101 Best Dog Tricks

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101-dog-tricks-book.jpgHow many of the following tricks can your dog do?

Does your dog perform any cool tricks that aren't on this list?

I honestly can't imagine many more dog tricks that could possibly have been left of this list!...


The following list of 101 dog tricks originally appeared in the Seattle Times (03.10.05).

It was compiled by Kathy Sdao, an associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist based in Tacoma, Washington who has spent the past two decades as a full-time professional animal trainer.

Enjoy!


101 Dog Tricks

Want to keep that dog of yours intellectually stimulated? Here are 101 tricks you can teach your curious canine, courtesy of dog expert Kathy Sdao. Key to success? Dog treats.


Level 1 difficulty:


Our dog baring his teeth  on command. 1. Bare teeth (be a wolf, or what do sharks look like?)

2. Bark

3. Bark silently (whisper)

4. Beg

5. Toss a toy in the air

6. Bow

7. Circle around me

8. Cock your head to one side

9. Crawl

10. Did you wash your hands? (dog sits up in beg position but shows pads)

11. Dig

12. Fan the flames (two paws)

13. Cover your eyes

14. Gimme four (realistic version of gimme five)

15. Growl

16. Kiss

17. Let go of rope

When teaching 'touch'... our  dogs usually lick the hand -- as seen here -- but later, they learn to just touch the hand with their nose. 18. Nod your head

19. Nose touch to hand

20. Nose touch to other objects (naming objects or just pointing)

21. Play dead

22. Prewash dishes for dishwasher (just wanted to see if you were paying attention)

23. Push things with paw (like doors, drawers)

24. Put paws on a person's shoulders

25. Ring bell by pulling string

26. Ring bell with nose

27. Ring bell with paw

28. Roll over

29. Rub muzzle on floor

30. Shake hands

31. Shake your head

32. Shake yourself

33. Sit on couch with front feet on ground

34. Stand up on rear legs (sooooo big!)

Puppy barks... We've always taught our dogs to 'tell me' and then to 'whisper' from a young age. 35. Speak

36. Speak LOUDLY!

37. Speak SOFTLY!

38. Spin

39. Wag tail

40. Walk backward

41. Wave

42. Sneeze

43. Where's your tail?

44. Whimper

45. Yawn


Level 2 difficulty:

46. Balance treat on nose, then toss it up in the air and catch it

47. Carry purse or other bag

Our dog retrieving the newspaper. 48. Fetch newspaper

49. Fetch slippers

50. Find/bring keys

51. Find/bring dog dishes

52. Find/bring leash

53. Find/bring TV remote

54. Get a toy by name

55. Wiggle ears

56. Heel backward

57. Hide your eyes/paw over nose (shame on you/do you like tuna?)

58. Hide your head (nose touch under cushion or blanket)

59. Howl (heard the Spice Girls' latest CD?)

60. Keep barking until some subtle cue

61. Lead another dog by the leash

62. Limp

63. Moonwalk (scoot backward in a bow)

64. Open doors

Our dog wearing a hat. 65. Permit the wearing of sunglasses or hat

66. Pick a card (from a deck)

67. Pick the hammer (paw to indicate correct tool)

68. Pull a cart

69. Pull on harness: pulling kids on sled, pulling laundry basket or cart, pulling firewood

70. Pull on rope -- close doors, open doors, open cupboards, pull wheelchairs

71. Pull your wallet out of your pocket

72. Lower/raise head while lying down

73. Push something with the nose (e.g., ball)

74. Put a toy IN something

75. Ride a cart

76. Ride a skateboard

77. Roll in cued direction

78. Rub back on floor

79. Rub muzzle with paws

80. Smile

81. Shame on you (hide head under chair)

82. Sit in a chair, paws on table

83. Teabag search: Dog searches 3 people sitting on floor or chair for teabag held in their hand

84. Roll yourself up in a blanket or towel

85. Take a bow, twirl, and take a bow

86. Take money from someone else and bring it to you!

87. Walk sideways

Our dog playing soccer with basketball. 88. Jump up into handler's arms

89. Weave between your legs

90. Climb a ladder

91. Dance

92. Fetch a hot dog

93. Kick balls with paws (soccer)

94. Lead people (take wrist gently in mouth and take them somewhere)

95. Learn names of family members and carry messages back and forth

96. Nose touch to designated colors or shapes

97. Ride a horse/llama/other dog

98. Roll over with ball between front paws

99. Stop dead on cue

100. Walk up stairs backward

101. Fetch beer from fridge


How to teach your dog some of these tricks.


Or, check out the new book 101 Dog Tricks by Kyra Sundance. You get step-by-step instructions for teaching your dog 101 fun dog tricks. Some examples from Kyra's book:

teach-dog-to-wave-goodbye.jpg teach-your-dog-tricks.jpg


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32 Comments

Tara said:

My boyfriend (a professional MMA fighter) is teaching our puppy to "tap out" when he's holding on to him from behind.

ricky said:

i just got a black lab and hes 8 months old and wants to hump everything but ive had him about 4 days now and he almost knows sit but its not really workin out so far but hes a really nice dog :D

Baroness Mischa said:

Liz- to teach your Chihuahua to put her toys back in a toybox, first teach her to 'put in' to a bucket/basket a toy/ball. If she retrieves, throw ball, ask her to bring here (to you), have the bucket in your hand to start, later you can put it on the floor. Use a very low container for starters so she can reach her head in. Put a snack in the bottom of the bucket so she must drop the ball to get it. Once you've done this, I'll give you the next lesson! Even if she can beg forever, vary what you ask of her!

Liz said:

My Chihuahua can sit pretty (beg) for what seems to be forever. She has very good balance. I would like to teach my dog to pick up her toys and put them back in the toy box. Anyone know how I could do this?

baroness Mischa said:

People keep complaining that you do not show how tricks are taught, but this is a list, not a step by step training session. Thanks, I consulted it to add to the 300plus my dog knows, not that I wanna brag...well, maybe just a little. only found a few she can't do, like roll herself up in a towel. Most fairly accomplished trainers find easy ways to push the dogs natural buttons- the teach to sneeze is a classic example. Anyone teaching a dog ANYTHING needs to remember to keep it fun and session short, make it easier for dog to do the right thing than the wrong, and use conditioning- dogs condition themselves to do the things we don't want all the time. Don't just finish being a leader when your training is up, condition your dog to look to you for a command before work, rest and play.

Brad said:

how do you teach a dog to show his teeth i've been searching for over a year now any advise would be a great help

hannah said:

hi

my dog can sit stay come lay shake hand gimme five and walk to me on her back feet only and now im teaching her to sit then put her front paws on my hand then stand up and walk around the room with me and she can do it some what right now

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Photos

  • Preparing to roll the homemade dog treats when making dog biscuits. Photo by Kristie.
  • Bone shaped dog treats. You can make them any shape you like when you're making homemade dog treats! Photo by Kristie.
  • Ingredients used for these homemade dog biscuits.
  • Our dog Susie likes these homemade dog biscuits. Photo by Kristie.
  • A fresh fruit smoothie.
  • Pooch Smoothies poured into ice cube trays.
  • Kristie and her Beagle-mix, Susie.
  • Pet The Vet - dog blog written by a veterinarian.
  • You can see how the roll of bags rests inside the nylon holder. You access them through a cut-out spot on the front. Easy!
  • Doggie Walk Bags on a Roll and dispenser that's attached to our Flexi retractable dog leash.
  • Our dog Tenor checking out the new dog waste bags holder that's attached to his retractable leash.
  • Doggie Walk bags and dispenser. My favorite one.

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