The Top 12 Fun and Easy Dog Tricks

Teaching your dog tricks is a wonderful way for you to spend time together! Tricks allow your dog to focus on a specific skill. Tricks are simple behaviors that can be useful and practical while having fun at the same time.

By learning fun and easy dog tricks you are engaging with your dog and setting them up to learn and think. Just like with humans, thinking can make a dog tired and keep them from boredom.

Do you have a dog that is naturally a quick learner? Try the two additional advanced tricks to give you and your dog a mental workout!

Dog owners have been teaching their dog tricks for years, some for practical purposes and others strictly for the fun factor. The physical and mental health benefits of learning dog tricks are numerous.

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The Top 12 Fun and Easy Dog Tricks: Benefits

Benefits of fun and easy dog tricks extend beyond amusement to stimulating your dog to think and be active. Additional benefits include the following:

Bonding experience for humans and canines.
Improved communication with your dog.

Uses behavior principles such as shaping and reinforcement.
Puts your dog’s intelligence to good use
Engages in a form of physical movement and exercise

Stimulating for dogs
Working together as a human and dog team
Works and builds muscles

Dogs enjoy earning treats and praise

One really cool bonus to learning fun and easy dog tricks sets your dog up to learn additional shaping skills that will enhance their obedience skills.

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The Top 12 Fun and Easy Dog Tricks

Tricks can be taught any time of day. It is great to keep in mind that most dogs will learn best with short training sessions. When you have a few minutes before you begin work or eat a meal, work a new trick with your dog!

Some dogs may appear frightened of new objects like a box, balance beam, or hula hoop. Between your patience and high-value treats, you could turn a potential “scary” item into loads of fun for your dog!

If possible, chose an area that is quiet and free of distractions. For dogs that are treat motivated, grab a few pieces of their favorite food. Praise your dog as they learn new fun and easy dog tricks.

Shake. One of the most common tricks is to shake. Sit your dog in front of you. Take a treat and lure their head to the left or right. When they turn their head, it will shift their weight and cause one of their front paws to lift off the ground. Take it in your hand and treat your dog. Repeat. After a few repetitions, hold their paw in your hand for a second and say “shake”. Treat and praise your dog. Repeat.

High Five. Teaching high five is one of the fun and easy dog tricks that is very similar to shake. However, it will be a bit higher, and the palm of your hand will be facing the dog.

Sit your dog in front of you. Take a treat and lure their head to the left or right. When they turn their head, it will shift their weight and cause one of their front paws to lift off the ground. Take it in your hand and treat your dog. Repeat. After your dog is offering up their paw on their own, move your hand higher and offer your palm. Your hand will be approximately at their shoulder while they are sitting. When your dog places their paw on your palm, say “high five”, treat, and praise your dog.

Get in the Box. Find a box that is large enough for your dog to sit in it. Place the box in your training area and let your dog investigate. As they move closer to the box, toss your dog a treat. You do not need to say anything. Your dog might sniff or paw at the box, toss them a treat.

Treating your dog for interacting with the box, will encourage them to try new things. Treat your dog when they begin to sniff in the box, put a paw in the box, and eventually getting in the box.

If your dog does not appear interested or curious about the box, place it between you and your dog and toss a few treats near the box.

Tunnel. You can get started with making your own tunnel at home or purchase a dog tunnel. A tunnel can be created by covering chairs or a table with a large blanket. Encourage your dog to enter the tunnel by tossing a treat near the entrance or poking your head through from the other side.

For dogs that are hesitant about dark spaces, make the tunnel short. Take it slow and use a lot of praise and high-value treats.

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Make a Circle. This fun and easy dog trick can be taught using just a few treats. Position your dog in the standing position. Hold a treat in one hand and move it above the dog’s head. The hand with the treat will make a large circle above the dog’s head.

Move slowly. Your dog will follow the treat hand and make a circle. As your dog makes a complete circle, offer praise, and treat your dog. Repeat. After several successful circles, you can name the trick, “make a circle”. Eventually, you will not need a treat to encourage your dog to perform this fun and easy dog trick.

Target Touch. This trick is one that is both fun and useful. The object is to have your dog target the palm of your hand with their nose. Begin by placing your hand, palm facing out, about two inches from your dog. When your dog moves in to smell your hand, praise and treat them in front of your hand. Repeat.

When your dog reliably touches the palm of your hand, name the trick, “touch”. Praise and treat your dog. Next, try moving your hand a little further away and ask for a touch.

Balance Beam. Creating a balance beam in your home or backyard is one of the easy and fun dog tricks that will assist your dog with hind-end awareness skills.

Start by taking a 10’ long by 12” wide wooden board and place it on top of a brick or two. Your homemade balance beam does not need to be very high.

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Begin slowly with luring your dog to place their front feet on the board. Praise and treat your dog. Next, encourage your dog (with food if needed), to move along the board with their front paws. Once your dog is comfortable with their front paws on the board, approach the board again and encourage (or lure with food) your dog to place all four paws on the board. Treat.

Keep moving slowly in the progression of placing all four paws on the board. Next, you will encourage your dog to take a few steps. Give them the option to jump off when they are ready.

This process could take a week, with daily exposure and encouragement on the balance beam. However, some dogs are confident on the beam and may walk across the first day you introduce it to them. Give your dog lots of encouragement (with food) for any progress that is made, offer patience, and remember to keep it fun!

Crate Up or Go to Bed. This is one of those tricks that serve as a practical skill as well. Begin with feeding meals to your dog in the crate. Make the crate appealing by tossing treats in during the day. Let your dog see you while they are in the crate. Ideally, practice this trick when they are tired.

After they are comfortable in the crate, begin labeling the action with “crate up” or “go to bed”. When your dog goes in their crate, offer up treats. Eventually, you will want to close the door and step away. For the trick portion, you can go back and open the door. When you give the command to come, they will come out of their crate.

For step by step instructions; How to Crate Train Your Dog.

Jump through a Hoop. Teaching your dog fun and easy dog tricks is rewarding, especially this entertaining trick. You will need one prompt in this one, a hula hoop. Begin by allowing your dog to sniff and become interested in the hoop. Praise and treat your dog.

Using a treat, lure your dog into the center of the hoop. Praise and treat your dog when they place their two front paws in the center. Repeat. Your dog will find every part of the trick a great game.

Once your dog is comfortable with stepping into the middle of the hoop, slowly raise the hoop. Praise and treat your dog. Next, begin having your dog walk through the hoop, treating and praising your dog.

You can name this trick, “hoop”. When your dog successfully walks through the hoop every single time you ask, then you can begin raising it a bit off the ground.

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Roll over. The one skill your dog will need to know before beginning this trick is the “down” command. Find a soft surface like a mat or rug to learn this trick. Position your dog in the down position.

Kneel beside your dog and have a treat ready to use in your hand. Let your dog smell the treat and begin to move it over their shoulder. They will follow the treat and begin doing a half roll. Repeat this motion with praise and treats.

Lastly, continue the movement from their shoulder to their backbone. They should now be rolled onto their back. Continue moving your hand (with the treat) until they are completely rolled over.

Repeat several times and then name this trick, “roll over”. Eventually over time your dog will be able to perform the trick without the lure and on the verbal cue alone.

Fun and Easy Dog Tricks – Advanced

Are you looking for more tricks to teach your dog? Dogs love spending time with their people taking on a new challenge. Try these two advanced tricks to tire out your canine mentally and physically.

Pivot on a Platform. For this particular trick, you will need a small circular platform. (A hard rubber feed dish works well.)

You will use treats to encourage your dog to place their front paws on the platform. Once your dog confidently puts their paws on the platform you can begin teaching the pivot.

Next, use a treat to lure your dog to walk sideways. They will need to keep their front paw on the platform. If your dog comes off the platform, just encourage them back on. Move slowly with this trick.

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Praise your dog for every sidestep they take as they learn to swivel around the circular platform. Progress slowly with this trick to allow your dog to learn hind end awareness and build muscle memory.

Walk Backwards. No equipment is required for this trick. Walking backwards is a practical trick that comes in handy when you need your dog to back up. It is helpful if your dog knows the “stay” position before beginning this trick.

Position your dog in front of you. Begin walking towards your dog. Instinctively your dog will take a step backward as you get closer to them. Praise your dog.

Repeat this step several times until your dog understands the motion. Now you can name the trick, “back-up”. Practice “back-up” every day and your dog will grasp this trick quickly.

The Top 12 Fun and Easy Dog Tricks

As with all tricks, make sure your dog is having fun. Training sessions should still be kept short. Your dog will learn best by moving slowly and mastering a step before moving on to the next step.

When choosing which of the fun and easy dog tricks to begin with your dog, try Shake and High Five. Both of those tricks require the dog lift their front paw which comes natural to most dogs.

Teaching your dog the trick Touch is wonderful for redirecting your dog. When your dog performs circle, they are actually stretching out one of their longest muscle groups.

Always remember the end your training session on a positive note. When your dog does something well, offer up lots of praise and end the session. Enjoy all the fun moments teaching your dog and showing off their fun tricks.

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The Top 12 Fun and Easy Dog Tricks

The Top 12 Fun and Easy Dog Tricks

The Top 12 Fun and Easy Dog Tricks: Benefits

The Top 12 Fun and Easy Dog Tricks

Fun and Easy Dog Tricks – Advanced

The Top 12 Fun and Easy Dog Tricks

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