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Trick training in quarter turns and small lifts
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Tricks are built the same way as basic cues, from small pieces, but the pieces are sillier. Each guide here starts from a position the dog already knows, such as a sit or a down, and describes how trainers shape it forward: a lure for a spin, a captured stretch for a bow, a paw lift that turns into a wave. Sessions stay short and the rewards stay small, which is where pea sized bits of freeze dried cheddar come in. For an overview and a sensible order, read tricks to teach your dog.
All Tricks posts
23 posts, newest first. See every post.
A first trick list, and how a treat pays each step
Tricks to teach your dog in an order that builds on sit and down, and how a small treat pays each step of a new trick.
A hoop that starts on the floor and rises slowly
How to teach a dog to jump through a hoop: walk through it on the floor first, pay on the far side, then raise it a little.
A spin built from quarter turns, in both directions
How to teach a dog to spin: pay a quarter turn, then a half, then a full circle, then fade the lure into a small hand signal.
A treat on the nose, held still until your word
How to teach a dog to balance a treat on its nose: pay a level head, set a piece on, lift it off and pay, then release.
Around a cone and back, sent from a little farther
How to teach a dog to go around an object: a lured loop around a cone, paid on the way back, then sent from farther away.
Bow, caught from a stretch or lured from a stand
How to teach a dog to bow: catch the stretch it already does, or lure from a stand and pay while the rear is still up.
Catch, taught with soft tosses from very close
How to teach a dog to catch with small treats: start close, toss softly toward the nose, pick up misses first, and step back slowly.
Cover your eyes, taught with a note on the muzzle
How to teach a dog to cover its eyes: pay the paw that swipes at a light sticky note, then shrink the note and add a word.
Crawl, a down that shuffles forward bit by bit
How to teach a dog to crawl: from a down, draw a treat slowly along the floor, pay each shuffle, then add a low bridge and the word.
Fetch, taught with a small treat traded for the toy
How to teach a dog to fetch: short throws, a return paid close to you, a treat traded for the toy, and the next throw as part of the pay.
Leg weaves, a figure eight around you, step by step
How to teach a dog to weave through legs: one leg from a still, wide stance, then a figure eight, then forward steps.
Middle, a dog standing between your legs, facing out
How to teach a dog middle: lure from behind you through your legs, pay facing forward between your knees, then add a hold.
Paws up, front feet on a step and back feet down
How to teach a dog paws up: both front feet on a low, steady step with the back feet down, then a slow pivot.
Play dead, taught as a side lie that holds still
How to teach a dog to play dead: from a down, lure onto one side, pay the flat side, then pay a longer hold.
Roll over, split into small steps that each get paid
How to teach a dog to roll over: from a down, pay the hip tip, then the side, then the full roll, one step at a time.
Shake and paw, starting from a loosely closed hand
How to teach a dog to shake: pay the first paw lift at a closed hand, move to an open palm, then add the word and the second paw.
Sit pretty, built from small lifts out of a sit
How to teach a dog to sit pretty: from a solid sit, pay small front paw lifts, then a short hold and a word.
Speak on cue, starting with a bark you can predict
How to teach a dog to speak: catch a predictable bark, pay it, add the word before it, and pay only cued barks.
Take it, a toy held out and gripped on your word
How to teach a dog to take it: pay a mouth on the toy, then a grip, and trade a small treat for the release.
Tidy up, taught backward from the edge of the bin
How to teach a dog to put toys away: backchaining from a toy let go over the bin, to a short carry, to a pickup across the room.
Toy names, taught one toy and one choice at a time
How to teach a dog names of toys: one named toy in play, then a choice between two, paying only the named one.
Wave, grown out of a high five that never lands
How to teach a dog to wave: from a high five, lift your palm out of reach, pay the paw in the air, then add the word.
Wiping paws on a mat, built from one small scrape
How to teach a dog to wipe its paws: shape a scrape on a rough mat from the first paw movement, then both front paws, then a word.