Dogs love to learn new things every day.
Mental stimulation is just as important as physical exercise.
Teaching your dog new tricks is a fun way to incorporate mental training and bonding into your daily schedule.
Here is a list of 9 simple dog tricks for beginners to try at home.
Not only will teaching new tricks improve your dog’s ability to learn, but it will also make you a better handler in the process.
Every time you train with your dog, he will be able to acquire new skills faster and faster.
Many of the tricks are so easy that your dog will get many positive rewards that will boost his confidence as a result.
Tricks and commands don’t have to be difficult. As a new and inexperienced dog owner, you will have as many options to choose from as a veteran.
You may not have heard of these creative dog hacks however they are very easy to follow.
Every piece of equipment can be DIY.
But before you start training, make sure that your dog knows all of the basic obedience commands and that you choose the type of positive reinforcement training primarily.
- Cuddle
Hugging is a cute trick to teach your dog and it’s very easy for beginners.
Your dog will be taught to wrap his paws around your shoulders while kneeling on the floor.
It is best to train this trick when your dog is calm because otherwise, he will jump all over the place.
Kneel on the ground in front of your dog and place some treats in your hand. Show your dog the treats and move them toward your head to encourage the dog to place his front paws on each of your shoulders.
If he’s calm enough, you can also gently grab his paws and place them where you want them. Reward him for each successful hug without jumping up.
Encourage him to jump only once towards you with his front paws on each of your shoulders. Discourage him from jumping on you or others while standing or not giving him the command.
Once he has learned to hug for a reward, you can then add your chosen cue as a command. Lots of practice will make this trick great!
- Jump through the hoop
Teaching a dog to jump in a collar is certainly easier than it sounds.
The only thing you’ll need is a simple collar and some sweet treats.
Start by holding the hoop perpendicular to the ground while touching the ground. Point the dog to one side and hold a treat in the other hand to lure him through the collar.
Encourage him to walk through the hoop each time to get a treat. Repeat this step several times.
Then, you can lift the collar a few inches off the ground, so the dog has to make a small jump to get past it. Repeat this step several times.
Slowly but gradually increase the height of the collar and let the dog start at another distance until he has enough room to jump.
Once your dog gets the hang of it, you can then add a cue like “collar” or “jump” as a command. Be very clear in your vocalizations and signal the dog to jump through the hoop.
The final step would be to take this training outside so your dog can make a real run and gracefully jump through the hoop.
For the advanced version of this trick, you can also form your arms into a hoop and use them instead.
This will work best for small to medium breeds because the Great Dane will not usually fit in your arms.
With your arms, you will be able to create a dynamic movement as the dog jumps through. You can watch the video below for reference:
This trick can be part of a dog agility course that you can create in your yard.
Luring your dog over, under, and through obstacles is a great way to exercise his mind while building more confidence.
- Take a bow
Taking a bow is a trick that any dog of any size can learn.
After this training, the dog will be able to lean on its front elbows with its hindquarters raised in the air.
They look super cool and make it look like your dog is doing yoga.
You will only need your dog’s favorite treats for this.
Start this trick by standing in front of your dog while holding a treat in one hand. Show your dog the treat and have him stand up.
Lower the treat to the ground while luring the dog’s nose. Try to get as close to the ground as possible and release the treat as soon as your dog’s head is close to the ground.
Wait for a little at a time until you release the treat that will make your dog hold your hand. Gently push the treat between your dog’s legs to encourage him to bend over. Reward any movement of the elbows in the right direction.
Your dog will get lower and lower each time you do this. You’ll want to get him to move after the bow so he won’t be tempted to take a lying down position.
Once he has learned to drop his shoulders completely, you can add a cue like “bend” or “bend” and slowly fade the lure with treats until he does so on command.
- Ring the bell
This is by far the easiest trick on this list and only requires a few dog treats and a bell (obviously).
Many dog owners use a bell to potty train their dogs.
The bell is used as a signal that the dog needs to go outside but for this exercise, we will only be using the attachment of the bell to the food.
Start by placing the dog in a sitting position and placing the bell in front of him.
Ring the bell and toss him a treat. Repeat this several times.
Wait a little bit at a time until you ring the bell and give him a chance to do it himself. He’ll quickly learn that if he rings the bell, he’ll get a treat.
Once he rings the bell for the first time, praise him and wait for the next time he rings because now he is maki
- Figure 8
This dog trick is not as simple as ringing the bell before but it is still a trick for beginners because it involves normal lure training.
Figure 8 is a trick where the dog moves between your legs and walks around each leg to form a figure 8.
Start by placing the dog in front of you with your legs wide apart.
Take a treat in your right hand, and pull your dog between your legs so he comes to the front of the right leg. Treat him every time he comes to the front.
Switch the food to your left hand, and lure it from the right leg between the legs back and back to the front again. Now you have completed figure 8 with your dog.
Repeat this process several times and add the stick you want. You can then slowly fade away from the temptation until you just have to point at the right leg.
You can also train your dog to do a figure 8 while walking.
For this, you will need to repeat the same process and take one step with the leg your dog is currently rotating on and then with the other.
- Hold something
Holding something in a dog’s mouth without chewing or biting it is a common task for service dogs and is often used in obedience training.
In everyday life, your dog can learn to fetch the newspaper for example.
Use a simple, medium-sized tool to train your dog. Ask your dog to take it in his mouth and reward him for doing so. If your dog already has a cue to pick up things, use it.
While the object is resting in your dog’s mouth, support it with your hand to prevent it from falling out.
Repeat this process of giving him the object several times and slowly increase the time he has to hold it.
Once your dog has learned to hold the object for a few seconds, add the “wait” cue to it.
Decrease the amount of support you give the object and let him hold it in his mouth for 5 seconds. Don’t reward chewing or dropping the object and start over.
Your dog will eventually start carrying it on his own. As you do the training process, always use the same object.
After your dog completes the training, you can also ask him to “grab” other objects such as a newspaper or remote control.
- Poles weave agility
For this, you can either use old broomsticks and do it yourself (shown in my PDF below along with other possibilities for the DIY Agility course) or you can buy these stable knitting poles. - Crawl
Crawling is not characteristic of dogs. Babies are used to crawling before they walk but puppies go straight to the walker.
However, the dog is very capable of crawling on the floor, and if you have a child in your home, your dog will likely try to mimic this behavior.
Before you begin teaching your dog to crawl, he will first need to learn how to lie down (more on that below).
Stand in front of your dog and have him lie down. Squat down and show your dog the treat.
Reach out with the treat on the ground and pull your dog’s nose toward you.
When your dog starts crawling a little, reward him immediately. If he wakes up, it means you went too fast. Stay very close to the dog’s nose and encourage him to follow your hand.
Your dog will quickly pick up on the behavior and crawl longer each time.
Repeat this step several times until you add the sign you want.
Increase the distance and give the dog the command to “crawl” towards you. Take a step back if it fails and slowly increases the distance.
- Backup
Teaching your dog to back up is a great and very useful trick.
When your dog is standing right in the doorway or blocking people’s way, you can simply ask him to back up.
Get a treat and pull your dog’s nose in toward his chest.
When he looks down, keep moving him close to his chest causing him to move backward.
Reward each step back and slowly increase the distance.
Add a “backup” cue each time he walks backward.
To make it easier and more memorable for your dog, you can also place a rug on the floor behind the dog.
