Impressing your friends with dog tricks is not only fun and easy, but gives you a definite since of pride. There are hundreds of great tricks that you can teach, but there is one thing that you must remember before teaching your dog any new tricks: obedience. A dog that is not obedient will not do any tricks. However, with the right amount of praise and a few doggie treats, your dog will begin to be on the right track. Therefore, it is very important that you teach your dog to do trick the right way.

If you have a dog, you might already know that there are special treats available for sale that are perfect for doing dog tricks. Just make sure that they are low in calories, so your dog won’t get fat, and that you only use the treat when you want your dog to do tricks. Don’t give it to your dog at any other time, otherwise your dog will be confused and will not be able to associate correctly the treat with the fact that you want him or her to do a trick.

Sit and Stay

The first trick is not only one of the best, but is a classic and all time favorite. It’s the sit and stay routine and exemplifies the fact that your dog has good behavior. The first step to accomplishing this routine is to hold a treat in your hand and then hold your hand above your dog’s head. This way, he has to look up to see the treat. While he is looking up, he will be inclined to sit down as a natural reaction. Once he does this say the word “sit”. Next, move your hand with the treat to a new position (either forward or backward in the air) so that he has to move forward or backward to see it. He may or may not sit down. If he doesn’t, gently push his bottom to the floor and say “sit”. Otherwise when he sits down again say “sit”. Do this a couple of times and then praise him out loud and give him the treat. Practice this daily. The next thing to do is to move on to “stay” which is a little harder. Start by putting your hand, open palm, in front of his face and verbally say “stay”. Then begin to back away. Afterwards, if he stayed even for a little bit, give him the treat and some praise. Continue to practice this until he can stay for longer periods of time.

Bring It Back

At a warm day at the park, you can easily practice this one. It’s also a favorite for most people. All you need is something to throw like a sock, a ball, a Frisbee, or a stick. Once you throw the item, your dog should naturally try and retrieve it. Get him to bring it back to you by calling his name and then give him a treat when he gets back to you.

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