. When you put the treat under your foot the dog will probably attempt to tap your foot with his front paws and sniff your foot in order to encourage release of the treat. When he does these things release the treat by lifting your foot ONLY if his rear is up in the air.
3. This may take patience but by waiting until he is completely in the bowing position you will be reinforcing only the position that you want your dog in for this trick
4. If your dog sits or lies down you can either pick up the treat and move away, inadvertently encouraging him to stand or wait for him to change into the bowing position before reinforcement of the correct behavior.
5. When the position offered is almost perfect introduce the command words and stop putting the treat under your foot. Simply reward directly from your hand when your dog takes a bow.
6. Gradually move further from your dog so that he can take a bow despite being a distance from your foot. Simultaneously bring the command word forward until your dog can bow on command.

Top tip; this can be a challenge to teach but watching your dog take a bow on command is rewarding and great fun, keep at it.

Dog trainers love this trick because it encourages intensive learning from the dog and also is a great addition to any other routine; the bow adds polish at the end of an already great trick.

How To Train A Dog To Go To Sleep

This tutorial is part of The Ultimate List Of Dog Trick Ideas which contains 99 other tricks like this!

A trick that, carried out well, will give the impression that your dog is fast asleep when in fact he will just be laying perfectly still waiting for his release from the position.

1. For this trick you will need to reinforce your dog’s behavior when he is lying down, you can either ask him to lie down if he already knows the command or you can wait until he offers the position in order to obtain a withheld reward.
2. When he is lying down you can introduce the reinforcement and reward by acknowledging the position and giving him the treat. If you reward for complete stillness and build up the time gradually your dog will lie down and stay completely still waiting for his treat as soon as you reinforce the position.
3. Introduce the command, sound asleep and then gently bring the command forward until your dog knows what the statement means.

Top tip; the amount of time that your dog lies still can be as long as you want it to be, providing you build it gradually.

Dog trainers love this trick because it enables the control within the home and encourages the dog to settle, this trick can be varied when teaching your dog to settle in his bed.