A first trick list, and how a treat pays each step

Tricks to teach your dog work best in an order that builds on cues it already knows. Shake starts from a sit, roll over and play dead start from a down, and spin starts from following your hand. Each one is taught the same way, with a small treat paying one small step at a time.

Which tricks are easiest to start with?

Think of it as "easier to start" rather than a difficulty ranking. Every dog is different, and what is simple for one is a slog for another. A more useful way to order a list is by what each trick builds on. Here is one, with a line on each:

• Shake. Starts from a sit. You pay a paw lifted toward your hand. The full steps are in the shake guide.
• Spin. Starts from following a treat in a circle, then fading the treat from your hand.
• Hand touch. Your dog bumps your open palm with its nose. It is a simple target, and it opens the door to moving your dog around without pulling.
• Bow. Starts from following a treat down and back between the front legs, in a standing dog.
• Roll over. Starts from a down. It chains a few small motions, so the roll over guide takes it step by step.
• Play dead. Also starts from a down, with a lie on one side and a hold.
• Speak. Catches a bark your dog already gives and puts a word to it.
• Fetch. Trades a treat for a toy so the return is worth making.

If sit and down are not solid yet, start there. Almost everything on this list leans on one of them, and it is easier to add a trick to a known cue than to build both at once.

How do you teach a dog tricks one step at a time?

Split the trick into small pieces, pay each piece, and move on only when it comes easily. A roll over, for example, is not one motion. It is a head turn, a shoulder, a hip, and a finish. A trainer pays the first piece, then asks for a little more, then a little more. That is shaping a trick in small steps, and trainers use it for everything on the list above.

The basic loop is a lure, a mark and a payment: guide the nose with a treat, mark the instant the right thing happens, and hand the treat over. The sit guide goes through that in full, so here it is one sentence and no more.

The AKC also ties the size of the job to the reward: the harder you are asking your dog to work, the better the reward should rank (AKC, 4 Tips for Training Your Dog With Rewards, opened 2026-10-16). A brand-new trick is a harder job than a sit your dog has done many times, so give it a better payment. The guide to using training treats shows how to sort a list like that.

When a step does not come easily, make it easier. Lower the bar, shorten the ask, or go back to the last step that worked. Trainers do this all the time, and it is not a setback. It is the same job done in smaller bites.

Which treat should pay for a new trick?

Something your dog likes and can eat fast. According to the AKC, strong-smelling foods such as cheese rank high for most dogs (AKC, The Right Treats Make the Best Rewards, opened 2026-10-16). Keep the pieces small, since a long chew breaks the rhythm of a session.

Cheese is one choice among several. The cheese in ours comes from New York State, and the freeze drying happens in small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Our listing says the pieces start small and break smaller, which is handy when a trick needs many quick rewards, and it lists them as a treat, not a complete diet. The cheddar bites page has the rest.

Whatever you choose, save the best piece for the newest trick. Once the trick is familiar, a plainer reward can step in.

How many tricks should you work on at once?

One new trick and one your dog already knows. Two new tricks in the same session can blur together, and a known trick gives you an easy win to finish on. Keep sessions short, and end before your dog loses interest.

A simple session might start with something familiar, such as a sit. Then comes the new trick in its smallest step, a few repeats, and one more easy cue to end on. Put the treat pouch away when you are done so the next session starts fresh.

If a trick stalls, rest it for the day. Come back with a smaller step and a better payment.