Teaching your dog tricks isn’t only cute and fun; it’s also an excellent way to bond with your puppy and give him the one on one attention he craves. Once your pup has the basic obedience commands down, you can really branch out and get creative. The most important thing to remember is to make sure your dog is having fun. As long as he’s having fun, he will be willing to learn. If you give him lots of dog treats and praise he will learn that performing certain actions will get him rewards, and in turn will obey your commands. As with most all things, repetition is the key.

Teaching your dog to “Shake hands” or “Give paw” is a very simple trick to start with. All you have to do is have your dog sit. Once in the sitting position, take his paw in your hand. Hold his paw and say “Good Boy, Shake” (Or “Give paw” – you can use what ever phrase you want, but once you pick a command, stick with it!) Do this a few times every day and soon he will give you his paw on command.

“High Five” is very similar to “Shake”. Once your dog has “Shake” down, and willingly gives you his paw every time, you can move on to “High Five”. With this trick, you do the same thing you did for “Shake”. Have your dog sit and start with having your dog “Shake” a few times, raising your hand higher each time. Once your hand is high enough use the “High Five” command, and reward your dog every time he does it.

If your dog knows the “Down” command, you can teach him to “Crawl”. To teach this trick, start by having your dog lie down. Hold a treat just in front of his nose and say “Crawl”. If he starts to stand up, say “No, down… Crawl”. Pull the treat away, keeping it near the ground and say “Crawl”. When moves even an inch or so without standing up, praise him and give him treats, saying “Good boy, Crawl”.

The trick “Beg” can be a little difficult for some dogs. The sit up position can be hard for them to stay in. Be careful to never let your dog fall over back wards, or he could hurt his back. To get started with this trick, have your dog sit, facing you. Hold a treat just above his head and say “Beg” (You can also use “Sit Pretty” or “Say Please” – whatever works for you!) Your dog will probably lift his front feet off of the ground naturally, to reach the treat. As soon as his feet are lifted, even a little bit, give him the treat and shower him with praise. Each time you try this trick, make him wait a little longer, so he can practice his balance.

New tricks are fun for everyone- especially your dog! Dogs need a great deal of mental stimulation, and teaching your dog new commands is a perfect way to exercise his mind. Two of the most important factors in training are treats and praise – shower your dog with rewards when he obeys you and he will associate obeying you with good things. Try doing a short training session everyday, around 5 minutes. Always try to end on a high note- end sooner, rather then waiting for your dog to become uninterested. He will be more interested in training if his sessions end with him doing something well!