Here’s a fun way to "teach" your dog a new trick... something I learned from a friend of mine.

Years ago we were visiting a friend who commanded his dog, "Butch, go lay down under the table".  Butch dutifully did as he was told, and I was thoroughly impressed.  "That’s amazing; he knows what a table is!"

Brad asked how to teach a dog to bare his teeth on command.

My very tame American Eskimo, Jersey, (who wouldn't hurt a flea by the way) used to show his teeth. But it was only when our new little puppy, Destin -- and then years later our newest puppy, Tenor -- would get on his nerves.

So out of frustration, Jersey would simply bare his teeth as if to show some sort of dominance to these young pups. It was if he was saying, 'Okay, I've had enough... stay away... I'm done playing.'

It was cute. But it can actually be a scary situation if you don't know you're dog's own limits and how to read a dog's body language.

That said, there are ways that you can teach your dog to 'show teeth'...

I'm beginning to think my dog is smarter than I give him credit for. I think he can spell words!

Here's what I'm talking about...

Here's how we taught our dog to sing...

For some strange reason, all 3 of our dogs have always had a fondness for "getting the mail" (or in some cases, the newspaper).

Here's how we taught our dogs to "get the mail" or "get the paper" and then immediately (before it gets too soggy) "give" it to us.

In my experience, the fastest and easiest way to teach a dog a new trick is to build on some action that they already do well on their own.

Here's what works for us...

Do you know how smart your dog is?

No really... have you actually "tested" your pet in order to obtain some kind of measure of your dog's intelligence level?

I didn't think so. (Until these tests, I hadn't either.)

Enjoy!

We've taught 2 of our 3 dogs to pray. (It appears that Tenor is still trying to find his 'spiritual self'.)

The command "Toes" helps whenever you need to clean muddy paws after your dog has been playing outside.

Or, when you need to dry off wet paws after a bath.

Or, when you want to trim your dog's nails.

I like it better than "high five" because the dog learns to place his paw in your hand, rather than tap your hand up high.

Sad news in the world of television (...and in the eyes of my dog, Jersey, may he rest in peace).

The inventor of the remote control, Robert Adler, died last Thursday.

Jersey (an American Eskimo) loved the remote control. Somehow, early in his puppyhood, I must've given him so much praise one time for "bringing it to me" that he actually begged for occasions in which he could "bring me the remote".