Owning a dog is an important responsibility and one aspect of that responsibility is training. Obviously, house training is vital and you also want to teach your dog the difference between inappropriate and appropriate behavior. For example, dogs might make a mess of the garbage or chew your shoes so training them that this is wrong becomes very important. On the other hand, training is a great way to bond with your dog and, more specifically, learning tricks can be a fun way to get closer to your dog. Here are the top tricks and some tips for teaching your dog.
- Shake a Paw
Shake a paw is of course, one of the oldest tricks that dog owners teach their dogs and its quite simple for dogs to learn. Simply have your dog sit and say the command “shake a paw.” At this point, you should take their paw into your hand and hold it while you say “good shake.” Let go of their paw and repeat. If you repeat this command several times every day your dog will eventually learn to shake when he hears the command. - Wave
After you’ve taught your dog to shake, you can teach him this nifty little trick. While facing your dog, hold your hand out like you’re planning on shaking his paw. When your dog lifts his paw, don’t take it, rather say “wave” and give him some kind of reward. Again, repeat this trick several times over multiple days until your dog waves on command. - Turning Around
Teaching your dog to turn around is very simple. Stand with your dog facing you and show him a treat. While standing, say the command “turn around” and move the treat in a circular motion over your dog. Most dogs will follow the treat and physically turn around. When your dog is facing you again give him a verbal reward and the treat. Eventually, you’ll want to stop leading your dog with the treat so he turns on command.
