Want to make your dog the star of the local park? Here are 14 tricks that range from the utterly useful to gloriously showy, perfect for giving your pooch a bit of a leg up in the social stakes.
1. Sit
It’s the bread and butter of dog tricks, but mastering the art of sitting on command is a foundation for greatness—or at least basic obedience.
2. Paw Shake
Teach your dog to shake hands. It’s polite, impressive, and a sure way to keep their paws busy without jumping on your guests.
3. Play Dead
A bit of morbid fun, this one. “Bang!” and your dog flops over. It’s theatrical, gets laughs, and mildly worries those not in the know.
4. Spin
Have your dog spin around with a flick of your finger. It’s quick, easy, and looks rather snazzy.
5. Roll Over
Rolling over is an old favourite. It’s a bit more involved than a spin and usually garners a good round of applause.
6. Fetch Slippers
Merging the useful with the impressive, training your dog to fetch your slippers can be a game-changer on cold mornings.
7. The Commando Crawl
For the dramatic flair, teach your dog the commando crawl. It’s stealthy, it’s low, and it’s quite the giggle when done under the dining table.
8. Speak
Teaching your dog to bark on command can help them communicate better. Just be sure to also teach the ‘quiet’ command to turn it off!
9. Find It
Hide a treat or a toy and use the ‘find it’ command. It turns your dog into a four-legged detective, which is handy for when you lose your keys.
10. Bow
Perfect for ending performances, teaching your dog to take a bow is charming and a bit cheeky.
11. Stand on Hind Legs
A bit more challenging, but having your dog stand on their hind legs is a show-stopper. Use it sparingly to avoid stress on their back.
12. Kiss
Teach your dog to give a gentle kiss on command. It’s sweet and endearing, especially when you need to show off just how loving your dog can be.
13. Open Doors
Training your dog to open doors can be impressively helpful, especially for those lighter internal doors.
14. Beer Buddy
Why not train your dog to fetch a bottle of beer from the fridge? Just ensure it’s safe, and they don’t sneak a sip!
Curtain Call for Canine Capers
So there you have it, a repertoire of tricks that’ll not only impress your mates but might just make your dog the most popular pooch at the pub. Just remember, with great power comes great responsibility—make sure you keep those treats handy to reward your star performer!
Featured Image Credit: Pexel / IMG_1979 Števonka.
For transparency, this content was partly developed with AI assistance and carefully curated by an experienced editor to be informative and ensure accuracy.
