Dog Tricks Training - Top 5 Cutest by Jane Brooke

Introduction


Is it just me, or does every dog seem to know how to fetch, sit and stay? It's like the prerequisites of graduating dog school entail only knowing these three things, and maybe tail wagging. Seriously, my dogs apparently know these tricks already and I don't ever recall teaching them; they just somehow know! Either I have crazy dog teaching superpowers I'm unaware of, or these three tricks are simply common know-how for all dogs. I'm hoping it's the former, really.



Anyways, let's establish on what makes a trick cute. For me, making your pet act in unusual ways is what makes a trick so cute. A dog wouldn't normally roll over on his side and play dead after you've yelled 'bang!' with your pretend finger gun, would they? Of course not, that's why it's so adorable! It's also why certain tricks, like sitting or staying, are bland in comparison. Of course, sitting and staying have their practical uses and are by no means bad tricks, but we're not here to learn useful tricks! We're here to learn about five lesser known tricks that are cute and fun for everyone to experience.



Before telling you about the 5 cute tricks I've selected, we need to first observe the 5 intricate details that can help us train our dog more effectively. These are:



1. Patience

2. Repetition

3. Dog Treats

4. Patience

5. Also patience



Patience

Patience is a virtue when it comes to training and I can't stress this enough, but let me try: have PATIENCE! That's a bold, italicized word in capital letters with an exclamation point at the end. If that doesn't emphasize the importance of patience, then I'm not sure what will. A dog's going to take their sweet time when learning a new trick. Only through the sheer amount of repetition, rewarding dog treats, and the patience of a sloth watcher, will you accomplish your dog training endeavors.



Repetition

To succeed at training a dog, you'll find yourself repeating the same trick over and over again until it's cemented into their tiny brains. This can be, at times, immensely tedious. Eventually though, your hard work will pay off, as your dog masterfully performs the trick you taught them, on command!



The breed of dog also plays a role in how quickly they can comprehend these cute tricks. Yeah, some dogs are just smarter than others. Dog breeds like Poodles, Border Collies and Maltipoos have gone to animal college and graduated in being smart, while breeds such as the Pekingese, Beagles and Bull Dogs are still stuck in elementary school. If you're stuck with one of the lesser intelligent ones, don't worry, because any breed of dog can be taught new tricks. The dumber ones just require a bit more effort and plenty of motivational dog treats to compensate.



Motivational Snacks

Speaking of dog treats, you will want to have an abundance of these around, preferably truck loads. The inspirational power behind a tasty, bite-sized treat can aid in significantly decreasing the time it takes for a dog to learn something new. Rewarding your dog with a tasty treat will motivate them to try even harder next time. Now, they won't exactly be performing the tricks for you exactly, but rather for the piece of food that's in your hands. Still, don't feel bad, if you run of out snacks just provide a friendly rub on the head instead! They'd probably prefer the snack in place of your unconditional love, but hey, it's better than nothing!



How You Say It

Before we get tricking, I want to mention that the way you tell your dog to perform a trick can be nearly as awesome as the trick itself. For instance, yelling "play dead!" is the generic way to get an animal to feint unconsciousness. But achieving the same result by shouting "bang!" with your hand in the shape of a gun, is way more fun and cute! So while deciding what interesting tricks to teach your dog, also think about elaborate phrases or gestures to utilize that will boost the wow-factor of the trick.



TRICKS!

Tricks will be listed with a difficulty rating, neat phrases/gestures to say that go well with them, along with simple instructions on how to effectively train your dog the particular trick. Without further ado, here are the top 5 cutest tricks you can teach your dog:



1. The Handshake

Difficulty: 2/5

Fun Commands: "Put 'er there!" "High-five!" "Let's shake on it!"



Description: The classic handshake trick. It's just way too cute having a dog swinging a high-five at you. It's even better if the verbal command you taught them is 'high five!' See, combining the appropriate voice commands with the right tricks can elevate it into an even cuter trick! So cute in fact, that performing the Handshake with your dog in front of a group of people may actually cause them to explode into multiple rainbows composed entirely of candied hearts and colorful flowers, all because their inner scale that measures adorability was overwhelmed with extreme delight. Now that's cute!



How to Train:

A) Start by taking the paw of your adult puppy, place it into the palm of your hand, and say the desired phrase you chose. I'll assume for this example you chose 'high-five' for the command. So while the paw is in your hand, look at them and say 'high-five!' Reset by letting go of the paw, wait a few seconds, and repeat 'step a' about five times.



At this point your dog is likely baffled with your strange behavior. Nevertheless, it's time to add dog treats into the mix.



B) Place a treat in your hand and let your dog see it's there. Put your hand next to him, and close it over the treat. Say 'high five' while waving your hand back and forth slowly in front of him. Your dog's inability to reach the snack should force him to raise his paw and place it on your hand in desperation. When he does, immediately open your hand and give him the treat, saying 'good boy!' Repeat this step for a few minutes, 2-3 times a day, everyday.



Remain patient, and eventually your dog should recognize what you expect of him and begin creepily offering you firm handshakes whenever you come home from work.



2. Playing Dead

Difficulty: 3/5

Fun Commands: "Bang bang!" "Go to sleep!" "Look out!" "Dodge and weave!"



Description: Playing Dead is a classic trick and it's also super cute! An animal playing dead is in itself amazing, but this trick is also one that can be combined with other tricks, making it even more better! For instance: start with the trick Begging, and while his furry paws are tossed above his head, transition straight into Playing Dead by shouting 'bang bang!' If pulled off correctly, someone nearby might actually think you just murdered your poor dog! But how silly of them, because you were simply demonstrating your dog's incredible power of being cute.



How to Train:

A) I'll assume you chose 'bang bang' as the verbal command. First, get your dog's attention and shout 'bang bang', maneuver their bodies into a downed position, and yell 'bang bang' once more. It doesn't matter if your dog sees your pretend finger gun, because that can be incorporated later after he's learned the actual trick. Let them get up, wait 10-20 seconds, and repeat. Repeat two to three times.



B) Dog treat time! Place a treat inside of your hand, give your dog a big whiff by brushing it along their nose. Give the command 'bang bang', while slowly lifting your hand above and around their head in a way that will force your dog to roll over on his side to get it. When on his side, keep him there a few seconds and then give offer the reward. Tell him what a great job he did, and repeat this step over the course of a few minutes. Repeat 2-3 times during the day, everyday.



After your dog has been riddled with thousands of pretend bullets, he should begin understanding what your ridiculous looking hand gun gesture really means. Soon, with your dog's fanastic acting ability of playing dead, they'll be casted in all sorts of upcoming movies! Maybe. No, not really.



3. Speaking

Difficulty: 5/5

Fun Commands: "Bark!" "Speak!" "Talk!" (Sorry, I'm not very creative.)



Description: Dogs absolutely love barking at anything. Did they hear a door creek, or is a delivery man at the door knocking? "Well then, bark bark," says the annoying dog. Dogs would bark their heads off if you allowed them too, but that's one of the reasons collars exist. To keep their heads attached! Seriously though, if you plan on training your dog to bark, you should ensure they are already familiar with a command that shuts them up. Otherwise, things can get a little noisy and spiral out of control. Then your neighbors will forever hold a grudge against your obnoxiously loud dog.



How to Train:

A) First of all, you'll have to make your dog bark to teach them anything, which can be majorly tricky. To get him barking, we need to figure out a plan to stimulate that reaction. Any ideas? It's your dog after all, don't look at me! Think, what might compel your dog to bark? Do they bark when someone knocks on the door or perhaps when the doorbell rings? Can you get them to bark by imitating dog or cat sounds? After finding the answer, move on to step B. If you can't find a way to make your dog bark, then congratulations, you must have the most timid dog ever, and also this trick will probably not work.



B) Using whatever bark encouraging tactic you've discovered, create a situation to force barking out from your dog. As they bark, yell your chosen verbal command in a clear, distinctive manner a few times. It has to be loud enough for your dog to hear. Only permit 2-3 barks before shushing him. Reward with a treat and tell him "good dog!" Now get him quiet and repeat.



The timing of your verbal command is a key factor during this trick. Why? Well, say you have a nice friend ringing the doorbell to force a bark. So time your command just before the ring, that way your dog will associate the command from you with the doorbell sound. Also, say the command immediately after every bark, too. Remember, only allow 2-3 barks before stopping him. Then offer a doggie treat and repeat. Do this for five minutes or so, and repeat these steps 2-3 times during the day, everyday.



The whole process can take weeks to see any visible results, but remember the first rule of dog training: patience! Once they learn how to speak, you can try teaching them the English language next! I'm kidding!



4. Begging

Difficulty: 4/5

Fun Commands: "Freeze!" "Stop, thief!" "Hands up!"



Description: What's cuter than a dog on its hind legs begging for some food? Probably a fluffy rabbit nibbling on a tiny carrot, all while a single butterfly lands on his forehead holding up a microscopic sign that says 'D'awww!'. But a begging dog comes in at a close second. Begging combines well into other tricks too. You could have your dog "freeze," and as they stick their furry paws up into the air, scream 'bang bang' so they'll play dead. Just a fantastic example of how chaining together different tricks can have more of a dramatic impact!



How to Train:

It's a little precarious to teach your dog this trick. It helps if they know how to sit already, but since I've established that all dogs should know that by now, let's figure out the begging trick. If your dog doesn't know how to 'sit' yet, this trick may prove difficult to teach. Challenge yourself and try anyways!



A) Begin by having your dog sit. Put a treat into your hand and show it to your dog. When he shows interest in the snack, say your chosen verbal command (freeze!), while slowly raising the treat above his head, just out of reach. The trick here is to slowly lift him up off the ground and onto his hind legs until he starts reaching up with his paws.



B) Keep raising the height of the treat until your dog's sitting on his back legs with his paws up in the air. Immediately after reaching the desired begging position, reward him with a treat and tell him how good he is! Begging can be a little strenuous, so keep the training sessions short, and repeat 2-3 times a day, everyday.



After your dog has learned to beg, don't be surprised when they use their new-found technique against you at the dinner table.



5. Dog Kisses

Difficulty: 1/5

Fun Commands: "Give me kisses!" "Show love!" "Smooches!"



Description: While we avert our minds from thinking about where our dog's tongue has been during the past 24 hours, we can appreciate the love dog's show when they lick our smiling faces. The majority of dog's are so friendly already that they will naturally kiss you if your face is close enough. Why not test it now? Stick your face near them and check the response. Did your dog lick your face? If so, congratulations, they already know this trick! Just say 'give me kisses' anyways and secretly pretend you taught them the trick. If they didn't offer you any kisses, then you must have an apathetic dog that needs a lesson in love sharing!



How to Train:

A) Peanut Butter: If your dog is refusing to lick your face, put a dab of peanut butter on the spot you want them to kiss. As they lick it, say your chosen command(give me kisses!) a few times, then lean back. Wait a bit, and repeat! Repeat 2-3 times during the day, every single day until they learn!



B) Dog Treat: If your dog already gives you light kisses, but you want to train them to do it on command as well, simply lean forward and wait for them to smooch you. After they do, give a treat in conjunction with positive comments. Then more repeating, you know the drill.



Such a simple trick to train with the added bonus of being incredibly cute! Though, you might want to consider washing your face afterwards for sanitary reasons... just in case.



There you have it. Five cute and fun tricks you can teach your dog. I only ask that you use your new cute trick powers responsibly when showing off to your family, friends, and that random person you run into at the grocery store.



About the Author



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