15 Impressive Dog Tricks & How To Master Them FAST

When most people hear “simple dog tricks,” they think basics. But, with just a bit of training, canines can learn to do much more than ‘stay’, ‘sit’ and ‘roll over.’ From playing dead, to playing basketball – teaching your dog new tricks can be fun, easy and highly rewarding.

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Training is a healthy source of physical and mental stimulation for canines. Most importantly, it’s a powerful bonding experience for both the pooch and his owner.

You can’t expect your pup to match Lassie’s level overnight. But there’s a wide range of cool, creative dog tricks that don’t involve any long-term training. Our list includes skills like dancing, playing sports and even picking up laundry.

Here are 15 tricks your dog can learn in a weekend, with just one hour of training per day.

1 – Say Your Prayers

The goal here is to have him bow his head, with both front paws up on a bed, chair or any other elevated surface.

Have your dog sit facing your bed. Signal him to get on the bed. When both front paws are up, give the ‘stay’ command. Once he stays in that position (even for a second), reward him with a treat.

Repeat the process until your pooch stops half-way on the bed, without being told to ‘stay.’ Every time he does so, tell him “say your prayers” and hold a treat near his paws. He’ll reach for it, assuming the “praying” stance. Soon, he’ll bow before seeing the treat.

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cloudfront.net

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2 – The Doggie Wave

Teaching your dog to wave his paw on cue is not only one of the oldest tricks in the book, but also one of the easiest.

Always start training by having the pooch ‘sit’ and then ‘stay’. Lightly tickle the back of one paw, until he raises it. Give him a treat only while one paw is up.

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cloudinary.com

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Soon, he’ll start reacting to your hand before it touches him. Once you notice that, repeat the verbal cue “wave” before reaching out. After an hour or so, you’ll be able to practice without using your hands at all.

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3 – Sit Pretty

Give your dog the ‘sit’ command. Hold a treat above his head. Use the ‘stay’ command to make him to reach for the treat without standing up. Don’t treat at all unless he’s sitting. Make sure to give your fido a treat if he falls over – his balance will get better with time.

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Most people teach their dog to ‘sit up’ or ‘beg.’ But, once you see how cute this stance is, you’ll understand why we recommend ‘sit pretty.’
TIP: Since the command starts with “sit,” use just the word “pretty” while training.

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diamonddachshunds.com

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4 – Speak

Some canines are prone to “speak” more than their owners (and neighbours) would like. And others seem a bit too shy. Well, teaching your pup to bark on command is a great way to even out both tendencies.

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Tease your dog with his favorite chew toy. Soon enough, he’ll be ‘asking’ you to start playing. Every time he barks, say “speak” and reward him with the toy.
Now take it away and start over but try to give the command early. Whenever your dog barks on cue, give him both a treat and his toy.

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petiquettedog.com

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5 – Retrieve

Retrieving will teach your dog to play catch and is essential to mastering the most impressive tricks on our list. Most dogs will naturally chase anything their owner throws. But, coming back and surrendering it goes against their instincts.

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yourdog.co.uk

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You’ll need a distraction and a treat, so bring at least two toys. Trow the first one and wait for it to be found. Get your pup to come back with the ‘here’ command. Next, tease him with the second toy so he drops the one he has.

Soon enough, he’ll bring it back every time. If he puts a toy down without seeing another one in your hand, give him a treat. At that point, continue to play with a single toy.

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6 – Spin

Is your dog too smart to chase his own tail? Well, it only takes a couple of hours to teach him to play dumb. So, grab a handful of treats and try to get Fido into a playing mood.

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It’s best to start in a standing position. Hold a treat in front of your doggy’s face and say “spin” 2-3 times. Right after that, move the treat in a full circle, making him follow along, and reward him for each complete spin.

After the pooch gets used to hearing the command, he’ll spin as soon as he hears “spin” and sees a treat. Finally, try to eliminate everything but the verbal cue by keeping your hands behind your back.

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milliondogs.com

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7 – Back Up

Here’s another simple command that’s essential to mastering many of the most difficult tricks out there. The goal here is just to make your dog walk backwards on command. And, while you do that, he’ll also be improving his balance, coordination and memory.

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http://www.pcpsi.com/

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Have your pup face you standing up, without giving the ‘stay’ command. Make sure he sees a treat in your hand. Start carefully moving towards him. If he doesn’t back up, start over. When he does, say “back up” and give him a treat.

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pet-hoken.net

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8 – Roll Over

If you haven’t taught your pup the ‘down’ command, start with that. Simply wait until he lies down and say “stay; lay down.” Then show him a treat but wait five seconds before awarding it. If Fido gets up before then, don’t give him the treat him until he lays down again.

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Have your dog lay ‘down’ and tell him to “roll over,” while holding a treat above his left ear. As he reaches for it, move your hand to the right. Treat him after each full rotation.

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thatdogdancingguy.com.au

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9 – Play Dead

If your pooch knows how to roll over, this classic dog trick can be taught within two one-hour training sessions. Begin with a ‘down’ command. Hold a treat just above his head, so he has to lay on his back to get it. Repeat the process, making him wait a bit longer for the reward each time.

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There are plenty of alternatives to the usual “play dead” or “take a nap” commands. You can shoot your dog with a finger-gun and use “bang” or “boom” as the verbal cue. If he’s smart, your pup will eventually respond to the hand gesture.

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dreamstime.com

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10 – The Army Crawl

This one may not exactly be an amazing feat but it’s the only trick your dog can learn in a single day. Plus, mastering it can make a regular game of indoor catch challenging for Fido (and utterly hilarious for you.)

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The learning process is pretty straightforward. Have your dog lie down. Say “crawl” and hold a treat in front of him. If he gets up, discourage it with ‘stay’ and ‘down.’ When he starts scooching over toward the treat, reward him and start over.

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wikihow.com

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11 – Go to Bed

You can’t make a dog fall asleep on command but, with this trick, you can choose where he sleeps. When you say “go to bed,” he’ll get to his sleeping area (whether that’s a newspaper or your own bed) and lay down.

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Give the command and walk your pooch to his bed. Next, say “go to bed” again but follow up with ‘down.’ Award him with a treat when he lies down. Repeat this until he responds to “go to bed,” without waiting for you to walk him there.
TIP: have a bedside treat waiting for him.

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http://throughadogsear.com/

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12 – Basketball

Okay, so you can’t train a dog to dunk or even dribble a real basketball. But even teaching one to score using a kid-sized ball is quite a feat. It’s a four-part process:

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throughadogsear.com

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Step 1: Put all of your dog’s toys away, replacing them with mini-basketballs. Reward the pup for every time he interacts with it.

Step 2: Demonstrate that the tiny hoop is also part of the game by giving out treats for any type of interest he shows. Praise him for sniffing it, touching it, chewing it, etc.

Step 3: Your pooch will be expecting a treat for bringing you the orange ball. Use the hoop to catch the ball when he drops it and limit rewards to times when it goes inside the basket.

Step 4: After he catches on to what gets him a treat, raise the hoop by a few inches each day.

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13 – Dance

Start in a standing position. Hold a treat above your dog’s head. He may jump, run around or try to reach it by ‘sitting pretty’ – don’t reward him or he’ll get confused. Wait until he’s on his hind feet, then give him the treat.

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Gradually increase the amount of time he needs to spend on two paws to get a reward. (He won’t mind holding your hands for support.) Once your dog stands up for 4-5 seconds, you can add the verbal command “let’s dance.” With time, you can incorporate the ‘spin’ and ‘wave’ commands.

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14 – Facepalm

Can dogs comprehend irony? Probably not. But they can definitely look like they do. Now, multiple sources have called this trick ‘the guilty dog,’ ‘shy away’ and ‘the gasp.’ But, here’s a photo of a stuck-up, tail-wagging intellectual, taken moments after he heard of these theories.

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kulturologia.au

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Teaching your dog to facepalm on command can be a quick process thanks to conditioning. All you need to give him is a reason for making the gesture and reward him when he does.

Sticky notes work great – just attach one to your pup’s forehead and wait for him to brush it away. Every time he does, state the verbal cue and give him a treat.

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pinimg.com

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15 – Pick Up Laundry

There are two parts to training your dog for picking up laundry. This is another trick based on retrieving, so it’s best to go over that (#5) first.

Part 1: First, teach your pup to drop thing into the laundry basket. Toss his favorite toy and grab a basket. When he brings it back, try to catch it in the basket – when it lands, give your dog a treat. Otherwise, just try again. He’ll catch on and start intentionally dropping the toy inside.

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Part 2: Replace his toy with a piece of clothing. Then put the basket down instead of holding it. Finally, prepare a few shirts/socks on the floor and point to them instead of throwing. (Later, you can start using a vocal command of your choice.)

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