How to Train Your Dog: Fun and Easy Dog Tricks

Dogs are playful, joyful, and sometimes stubborn. If you want to teach your dog an impressive trick, then look no further. With the right motivation, your pup can learn the cutest tricks in no time!

How to find the right motivation for your dog
To teach your dog, you need to learn how to best motivate them. The three types of motivation are treats, toys, and affection. If your dog is treat-motivated, it will be encouraged to do something for a piece of your PB&J sandwich or their favorite treat. If they are toy-motivated, they will do anything to have their toy. Lastly, if your dog is affection-motivated, it will do a trick to get pats and affection. Typically, dogs are treat-motivated. To find the proper motivation for your dog, experiment with different toys, treats, and types of affection.

Tricks to teach your dog
There are loads of different tricks that you can teach your dog whether they’re young or old. The easiest trick is probably spin.
To teach this, guide your dog’s nose in a circle. After practicing for a bit, start adding the command word, which could be “spin” or something random, like “sheep.”

Another trick is to shake paws. It’s similar to when you meet someone and shake hands with them, but with a dog. To teach this, put a treat or a small toy in your hand and hold your hand out. If they put their paw in it, give them their motivating item. Repeat this multiple times until they do it without thought. Start adding “paw”, or “shake” to it. After some time, your dog might not even need the command and do it instinctively when you hold your hand out.

One last trick is to roll over. This is one of the hardest tricks because it needs to be practiced multiple times before your dog will get it. In my experience, it’s better to use a treat or toy for this trick so your dog will learn it more quickly. First, you will need to put your dog in the down position, with them lying on the floor. The easiest way to do so is by guiding their nose down to the ground. After this, wave the treat next to your dog’s shoulder. This should make them lie on their side. Next, move the treat toward his back. This will most likely make them roll over. Repeat these steps individually multiple times until your dog can do it with the verbal cue and/or hand signal.

Teaching your dog tricks is a great way to train them as well as bond with them. While building your dog’s skills, you are also building your relationship with them. It’s very important to spend quality time with any pet you have, whether it’s a bird, lizard, cat, or dog.

Works Cited:
Chewy. “How to Teach Your Dog to Roll Over | Chewy.” YouTube, 13 July 2017, m.youtube.com/watch?v=IdIQiuWK78M.