3 of the Coolest Tricks To Teach Your Dog

September 24, 2020

You'd be lying if you said you haven't daydreamed about your dog becoming a Crufts champion. Every pet owner dreams of their dog bounding around the garden, jumping through hoops, and dancing on two legs perfectly. 

You'd also be lying if you said that you didn't get annoyed when your dog didn't grasp something straight away, because let's face it: we're humans, we're impatient, and we're perfectionists.

So, if you don't have the time to train your pooch up to become the next furry celebrity, but you do want them to learn some cool tricks, then read on. We have compiled a list of 3 easy tricks to teach your dog!

Kiss

Your dog is your best friend, right? Whether you're going through that emotional breakup or just fancy a bit of time away from other humans, you know your pet has always got your back. 

If you thought Marley & Me was really cute and you want to give your beloved pooch a chance when the next Hollywood dog casting comes up, this is the trick for you!

Most dogs give you affection daily: they love to love, and that comes with lots of sloppy kisses, especially when you're not expecting it. But did you know that you can actually train your dog to give you kisses on demand? Cute, right?

In order to get your dog slathering you with love, be aware that this trick takes a little longer than others. But, patience is a virtue and you'll be so proud of yourself once you master it!

1. In order for your dog to understand the trick, start off small. Take a tasty, sweet treat like peanut butter or honey (not too much though, as high sugar content poses no nutritional value to dogs) and place a little on your cheek or forehead.
2. Use the cue "kiss" so that your pup will be able to respond to it in the future. Remember, you want this cue to be associated with the sweet smell on your cheek.
3. Let your dog come towards the treat on your cheek while you repeatedly use the cue "kiss."
4. Practice this over and over until your dog becomes familiar with the cue and placement.
5. Your dog will be giving you kisses whenever you want in no time!

High Five

Imagine coming home from work after you've finally got that promotion. You'll naturally want to high five… but you're on your own, and high fiving yourself just doesn't feel the same.

Now imagine you come home with the biggest grin to find your dog ready and waiting to celebrate with you. The satisfaction of winning your promotion AND knowing you've taught your dog such a cool trick is euphoric. 

This trick is usually best taught after your pup has mastered the shake-hands trick, but have no fear, you should be able to teach them to do it even if they don't know how to handshake yet.  

Also, this trick is great for when you need to handle your dog's paws for grooming purposes or if they need to make a trip to the vet.

1. Begin by holding a treat in your closed hand. Let your dog be inquisitive and smell and lick your hand. This eventually leads to your pup pawing at your hand to try to retrieve the treat.
2. Once your furry friend starts to paw at your hand, allow them to have the treat. When you do so, make sure you mark the occasion with a firm "yes."
3. Keep practicing this motion until your dog seems familiar, however, change the command to “high five” until your dog recognizes the action with the new sound.
4. Once your dog is familiar with the action and the new command sound, try changing your hand position to a “high five” one. Keep repeating until your pup masters meeting its paw with your hand each time.

Hug

Now you've taught your dog to kiss you on-demand and high five you when you've got something to celebrate, why not teach them to give you hugs?

Whether you're feeling sad, lonely, tired, super happy, or just feel like spreading the love, teaching your dog to hug can be a hugely rewarding and satisfying experience.

Also, what's really cute is when you've taught your dog to hug, they do it as a person would. They wrap their paws around your neck and provide the same emotional support (if not more) as a human hugging you would do.

Training your dog to give hugs can be a great way to achieve a form of animal therapy. Dogs giving people hugs can be a great form of treatment that offers deep emotional therapy. 

1. Begin by grabbing a yummy treat and either kneeling on the floor or sitting comfortably in a chair. (Make sure whatever action you choose, you are at eye level with your dog.)
2. Place the treat in either hand and put your hand around your neck, behind your head.
3. Naturally, your dog will try to reach the treat, therefore moving towards your neck in order to grab it.
4. Let your dog nibble the treat a little with your hand still in the position behind your neck before giving the treat away.
5. Again, like the other tricks, keep practicing these motions over and over, even before you put an action/command/name to the trick.
6. After your pet is familiar with the movements, start using your preferred command - we recommend simply “hug” - to get your dog to give you a cuddle.
7. Once you have practiced and your dog understands the behavior pattern, try using the cue without your hand behind your neck.
8. Once your pup has fully understood the cue and acts on demand consistently, then reward them with the treat.
9. If your dog does not understand the "hug" cue without seeing your hand, try giving the hand signal for a shorter duration each time until they are able to perform the trick with just a verbal command.

Bottom Line

Finding tricks to teach your dog can be extremely fun and rewarding. 

From simply training them to adhere to your lifestyle, teaching them tricks for fun or wanting to show your dog off to friends and family, teaching your pet new tricks is a great way to interact with them.

Training dogs not only give you satisfaction, but it also stimulates the brain of your pet, too.

Constantly engaging your dog allows for a healthy and happy animal, and that's the most important part, right?

Training your pet also engages them in exercise which will maintain your animal's health and wellbeing.

So, if you've been struggling with ways to teach your dog tricks, or were simply feeling uninspired about what to each them, these 3 easy tricks will send you on your way.

Once you've mastered these, don't stop there, either. There are so many other training methods you can try, too!

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