Five Easy Tricks You Can Teach Your Pup Right Now

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Five Easy Tricks You Can Teach Your Pup Right Now

One of the greatest rewards of owning a dog is being able to successfully teach them tricks and commands. This not only strengthens your bond with them but helps them to better navigate the human world. When they understand commands, they learn to properly behave and listen to keep them and others safe. 

Below are some of the most common and useful tricks for your dog to learn. The sooner you start training your dog, the easier it will be for them to learn!

Sit

This is often the first trick taught in puppy classes because it is so easy for dogs to learn. Teaching “sit” also comes in useful if your dog is prone to jumping on people, as you can begin teaching them that they have to sit to be petted. To teach this command, first put a leash on your dog and step on it to ensure they can’t back up. Then, lure your dog into the sitting position by holding a treat over their head and reward them as soon as their bottom touches the floor. Slowly introduce the cue word and your dog will begin to catch on. 

Stay 

“Stay” is another important command because it can prevent your dog from jumping on someone or running out the front door unexpectedly. Use a stern vocal cue while they’re in the sitting position and reward them when they stay in place for a few moments while you back away. You can slowly increase the interval that they must stay in place to earn the reward in order to help them become better and better at this command. 

Lie Down

“Lie down” is a handy command because it can be used when your dog is overexcited, or perhaps begging at the dinner table. Once your dog has mastered “sit,” use the same method to lure them into a lying-down position. You can then use this as the basis for other tricks such as “roll over” or “play dead.”

Shake

Shake is a very cute and clever trick that friends will love, and is relatively simple to teach for a food-motivated dog. Simply hide a treat in your hand and wait for your dog to paw at it. When they do, reward them with the treat. Eventually, you’ll want to use a cue word and wait to give the reward until they can hold their paw in your hand. 

Speak

Speak can be a very fun trick to teach your dog, especially if they have a cute bark or howl. To do this, get your dog excited until they begin to bark or howl. Then, use your cue word and reward them. You want to be careful, however, as this trick can teach your dog to bark or howl too much. Make sure to teach them to only bark once when giving this command so they don’t cause a racket in order to get treats. 

These five beginner tricks are the perfect way to start training a new dog. To learn more ways you can bond with your new pup, check out our blog! What are some clever tricks you’ve taught your dog?