Three Cool Tricks to Teach Your Dog

There's something adorable about a dog performing a trick. Maybe your dog knows how to sit and lie down, but wouldn't you like to move beyond that to some more sophisticated dog tricks? Here are some cool tricks to teach your dog that'll take him to the head of the class:

Cool tricks to teach your dog: Teach your dog to kiss you.

Teaching your dog to kiss you isn't as hard as you might imagine. Put your face close to your dog head and tell your dog to “Give me a kiss”. If he licks you, reward him with a small treat and praise him profusely. If your dog needs some prompting to lick your face, try smearing a little bit of peanut butter or other tasty treat on your face. Again, tell your dog to give you a kiss, when he does reward him with praise and bite of dog cookie.

Cool tricks to teach your dog: Teach your dog to close the door.

Start by smearing a little peanut butter on the door near the handle. Tell your dog to “close the door”. When he goes to the door to retrieve the treat, praise him and give him an additional small bite of dog biscuit. After repeating this several times, lightly nudge his nose against the door the next time he approaches the treat so the door moves towards closing. Always remember to say “close the door” when you do this. Reward him for this gesture. Repeat this several times, giving your dog an additional reward each time he nudges the door and moves it towards the closing position. Finally, repeat the entire process again directing his head to completely close the door before giving him the second treat. With a bit of practice, your dog will soon be closing the door soundly upon hearing the command.

Cool tricks to teach your dog: Teach your dog to bow.

This one may take a little time and repeated reinforcement for your dog to pick up, but most dogs will get it eventually. Keep small dog treats in your pocket when you and your dog are spending time together. The next time your dog awakens from a nap and you see him stretch with his paws on the ground and his back end in the air, say “Take a bow” and quickly reward him with a dog treat. If you do this consistently your dog will eventually learn to do his “stretch” or bow when you give the command. You may be able to speed training up helping him into this position when he's lying down by lifting up his back legs. Quickly give the command and reward him for being in that position. Consistently giving the command and rewarding the bow with food will reinforce this trick in your dog's mind.

These three tricks are great ways to impress your dog loving guests and your trusty canine will enjoy all the attention he gets.