Artwork by Leena, age 16

Have you taught any tricks to your dog? Were they hard to teach? Here's one: Whenever your dog bends down for a big stretch, say "take a bow!". Someday your dog will connect bending down and stretching with the words, "take a bow".

Here are some tricks that kids around the world are teaching their dogs!
When you're finished reading, tell us about a trick or two you have taught your dog.

Updated 6/25/08

I adopted my puppy, Bosco, from a local animal shelter.
He had a sad beginning to his life, going through four households
by the age of four months old (due to a skin condition). He is a
cocker mix with what could be a Welsh Springer (a bit like the English),
a Brittany or Caviler King Charles Spaniel. Teaching my dog tricks
has been very rewarding. He has even been featured on TV! Most
people love seeing him jump rope and salute, as well as his other
thirty-plus tricks! Marisa, age 15, Washington USA

I taught my Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix, Storm,
how to shake a paw when she was seven weeks old. All I did was,
held a treat in my hand, put it up close to Storm's nose, and whenever
her paw would touch my hand, I would click my clicker and give her
the treat. She now knows how to shake a paw with my hand open
and no treat.

I also taught my 11 year old Belgian Tervuren, Vici (vee-shee),
how to back up. I would put him in a sit in front of me, with his
leash on. Then I would walk towards him, and say, "back up".
When he would do as I asked, I would click my clicker, and
give him his treat. Angie, age 14, Manitoba/Canada

I taught my seven months Boxer to shake hand. First, I
held a treat in my hand and let him see. Then I touched his paw
and said shake hand and he gave me his paw. After that I gave him
the treat and praised him. I just practiced it 5-6 times and he learned
the trick. Sahil, age 13, India

I taught my seven months old Boxer to shake hand.
First, I held a treat in my hand and let him see. Then I touched
his paw and said, "Shake hand." and he gave me his paw.
After that, I gave him the treat and praised him. I just practiced
it five to six times and he learned the trick. Sahil, age 13, India

Take a small doggie treat and hold it in your hand.
Show it to your dog and let him sniff it quickly. Hold it up
in the air. Your dog will stand up after a few tries!
Brooke, age 12, New York USA

I taught my Boxer dog how to find missing things
(toys, treats, and even people). It was really easy to
teach him this. Well first, you must give him the scent
of the missing thing that you want your dog to find.
Let your dog smell the missing thing that you want it to
search for. Every dog has a good sense of smell, so this
should be kind of easy. Make sure that your dog has the
scent of your missing item. You can train your dog this
helpful trick around your own house. Just let your dog smell
the missing item, and then hide it. Once you've hidden it,
let your dog search for it. This may need a lot of time
practicing, but in the end your dog will have learned something
fun and very helpful. Angelica, age 15, CA USA

I have an English Mastiff whose first birthday is in a couple days.
This breed of dog is known for the "mastiff tempo" -- SLOW!
There are also several tricks my dog Grimm can't do until he's
about two years old, because his joints are still developing;
for example, he can't do the "jump" trick or he can damage
his growing legs. so far, i've taught him: sit, sit-stay, down-stay,
come, down, wait, "mine," crawl, left hand, right hand, shake
(with either paw), "crate," and to do stuff like sit politely at
doors to wait to go through after I do.

After he's completely mastered crawl, I'm going to develop it
into "ninja attack." That will be where he performs the sneaky
crawl, then pops up at the end. I will do this by giving the
physical cue for crawl followed by the physical cue for sit,
until he's comfortable doing it as one behavior. Then I'll just
give it a name ("NINJA ATTACK!").

Oh, and another trick we've taught him: targeting. At the
command of "touch," he touches his nose to a blue target for
a treat. (The blue target is a piece of painter's tape stuck on
whatever I want him to target. It's bright blue, which is a color
that dogs can very easily see.) This is a neat trick because you
develop other tricks from it. For example, to teach him to a ring a
bell to go out, you'd have him target the bell, then gradually
reduce the size of the piece of tape until it was gone. (You'd also
rename the trick "bell" or something, to make it a separate trick.)
Megan, age 15, Massachusetts USA

Send us your trick! or Jump to bottom of page

We throw a treat high in the air and just before he
jumps to get it we say, "Jump" and do this for 5-7 times and then
try saying jump without a treat and see if he jumps or not!!
Bye everyone and trust me, you will not be let down. This trick
always works.

Another trick is when you have a guard dog, you should teach it
not to take food from strangers. First, you will let an assistant
help you. Let that assistant hold your dog and you put a piece
of meat on the ground. Then you say a word that only you will
know and let your assistant let go, do this for 10-15 times.
Then you try it without an assistant, and see if it works or not.
This strategy is useful to a guard dog, because if a burglar came
and he threw food for your dog to move away, the dog won't move,
it would stay until you say the word. It is like the dinner bell.
Reem age 14, Cairo

I have taught my dog paw and fetch the newspaper!
Anonymous, age 15, Massachusetts USA

First you usually have to teach your dog how to shake
and then hi-five it is so easy. What I do is say, "shake", but I put my
hand up higher. But he wants to touch my hand so he puts his hand
up to mine. But if he is an American Bulldog like mine, then be careful
he doesn't scratch [you]. I started off giving him treats, but now
I don't have to. If you want to know his name, it is Charger.
But I am getting a new dog, a Pomeranian, but I'll let you know
what tricks I can get it to do. Maragaret, age 13, Michigan USA

Hi, my dog is 6 months old and he knows how to sit,
shake, down, play dead, send away, wait, heel, and agility, lie down,
spin, roll over, both paws and many more. When he gets to a year old,
I'm going to enter him in competitions. Jannomous, age 14, United Kingdom

Jump! I got an empty bottle and filled it with little
bits of treats. I shook it above my dog and said "up!" and when
she couldn't reach the treats she jumped really high, so then
I got a few treats out the bottle and gave them to her. I did
this about 10 times and she eventually picked up on it!
Now she does it easily! Cydney, age 13, Devon, England

My dog can hide his snout in my hand. I just have
to say, "Play shy!" and he does it. I taught him by hiding
a treat in my hand. The key thing is to make him hide his snout,
but don't give him the treat yet. If he does it right, give him
the treat. For the best results, he should know how to lie down.
If your dog won't do it, that's okay. Just keep trying. He'll get it
soon enough. Nina, age 13, New York, USA

Hi. I have taught my 1 year old Parsons Terrier, Pippa,
how to sit, shake, wave, play dead, send away, wait, heel and agility.
She a one-in-a-million super star and a cute baby. I have taken
her to shows and came back with three rosettes and a trophy.
Thank for putting her on the website. Charlotte, age 14, Devon, UK

My dog Jordan can learn tricks within minutes of me teaching her.
My favorite is when she lays down and I act like i'm shooting her and
Isay "bang" and she lays down and if I say "bang" again she jerks a little
and its so cute. And of course she can sit, lay down, stay, shake, chase her tail.
She can sit, down and stay, and you can put a dog treat on her head and
on the count of 3 she will throw it up and catch it in her mouth! My dog
is awesome and she is only 5 months old. Stormi, age 19, Texas USA

I have a beautiful two-year-old Border Collie named Wonka.
He's a really smart dog and learned to sit and track people in my family
when he was still a puppy. Now he knows these tricks: Sit,
Shake hand (right hand), The other hand(left hand), Down,
"Bang"(play dead), Jump, "Where is (family member's name)?" (finds he/she),
Kiss, Hug, "Shhhh"(quiet) I'm teaching him more and planning
on getting him into agility training. Claire, age 13, California USA

My dog, Otter, started to learn to track us when she
9 months old, All on her own!!!!! I would hide and she couldn't
see where I went. Otter always found me in a few seconds.
Right now I am teaching her to shake, crawl (she loves this one),
take a nap and roll over. Ruby, age 14, Hawaii USA

Send us your trick! or Jump to bottom of page

Daisy is a 2 year old Chihuahua. We are considering
entering her in competitions for her tricks. She knows well over 30 tricks.
This is the newest one I taught her. It's is called "Cross Your Paws".
Your dog is required to know Lie Down and Shake/High-Five. Have
your dog lie down. Move your hand to their side making sure the dog
doesn't move, and ask Fido for his paw. Fido should stretch his leg over
and hand it to you, (crossing his paws). Include the term Cross Your Paws.
Remember to keep training very positive, and fun! Daisy learned this
cute trick in a matter of 10 minutes.
See the movie of Daisy performing "Cross Your Paws"!

Another trick I will include is "Cover". This has your dog in a sitting
position. Your dog will hide it's face behind their paw. Loop your
dog's leash, or tie something around their snout (loosely), this will make your dog
push it off. Start saying "Cover" while rewarding them. Enjoy!
Daisy's Mommy, age 15, Florida USA
See the movie of Daisy performing "Cover"!

Want more Daisy tricks?
See the movie of Daisy performing "Sit Pretty"!
See the movie of Daisy performing "Speak"!
See the movie of Daisy performing "Turn Around"!

Many, many thanks to Daisy's Mommy, Ashlyn,
for sharing her amazing videos with us!

My dog, Jordan, can learn tricks within minutes
of me teaching her. My favorite is when she lies down and
I act like I'm shooting her and I say "bang" and she lays down
and if I say "bang" again she jerks a little and it's so cute.

And, of course, she can sit lie down, stay, shake, chase her tail.
She can sit down and stay and you can put a dog treat on her
head and on the count of 3 she will throw it up and catch it in
her mouth! My dog is awesome and she is only 5 months old.
Stormi, age 19, Texas USA

We haven't taught her many tricks, but we
taught her sit. Also, she can jump. We are teaching her fetch.
The dog is a mixed breed. She is a beautiful dog. Her name
is Maddie. Thanks for your time in reading this.
Love, the dog "Ruff Ruff!" Marissa, age 10, Arizona

Okay, so I have a five year old Golden Retriever
named Boomer. I've had him since he was a puppy.
He knows how to sit, give paw (shake hands), give high-5,
sit up (while he is sitting up he can also shake and give high-5),
speak, lay down, roll over, back up, and wait and take
(where I lay food on the ground and he doesn't take it until told).
Now I am only 14 and I taught him all these trick by myself
and none of then took more than a day or so. He is very
intelligent and is in the process of learning MANY new tricks.
Have fun and your dog will, too. Stephanie, age 14, Pennsylvania USA

I have taught my dog how to sit, shake, crawl,
up (stand up on her back two legs), high five, roll over,
and play dead. Her name is Snazzy and she is a Beagle
about a year old. :]] Kailyn, age 15, Michigan

I have a Cocker Spaniel named Poppy. She has
been to many homes and now lives with us for a home
to stay in. I love to train her, although she is 10 years old
in human years and they saying is you can't teach old dogs
new tricks...well, you can. I have taught Poppy to:
1. sit
2. lie down
3. beg
4. walk around
5. chase your tail (although she has a docked tail, hehe)
6. stay
7. resist the treat
8. roll over
9. take a bow
Amelia, age 10, UK

I have a very intelligent Cocker Spaniel
called Buddie, aged one and a half. I have taught him to do:
1) Kiss
2) Heel
3) Down
4) 360 turn (I taught him it in 5 mins.)
5) Sit
6) Wait and take it (He'll wait as long as you want him to)
7) I can leave him in a stay while I go out of sight.
8) And many more
Zoe, age 13, UK

I taught my dog how to skateboard standing up straight.
Carla, age 18, United Kingdom

Okay so, I taught my dog this trick. First I make my
hand like a gun. I point it at my puppy (he is only 4 months old)
and say "BANG". Then he falls over on to his back playing dead.
It's really funny. When I want him to calm down, I point at him
and say, "Bang". He just lies there. Julie, age 13, France, Valbonne

Well it's a very simple trick, I taught him how to sit
when he was 3 or 4 months old. And I am in the process of
teaching him to turn on this light that we have that turns on
by a button and he is trying. I want to teach him more.
Pancho, age 17, West Virginia USA

Send us your trick! or Jump to bottom of page

I taught my dog to figure eight. All you have to do
is take a treat and make a eight in between your legs and
your dog should follow. Ashlee, age 14, Colorado USA

To sit, I pressed his butt really hard until he sat
and then he just kept on doing it. Ashley, age 13, Texas USA
Author's note: Pressing down hard on your dog's rear end is
not the best thing for your dog's back. Here's what to do: gently
touch your dog's rear end to let him know what you want him to do.
At the same time, hold a treat above his nose, so he raises his head.
Then he will sit.

My family and I have taught our black Lab to know
the difference of her right paw and left paw. You ask her which
is her left paw and she puts it on the edge of the coffee table
to show you she knows. Raven also knows she is supposed
to stay on my right side of me when I take her for walks.
I work with her everyday. Iyanna, age 8, Michigan USA

Well, I taught my dog the nose trick where you
put the treat on its nose and tell it to stay until you say ok
and that is where he flips up the treat and lands in its mouth.
I also taught my dog to shake hands with me by when I snap
my hand to the right side, she shakes and when I snap my
hand to the left, she shakes. Jensyn, age 14, Texas USA

Me and my family have a German Shepherd.
My sister taught her this trick. When you say bark and
give a little EEP at her, she barks in a response it is soo cool!
Emily, age 14, Texas USA

I have taught my Doberman that when I point
my finger at her and say bang, she stops what she is doing,
falls on the floor, put her paws in the air, and stays like that
until she gets a treat or I call her. Danielle, age 19, Kentucky USA

I have a one year old German Shepherd/Lab mix
named Buster. He is about 65 pounds. I got him when he
was ten months old, and I love him to pieces. I don't know
what I would do without him. All his tricks, I taught him myself,
and we both love it because it means bonding, and lots of treats!
Here is what Buster knows:
•Sit
•Shake
•The other one(He gives me his paw, and I tell him to give me
the other one)
•Lay down
•Beg(he sits up on his butt like a person with his front paws raised)
•Bang!(Using my pointer and thumb, I make a gun with my hand
and say, Bang! Buster then lays on his back and stays still. I tell him,
"You can come back to life when i say 3. . . 1, 2,...10. 15. 20 .
three hundred twenty four...THREE! then, he jumps back to life)
•Rollover
•Hold it (I put a treat on his nose, and he balances it until I give him
the ok, then he snaps it up and catches it in his mouth)
•High five
•Wave
•Dance(This one is hilarious! He LOVES to chase a flashlight,
so I point the light up at the ceiling and make it go in circles.
In turn, he spins in circles after it!!!)
•Up (he jumps up when dancing)
•Pirouette (He jumps up, clicks his heals, and spins,
all in mid-air when dancing)
•Get me a drink (He goes into the kitchen, opens the fridge,
and gets me a can of soda)
•Take it to grandma! (Buster is my baby, my son. So my mom,
is his grandma. I give him an item and say "Take it to Grandma"
and he takes it to my mom.
•Spin: He spins once.
•Crawl: He walks with his stomach on the floor. Its hilarious.
•Yawn
•Aaah-CHOO!: I sneeze, and he brings me a tissue.
•Go find Dusti!( Dusti, is our little tabby cat. He searches the
house frantically until he finds her. Then, he licks her and nudges
her over to me very gently)
•Stay
•Heel
•Take a bow: After his performance, I tell the audience to clap,
and he bows(in the position a dog stretches)

Buster is so smart! when I got him, all he knew was sit, stay,
and lay down, and from there on he learned about a trick a day.
I love him more than I love myself!! Cherish your pets!!! I also
have two cats, an orange tabby tom named max, and a gray
tabby female named Dust bunny(Dusti) All in all, pet-dogs especially,
love to be loved, and for a bowl of food, a few toys, and a warm
place to sleep, you have a best friend for at least a good 12 years!
Alyssa, age 15, Florida USA

Send us your trick! or Jump to bottom of page

We haven't taught her many tricks, but we
taught her sit. Also, she can jump. We are teaching
her fetch. The dog is a mixed breed. She is a beautiful dog.
Love, Maddie the dog. Ruff Ruff Marissa, age 10, Arizona USA

My dog is named Bindi Sue. You might and
might not have read about Maddie and how she jumps
off my lap when I push my chair out. Now Bindi can dance.
Katherine, age 13, Ohio USA

I have a Tibetan-spaniel cross Jack Russell. He is a
divine, energetic dog that loves to play ball and run around.
Throughout the years, my family and I have taught him many tricks such as:
1.Sit
2.Up (which means he jump up. Your dog can use this trick to open the door)
3. Shake
4. Roll-over
5. Down
6. No! (which means he stops whatever he is doing e.g. digging)
7. Where is it? e.g. where is the ball? (he searches around for
the ball behind pot plants, under the bbq and other various places)
8. Up and hug (he jumps up onto your leg and hugs it)
9. Stay
10. Come on (he come's when you want him to)

and a few other silly tricks, lol. Some people think it's a
waste of time teaching your dog tricks, but at the
end of the day, you realize how close you have become
to your dog because you have spent time with them.
It can be frustrating at times, but don't get angry at your
dogs, just be gentle, fun and loving towards them.
Thanks heaps! Pattie, age 13, Victoria, Australia

I have taught my neighbor's dog Lad, a handsome
sable and black collie (age 6), to hug. When I wrap my
arms around his neck, he will put a front paw up on my
arm and tuck his head around my shoulder. Really he just
started doing this on his own. I love him to pieces!
Emma, age 16, Alaska USA

My dog is a Poodle named Cinnamon. She taught herself
this trick. I love to jump rope. One day she jumped in and we
were both jumping rope together. She can bark, I want my
mommy. Last, she can sit on my horse and look like she is
riding my horse. Sydnie, age 15, Florida USA

My Collie, Jess, is very smart and within the first week
we got her at 6 weeks old, I would say "bed time" and she
will immediately go into her bed for the night and go straight
to sleep. Even if she is hyper and playing and going crazy, I
say it once and she obeys straight away, no arguments!!
Stacy, Stirling, Scotland

My Pomeranian/Sheltie mix, Chanel, is 1 year old and
she can sit, shake, down, stay (the most was 20 minutes),
roll-over, and she also does all of these tricks with just hand
motions. When I roll my finger in one direction, she will roll
in whichever direction I roll my finger! Amazing! She also
stands on her two back feet and walks about 4 steps, and
can turn in circles while standing, and spin on the floor as well.

She can also go where ever you point and you can tell her to
"Go", find a toy if you ask "Go get me a toy!" and she will
bring it to you, and most recently, and my most favorite
she can pray! Yes pray. She can also say "Hello" is a cute
doggy voice, and she can speak (bark) on command. If I ask,
"Water? Food? Tinkle?" she will bark according to what she
wants. She makes me sooo proud and I love my Chanel!
Geraldyne, Kentucky

How to ring the doorbell to get let out for the bathroom.
When she started, I taped a treat to the doorbell and it worked!
Johnathan, age 16, Florida USA

Send us your trick! or Jump to bottom of page

I have a Jack Russell and I have taught him to not eat
a treat until I say "Okay". I just put the treat on the floor and
said "No" when he tried to get it and give him a treat after
5 seconds of him just looking at the treat on the floor. It's hard
at first because of the temptation, but once he knows you will
reward him after, they will follow orders. Belkys, age 17, New York USA

My dog, Eric, is a labradoodle. He is 10 months old and
he already knows the tricks sit, please (beg), crawl, paw,
kiss, roll over, down, high 5, circle, speak and bow, and he's
learning more. The key thing is use their favourite treat.
e.g. if you're teaching your dog to sit, you hold their favourite
treat above their nose and say sit. Have a try. Good Luck!xx
April, age 13, Essex England

I have a Blue Heeler puppy which I have taught to go
to the toilet when I say 'Busy'. This trick is very handy if
you are ever traveling over a long distance with your dog.
To teach them, just say keep saying 'Busy' as they're going
to the toilet, then praise them heaps once they are done.
If you are always consistent, your dog will go to the toilet
when you say 'Busy'. Kate, age 14, Australia

Send us your trick! or Jump to bottom of page

My beagle pup, Phoenix, is a very smart dog.
We taught him how to turn on and off the TV.
1. We taped a treat to the Power button.
2. Carefully Phoenix sniffed the treat putting his nose to the treat. Then it turned on.
3. After we did this for quite a long time Phoenix started to get the hang of it.
4. Now when we say "TV on" or "TV off", he simply does it.
5. To reward him, we give him a juicy treat.
Harrison and Paulina, ages 11 and 8, Ontario, Canada

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