3 New Tricks to Teach Your Dog

Hello, dog owners and dog lovers! January is Train Your Dog Month. If you want to teach your dog tricks, you've come to the right place.

Trick number 1: Shake

This was one of the easiest tricks to teach my dog, Baxter. Here are the steps:

1. Hold a treat in one hand. Tell your dog to sit. If your dog does not know how to sit, gently push down on their rear to get them in a sitting position.

2. Keep holding the treat in your hand. One of two things will happen: your dog might get bored and walk away, or your dog will swat at your hand.

3. If your dog swats your hand, tell them “Yes! Good boy/girl! Shake!” Try holding another treat in your hand and seeing if your dog catches on that when they swat your hand, they get a treat.

4. If your dog gets bored, this might be because they aren’t very food-motivated. Try holding something else in your hand like one of their favorite toys or a stick.

Trick number 2: Lay down

If you want to teach your dog to roll over or play dead, your dog needs to be able to lay down. Here are the steps:

1. Hold a treat over your dog’s head. If a toy worked better when teaching your dog how to shake, use a toy. Tell your dog to sit.

2. Still holding the treat, bring it to the ground. Do not let go of it.

3. If your dog lies down to be the same height as the treat, tell them “Good job! Yes! Down!” Repeat holding the treat down to make sure your dog knows this is called “down”

4. If your dog didn’t lie down, gently nudge their upper back into a lying position.

Trick number 3: Roll over

My dog loves this trick because I give him tummy rubs while he’s flipped over. Here are the steps:

1. Hold a treat - or whatever motivates your dog the best - over your dog’s head. Tell your dog to sit.

1. Next, tell your dog to lay down and bring the treat to the ground in front of them.

2. Slowly bring the treat next to one side of your dog’s head.

3. Keep moving the treat slowly and bring it behind your dog’s head. Your dog will turn their head, creating an opening for you to nudge them onto their back.

4. Tell your dog “Good job! Roll over! Yes!” and repeat the process until your dog knows this trick is called “Roll over”