Top 10 Cool Tricks to Teach Your Dog

After sit, stay and down, most dogs learn to give a paw or “shake”. And while paw is certainly cute, aren’t you always wishing they could do something with a little more enthusiasm? Too often, a dog just seems so indifferent about the paw they’re giving. Well, with a few minor adjustments, you can turn that floppy paw into an awesome high five that’s sure to impress. Note: your dog should already know how to give paw before attempting this trick. Then by simply presenting your hand flat towards the dog in a stop motion, they will be forced to adapt and match your position.

This is one of those tricks that some dogs take to quickly, while for others, the movement is simply too awkward to feel natural. But with perseverance and enough treats, any dog can learn to roll with the best of them. Note: for this trick, your dog will already need to be good at lying down on command. By holding a treat in your hand and rotating it around his or her head, you can lead him or her through the roll. Move in baby steps and be sure to reward him or her at various logical points as his or her body goes through the progression. This will help him or her internalise the movement!

We’ve all been there. You’re home, feeling blue, and need a pick-me-up. There’s only one solution - spontaneous dance party! But no one likes dancing alone. You glance over at your dog, and he or she gives you a look that says “Me?” Go for it! There are lots of fancy twists, spins and jumps you can add to the routine over time, but in the short term, just have fun with it! It all starts with getting your dog comfortable on his or her hind legs. Trainers claim that dancing is confidence building for anxious or shy dogs, as it’s a trick that encourages movement and excitement in an appropriate manner.

Fact: Dogs are cute. But when they act like people, they’re even cuter. Teaching your dog to play peek-a-boo, be shy or “cover his or her eyes” is not only adorable, but relatively easy. The most common method is to lightly place piece of tape or sticker on his or her forehead or nose, and then he or she goes to swipe it off, say your chosen command and praise him or her. The tape shouldn’t be pushed on, just lightly placed! Your dog’s comfort should always come first. Alternative methods involve guiding the hand in a variation of paw, or tickling his or her nose with something instead of using tape.

This next one might seem a little daunting at first, but the key is to take it in small steps. It’ll take time, but it will be well worth the look on a houseguest’s face when your dog enters the room through a fully closed door! Again, start with something familiar. Take his or her rope toy, and connect it to a door handle. Encourage him or her to tug on it. When he or she manages to pull the doorknob and open the door, you should walk through the doorway, call for him or her to follow, and then shower him or her with praise. Just don’t put one on any door you might not want your dog to open!

For many dogs, self-control is the toughest aspect of training. But a dog that can control his or her self in close proximity to food is a pleasure to be around. Show your pup the ultimate exercise in self-control by teaching him or her to balance a treat on his or her nose. Begin by training your dog to wait patiently as you hold a treat in your outstretched palm directly in front of his or her nose, and only taking the treat when you give the command. Then, transfer the responsibility of holding the treat over to him or her. There will be some pretty hilarious failed attempts along the way, but don’t give up!

This is a trick that you see a lot of canine actors perform in movies and television shows, but is totally doable by the average dog. The dog falls over onto his or her side and then stays there until released. The sky’s limit in terms of fun verbal commands like “hit the dirt” or “fire in the hole”. You can also train your dog to make it seem like he or she is playing dead to avoid something he or she dislikes with a cue like “bath time”. You can also incorporate hand motions to make it more interesting. An example would be the ever-popular shooting hand motion combined with a “bang” verbal command!

This is one of the more absurdly elaborate tricks you can teach your dog. But once he or she has learned to do the trick consistently, jaws will literally hit the floor whenever he or she performs it. Fetch is a popular game between dog and master, and a way to exercise your pet - but teaching a dog to fetch you a cold beverage goes beyond the ambitions of most dog owners. For this trick, your dog will already need to know how to open doors with a pull-string, hold objects and fetch on command. Then, you just add them together! Now, if we could only train a dog to mix a decent mojito…

If your dog can fetch, he or she can also learn to leap high in the air to catch a Frisbee or ball. Dogs, when properly exercised, are impressive athletes, capable of pretty incredible feats of agility. Teach your dog to spice up that massive leap by training him or her to perform a backflip. This trick is only for dogs that are in excellent shape and are not prone to back or leg injuries, as it requires a lot of strength. So if you’ve got an overweight or elderly dog, stick with one of the less physically intense tricks on the list!
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

‘Speak’ or ‘Be Quiet’ on Demand

Hug

Shake Hand / Paw

Kiss

Take a Bow

It might be hard to believe, but your dog can skateboard. And if you don’t skateboard, he or she can probably skateboard better than you. Thanks to their four legs, dogs are much better at maintaining their balance than us two-legged beasts, and this translates to their ability to do board sports, whether on land or water. Although for surfing, you will need to know how to do it first! The hardest part about teaching your dog to skateboard is getting him or her comfortable with being on a moving object. The basis of this comes first from teaching your dog to stay in a standing position on the unmoving board. Just make sure you keep him or her off busy streets and steep hills!

Do you agree with our list? What’s the coolest dog trick you’ve ever seen or taught your dog? For more adorable top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to MsMojo.