Random Easiest Tricks to Teach Your Dog (25 items)

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  (#1) Name

  Teaching your dog his or her name is perhaps the easiest trick of all. Use positive reinforcement when the dog looks at you or comes to you after speaking the name to teach this basic trick.
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  (#2) Sit

  Easy to teach as dogs sit often on their own, to associate the word sit with the behavior, say the word "sit" and use positive reinforcement when the dog sits on his or her own. Eventually by repeating this process the dog will associate the action with the word and the positive reinforcement to sit on command.
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  (#3) Go Outside

  Another essential "trick" to teach any dog is housebreaking. Best done when dogs are puppies, housebreaking teaches dogs to relieve themselves outdoors in a specific location which in turn keeps the house or living area clean, but requires patience, consistent repetition and positive reinforcement.
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  (#4) Come

  Another really easy trick is getting a dog to come here. Call the dog's name with "come here" added and positively reinforce the action when done correctly and repeat.
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  (#5) Lay Down

  Dogs naturally lay down to rest so getting them to lay down on command is as simple as getting them to associate the action with the verbal command. Use positive reinforcement and the lay down command when the dog lays naturally to create this association.
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  (#6) Down

  Great for keeping dogs from jumping on furniture and people, the down command is best taught by providing positive incentives for not jumping up in the first place. If your dog attempts to jump on you, turn sideways and give the "down" or "off" command then positively reinforce the dog when he or she does. Engaging with a dog that has jumped on you already will only encourage the behavior to continue.
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  (#7) Fetch

  Equally fun for the dog and useful for the owner is the fetch command. By positively reinforcing the dog when it successfully retrieves an object on command, the dog learns the trick and likely enjoys the process as well.
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  (#8) Shake

  Teach your dog some manners in the shake hands trick. To start, have the dog sit, outstretch one of your hands and give the shake command. When the dog lifts his paw to meet your hand, provide positive reinforcement. Eventually, the shake command alone will be enough to get your dog to life a paw for a handshake.
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  (#9) Kiss

  Not everyone enjoys a big, sloppy dog kiss but teaching the trick to those who do is a piece of cake. Simply apply peanut butter to a cheek and give the kiss command. The dog will associate the command with the licking and eventually give kisses when asked.
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  (#10) Stop

  Often used only very rarely in a safety or emergency situation, stop should be a command that immediately causes the dog to cease what they are doing and stand still. This training is best done with your dog on a leash and you can control him or her into stopping, then waiting for your verbal cue to continue.
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  (#11) Drop It

  A great trick to learn when playing fetch or for the dog's safety is the drop it command. To teach this, when a dog has something in their mouth such as a toy or ball, give the drop it command until the item is dropped, then give positive reinforcement. Eventually the dog will want the reinforcement more than the object and obey the command.
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  (#12) Go to Bed

  A great way to teach the dog where he should sleep is the go to bed command. This can be taught by laying out a blanket, curling up on it yourself and urging the dog to do the same with the command. Eventually the dog will learn to go to their bed, lay down and sleep on their own when the command is given.
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  (#13) Stay

  Often taught using the sit command, stay teaches the dog to sit still until a verbal command to carry on has been given. Once the dog successfully sits, give the stay command then wait 10 seconds and if the dog has not moved, use positive reinforcement.
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  (#14) Speak

  As awesome as it would be, dogs cannot talk in the traditional sense but they can "speak" by barking. Try to find a trigger that would make the dog bark on its own and begin to associate the barking with the speak command. Repetition and positive reinforcement will teach the dog to bark on command when the speak command is given.
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  (#15) High Five

  Very similar to the shake command, the high five asks the dog to tap hands with the owner a bit higher and vertically rather than horizontally. Teach this the same way by raising a hand to a sitting dog and giving the high five command. Use positive reinforcement to reward the dog after successfully completing the command.
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  (#16) Leave It

  Perfect in cases where a dog is approaching something he or she shouldn't is the leave it command. This can be taught by leashing the dog, allowing it to smell a treat, giving the leave it command, placing the treat by the dog's feet then restraining the dog with the leash. Praise the dog for listening and reward with the treat.
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  (#17) Heel

  A trick that can make dog walking much easier and safer is heel, or the act of staying close by his or her owner's side when on a walk. This is easily taught when first leash training a dog by limiting the leash slack so at first the dog cannot move further away from the owner. After that orientation is the norm, keeping your dog in the heel position is a breeze.
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  (#18) Leap or Jump

  Not just reserved for show dogs, jumping or leaping can be useful for a dog to learn when they would need to jump, such as into a car or on a bed. Set up a small obstacle the dog can jump over, get the dog to sit then lure him or her to jump over the obstacle. If the dog obeys, use positive reinforcement.
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  (#19) Search

  Used by household pets and search and rescue dogs is the search or find it command. This can be taught by showing a dog a treat or toy, commanding a dog to stay then hiding the object in increasingly more remote locations. When the search or find it command is given, urge the dog to locate the treat or object then provide positive reinforcement when the dog finds the item.
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  (#20) Beg

  Though also something many down owners teach their pets not to do, the beg, sit up or sit pretty command involves teaching the dog to raise two paws while sitting. This can be taught by having the dog sit then getting him or her to raise their paws by lifting a treat over their head while giving the desired command.
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  (#21) Be Quiet

  When the dog is barking on their own, give the be quiet or hush command. Provide positive reinforcement if the dog stops barking or repeat the command if the dog does not. Repeat as necessary.
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  (#22) Roll Over

  After a dog knows the lay down command, roll over is the next in that series of events. Get the dog laying down then gently push the dog onto his or her back while giving the roll over command. Use positive reinforcement if the dog complies with the action and repeat the process until the command is learned.
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  (#23) Bow or Stretch

  Something dogs do several times daily without a second thought is the bow or stretch command. Pay attention to these natural stretches and give the command along with positive reinforcement when the dog does it. Eventually the dog will associate the command and the action and do it on cue.
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  (#24) Wave

  Once a dog can shake hands, he or she can likely wave too. Use the same training method but when the dog lifts a paw to shake, do not outstretch yours, instead give the wave command.
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  (#25) Play Dead

  Once the dog learns to lay down, teaching it to play dead can be attempted. For this trick, have the dog lay down then gently coax him or her to roll onto the back while using the stay and play dead commands. The dog will associate the action of rolling over and staying put with the play dead command.

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