101 Best Dog Tricks
How 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: 
Level 1 difficulty:
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
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!)
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:
Level 2 difficulty: 46. Balance treat on nose, then toss it up in the air and catch it
47. Carry purse or other bag
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
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
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:
Thats all cool stories,
I have a 2 year old blue pitbull male whos best friend is a male yorkie. Ive had him since 6 weeks and we were best friends from there.
He can make my bed , he taps his front paws 2 on each side to go outside, he can stand like a statue for 2 minutes, open doors, poop in the toilet, he can play hide in seek.
pitbulls are very smart dogs
i have 2 dogs with short attention spans but they can do many tricks plus wake up and fetch certain people if they know their names on command. they also yawn, sneeze, say i want one, play fight on/off on command, and bite each other's leg if i say chicken leg, one jumps like a rabbit, play patty cake, etc. I didnt really teach them, i just kept giving their normal habits names until they put two and two together and started doing things on command. youtube search JJ and MOOCHIE
I have an English Bulldog and he is almost 11 months old. I was so proud of myself when i tought him how to speak, and i really want to teach him something else. He also knows how to shake, high five (pretty much the same thing haha), play dead, roll over, stay, sit, lay down, he sits and waits for his meals until we say okay, he knows where his crate is and he will go to his bed if we tell him too. but he will only do these with a treat haha he is so cute. i think im going to teach him how to spin next, this otta be interesting!!!!! LOL. i tried the crawling thing but, didnt work out...o well ill figure something out.
Ha well my dog can sit, lay down, play dead, close a door, and go to bed (which for him is go upstairs and lay in bed till I go up there), also hes working on twirling around. I've had my boxer for only 3 months.
The dog has a good sence of smell. Thats why he can find it. It has really nothing to do with brains.
My friends grandmas dog holds the record for the most dog tricks performed by a dog
my dog can sit, give paw, jump, give kisses, stay ...n thts about it , shes only 2 months old so im trying to teach her while shes ripe :D :D
All you have to do is Google these tricks and you'll come to pages that go into them more specifically! Come on, guys, be sensible! This is a great article, and I plan on teaching Bonnie crawl, nod, cover your eyes, smile, and play dead. Most of the other ones in level one she already knows (the ones I care about, at least!)
my dog can sit,laydown,play dead,and you put 3 cups down on the floor with a treat under one and he can find the treat member to keep switching the treat under diffrent cups he is a jack russle 1 year old!!!!!!!!!
those tricks look awesome!! Some people are lazy and don't work with their pets, but those who do can actually make cash!! They have much more satisfaction, the dog is less destructive and the owners can do little presentaations.
Ricky,
I also have a black lab mix with pit bull. He always wants to hump whenever he gets extremely excited, like if he is around other dogs or my friends are playing with him. His name is Big Dogg, and he will pick up as many tricks as you can throw at him. He is willing to please and eager to learn. Stay with it.
Sit, Shake, Speak(will take time), lay down, head down, crawl. That's what he has so far.
tricks are not lame, some people are just too lazy to work with their pet.
I hung bells on my door knob for dog to let me know when she wants out, she rings bells. Not a good thing, cuz if she gets mad at me, she will ring & I have to let her out then wants right back in, will look at me, & ring & I have to let her out!! lol Also, my hubby accidently ran over last dog, so taught this one to hide, she goes behind me & peeks thru my legs!!
there is a realy easy way to teach your dog to bow sit then put the the treat in between there paws
My boyfriend (a professional MMA fighter) is teaching our puppy to "tap out" when he's holding on to him from behind.
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
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!
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?
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.
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
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
i don't think a lot of these tricks are legit.
plus, my dog can do plenty of tricks not on here.
My doggie America does a few of those tricks, some with variations, like carrying things I pick out at the hardware store and putting them on the counter at the cash register, then she carries out the shopping bag. She will also push a shopping cart, kiss the cat, kiss a specific cat, and walk herself on a leash. Many tricks she taught herself, like carrying things at the store and walking herself. Other tricks get a little incentive and guidance with treats.
America's Pics
Paige -
Hey, that's a GREAT way to think of a clicker... and a great way to use it in teaching new tricks. It's a way to "capture" the behavior... then reward.
Love it!
Great ideas! My dog knows lots of tricks; we use a clicker to "capture" the behaviors we like. Then reward her. Soon, she starts offering the behaviors on her own!
whats the name of the dog wearing the about.com hat?
its sooooo cute! do the owners still have it? what tricks does she know? i wish my dog would wear a hat!!!!!!!
I've taught my big dog this one: "Where's my dog?" I walk around her, pretending not to know where she is, and say "Where's my dog?" Then she comes between my legs and "surprises" me. She does this with guests that are ignoring her too -- Funny!
i taught my dog to balance a treat on her nose and wait until i gave to the command to move her head and catch it. i make her sit, and tell her to stay while showing her the treat so she gets serious.
I started setting the treat on her nose and holding her snout gently saying "staaaay! staaaaay." Slowly i would hold it less and less while backing up. It took patience but she finally got it!
thanks for them really good tricks!
i'll try and teach them to my dog every day.
my dog can allready do tricks but not as many as what you've put down.thanks again!x
I taught my dog how to goose people, we are still working on distinguishing which person I want him to goose
my dog can dring water from a straw. and put on my jacket for me when i stick my hand out.
My dog can do a backflip [i'm not lieing]if u believe me , do u want 2 see a video
where are the instructions for the tricks? I want to teach the head cock trick and I can't because there are no imstucktions.
A.B.
these tricks sound cool and all but it would have been helpful if you put some tips and steps on HOW to teach it.
i tought my dog to walk up the stairs backwards its the coolest thing ever
i thought this helped me alot but you should have put how to preform the trick.
how do you do the tricks???
I thought these were GREAT tricks. And some I've seen Retrievers do. Others I've seen in agility trials.
Whoever said "lame" and "boring", obviously doesn't watch many Dog shows.
I found this website handy to give me ideas on what to teach my pooch. Thanx heaps!
All of the tricks are boring
"shoot them" and they play dead
(with your hand in the shape of a gun of course)
Most of these tricks are interesting and fun.I even like how you have listed the difficulty level.Un fortunately I am frustrated to the fact that you do not list tips or steps or instructions of any kind to teach these tricks.I feel that with the lack of information ,just listing these trick is pretty pointless and a waste of web space.
my dog is learning to do a handstand..... its not going very well
My pup can do a trick not listed. I have him go in the doghouse and stick his little red nose up the hole. My old dog did that spontaneously and so I taught my puppy that. And my old dog jumped up on a table we gave to him. I'm in the process of teaching my puppy. My old dog followed me up the ladder and ran down the slide after me. My puppy is too scared :(
These tricks are so lame for the most part.
Hey do you know how to do the trick treat on nose if so tell me?!
bochicchio@netzero.com