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 you have taught
your dog and how you taught it.

Updated 7/2/09

My Boxer dog, Blaze, knows how to give paw and play dead. I taught
my dog how to do paw by taking his paw and putting it in my hand
until he got it right. and I taught Blaze how to play dead by lying
down on his side and saying BANG! Brady, age 13, Nova Scotia

Well, my dog is pretty smart and I taught her how to play tag.
She's a German Shepherd named Samantha. All you have to do is think of
something your dog loves. My dog loves her chew stick and I take it away
from her. She doesn't like anyone touching her stuff, so she runs fast with
her chew stick. When it's my turn I make sure she has nothing and run.
It's fun and it'll get you tired. Thank you for listening.
Jessica, age 13, California USA
Editor's Note: Be very cautious when playing chase games with your dog and
when taking food away from dogs. Make sure you know the dog's personality
and temperament. It's best to talk to your parents before playing these kinds of games.
Never take food away from or start a chase game with dogs you don't know very well.
Read this page for more safety tips.

Hello! I have a chocolate Lab called Abigail. She is very smart,
and knows lots of tricks. She knows shake, sit, down, gangster, spin,
stand up, speak, bedtime, wave, some agility, and a whole bunch of
retriever stuff (she's a hunting dog). My favorite is 'wave'. To teach it,
you get a treat and hold out your hand. If your dog knows 'shake,'
then he/she will put her/his paw up. Say "wave!" and pull your hand
away. At first, the dog might look a little confused, but he/she'll catch on.
Be sure to practice 'shake' while teaching this. It took Abigail about
two days to learn. Like I said, she's pretty darn smart. Wolf
Justine, age 10, Oregon, USA

Chloe, my dog, can do lots of tricks. Her most famous ones are,
'give me a hug' and 'dance'. For 'give me a hug,' I put her paws on my
neck and said "give me a hug". I did this several times until she got it!
She now jumps up to give me a hug! Dance was very easy. I put her
paws on my hands in the air, palms forward, and said 'dance' and
repeated this until she got it! Katherine, age 13, Virginia USA

I have taught my dog, Rosy:
1. High five - I did this by grabbing her paw and touching it to mine.
2. Speak - when I would tell her speak, she would bark and growl.
Rita, age 13, Germany

My dog's name is Pepper, she is fun and loves to go on walks.
I taught here how to sit. I'm not that good at tricks. I put a treat in my
hand and put a find out and pointed to the ground and when she sat,
I gave her the treat. Garrett, age 13, California USA

I taught my Golden Retriever, Moose, how to play hide and seek
by first hiding in an easy to see place while my younger brother would hold
Moose at the other end of the house. When I was hidden, I would yell,
"hide and seek!" and my brother would bring him around to different places
in the house. I said "hide and seek!" every minute or so until he found me.
Then I gave him a treat. Charlotte, age 14, Western Australia, Australia

I was very excited to teach my dog, Lucy, new tricks
when I started! I taught her how to sit, lay down, roll over, high 5,
high 5 jump, and my favorite...play dead! First, you have to get your
dog to lay down. Then you need to get them to lay on their side.
I just [gently] pushed and rolled my dog to the side to get her to be on her side.
Once they are on their side, make like a fake gun out of your hand
and point it at your dog. Then say "Boom, boom, boom!" and after they
have laid on their side while you have said this, then give them the treat.
NOTE: Teach the trick with the treat TIGHT in your hand. It might take
some time for them to get it, but they will eventually!
Good Luck! Ashlyn, age 14 , Colorado USA

The trick I taught my dog was how to jump. First, what I
did is I got a treat and showed to her. Then while my sister was holding
the treat, I showed my dog how to jump about five times. Then I held
the treat and I said, "Jump!" Finally she jumped and I gave her the treat
and I told her she was a good girl. Maria, age 11, Florida USA

Send us your trick! or Jump to bottom of page

When I tried to teach my dog, Otto, shake, he wouldn't get it.
It took at least one week for him to get it, but I kept trying. Now he knows it
so well that I don't even have to say shake. Alexandra, age 8, Queensland, Australia

I taught my dog how to weave between my legs. First,
I had him sit in front of me. Then when I had his attention I lured
him between my legs with a treat. First I had him go around one leg
and then the other. After he caught on to it, and he would weave
without be lured by the food, I started slowly walking forward.
Now he weaves between my legs while I walk. This is one fun trick
to teach! And my dog loves doing it! Lindsay, age 17, Ohio USA

I have a Golden Retriever/Husky mix named Bear
(but I call him Care Bear). I have taught him how to sit, lie down,
beg, high five, crawl, roll over, spin, bow, circle, jump (over), and
he knows how to do target touching.

My favorite tricks to teach him were to take a bow, and to target.
To get him to take a bow I would take my treat and slide it to the floor,
he would try to lie down but you have to put your arm under his belly
so he has to keep his bum up. Then when his front paws are on the floor
and he is bowing, you take your arm out and give him the treat. It only
took him 25 minutes to learn.

I also teach bear how to touch targets. I use a pack of playing cards
because it is only small. First off you should just get him to touch your
hand by saying touch, and then patting his nose with your palm. After he
will touch your palm, then you put your target in your hands. Once he will
touch that, then you raise the target so that it's above his nose and he has
to reach or jump to touch it. After awhile he should jump up to touch it.
Then you can lay your target on the floor or counter top and tell him
to touch it. I am now trying to get Bear to turn off a light switch by
placing the target next to the switch. Its coming along good, but he
still gets confused. Good luck teaching your dog tricks and have fun!
Brittany, age 15, Newfoundland, Canada

Finish: It's where you've called your dog and they sit,
then walk around you. Call your dog and command them to sit.
Once they've sat, with a treat in your hand follow it around your
body and the dog should follow! Anonymous, age 15

Trick: STAND ON BACK
My dog stands on my back. To do this, you kneel on the ground and
hold a treat over your head and if your dog trusts you, it MAY get on
your back. Eventually your dog will jump on your back while you are
standing up. Warning:
*This is for small dogs only
*Your dog will stand on your back if it trusts you
*It is sometimes harder on your own Kayleigh, age 13

I have a miniature longhaired Dachshund puppy named
Elliott. He is about five months old. When he gets older, I am going
to teach Elliott agility so he needs to know some basic agility first.
So far I have taught him come, sit, and twirl. To teach twirl you first
need to find your puppy's favorite treat. Elliott loves cat food. Show
your dog the treat, say "twirl or spin" and lead your dog in a circle,
but make sure you always go the same way. In no time your puppy
can dance! Savannah, age 13

I have a yellow Lab. Her name is Sadie and I started
teaching her tricks the first day I got her. She was around four months.
Anyway, I taught her lay, shake, kennel up, sit, high five, play dead,
roll over, catch her food, stay, and some other in the course of a week!!
Labradors are really smart. You should think about getting one.
Abby, age 14, Iowa USA

I adopted my dog, Jake, when he was five months old
from the local shelter. He is very smart and well behaved, and
a joy to teach. He knows many tricks, including 'Spread 'em' and
how to 'Spin' both to the right and to the left. I use clicker training,
but you can train them with just treats and praise!

Spread'em is where I point to a wall, and he goes to it and puts
his front paws onto it and waits there while I pat his sides. He'll stay
there until I say 'okay'. I taught it by holding a treat up on the wall
and tapping it there until he got frustrated and put his paws up
to bring his head within reaching distance. I then clicked my
clicker and praised enthusiastically, giving him his treat.
He caught on very quick, and it's very easy to teach.

I taught 'spin right' and 'spin left' by luring him around in a circle
after his tail with a treat and praising him and giving him the food
when he was facing me again. Now, in addition to the verbal cue,
I can just spin my finger in either direction and he'll do it,
even several times in a row if I want. Oh, Jake is a one and
a half years old now. Samantha, age 15, Alaska USA

I taught my dog, Ben, spin by clicking my fingers and
twirling my fingers around with a treat in my hand. But here
is a tip: do not shout at your dog no matter if it was born
to be shouted at!!! Khennedy, age 14, Alabama USA

My Dog, Tinker, is a Shetland Sheepdog and is very smart. =P
She knows the basics like sit, down, stay, come, and heel, but I've
taught her lots of other tricks such as beg, shake, high five, roll over,
bang (play dead), crawl, through (jumps through hoops), bow, talk,
hit (taps whatever I point at), and leave it (she leaves whatever it
was she was going to eat/bark at). I can also tell Tink, 'tell Mum',
and she'll run over and hit mum. This works wherever Mum is
in the room, as long as it's sitting down. Tselliah, age 16, Australia

Send us your trick! or Jump to bottom of page

Okay, here is a fun tick to teach. It takes up to a few weeks.
The trick is 'limp'. It takes a few weeks because it's muscle memory.
Okay, have your dog stand, grab his paw with one hand and use your
other hand with a treat in it and pull it away. While he is following it,
say 'limp'. He will be hopping. After a while, let go right when you have
him standing and see if he limps when you limp. It can take a while though.
Joelle, age 13, Ohio USA

I have a two year old Shih Tzu dog and she knows lotsv of tricks. She can sit, lay down, roll over, high five, shake paw,
and spin on her back legs three times in a row.

I taught her how to 'Be on Fire!'. Your dog needs to know how
to stop, sit, lay down, and roll. Then you tell them to stop, sit,
and lay down and then roll over. Give her a treat, she just stopped,
dropped, and rolled.

Then you need to teach her that 'You're on fire!' means to stop,
drop, and roll. Just say, "You're on fire!" Then quietly say,
"Stop, drop, and roll" until she does it without your saying it.
My dog learned this in about twenty minutes,
but yours might take longer or shorter. Next I plan to teach
Zoe "You're Under Arrest."
Hayleygh, age 13, B.C. Canada "Everybody loves a Canadian girl"

My Chihuahua, Chico, can stand on its hind legs, but it's really
hard to teach him tricks. But my Beagle, Bocifus, can sit, almost lay,
and almost roll over. Haleigh, age 13, Ohio USA

I taught my dog to do almost all of the tricks on this website,
and most of them before I even found this website. The coolest trick
I taught my dog to do was play dead. This website shows this trick,
but I do it a bit different. Instead of telling the dog to play dead,
I say "bang" and hold up a gun on my hand using my fingers!
Then he acts like he was shot. Callan, age 14, Texas USA

Hey, I have taught my dog, Dasiy (Rough Collie)
105 tricks but she gets confused sometimes. My favorite one is
when she does peekaboo. How you do this is get a treat and then
guide your dog though your legs (make sure only the head of
your dog is peeking out). Then guide the treat upward to you
and then when your dog looks at you, you say, "Peekaboo" and
then give them the treat and say good boy or girl and just keep
doing it and your dog will get the hang of it soon.
Danyel, age 14, Michigan, USA

I have a one and a half year old female yellow lab named Marlene Vanilla,
but everyone calls her Marley. She knows how to: sit, stay, come, jump (over),
crawl, under, dance, through, paw (high 5), and how to pull me on my
scooter.

My favorite trick is over. I taught her how to do it by setting a bar a
little bit off of the ground, and slowly coaxing her over it. I tried to get
her over the bar by: running down our hall so she would chase me and jump
over the bar, by saying "Help, help!" so she would come running and go over
the bar to help me, by holding her collar and running with her to get her
over the bar (not very effective), and lastly by squatting on one side of
the bar with treats and calling her to me (most effective), all the while
praising her when she did it right.

After a while she caught on, and I would raise the bar up. We got to the
point where the bar was about 1 ft. and 1/2 to 2 feet off the ground.
My dog was only a little more than a foot tall and she could
still jump over the bar!

One piece of advice I have for you, though, is to make sure your dog doesn't
walk around the bar or go under it (both of which my dog sometimes does). I
hope you have a LOT of luck. Nicole, age 11, Georgia USA

I taught my dog Dash to jump through a hula hoop
by placing two big old steel buckets and placing the hula hoop in the
middle. Then I held a treat up and I put it in front of her nose
and pulled it through the hula hoop. If your dog goes around the
buckets they either need the hula hoop lower or more training.
Alex, age 9, Australia

My dog knows sit, stay, come, lay, and more. I taught my
Pomeranian dog, Taz, sit by putting my thumbs on his front two legs
and with my other hand pushes (very gently) his back two down.

I taught him stay by showing him a treat putting my hand in stop
and putting the treat behind my back and to make him do come I
put the treat in front of me, go down on my knees and pat my thighs.
I taught him lay by doing sit and removing my thumb and pushing
the top down (gently). Alexandria, age 11, Wisconsin USA

My Shih Tzu is called Troy. He likes to play ball.
He goes a bit loopy when he comes out of the bath. It's funny.
He's four months old now and I love him very much. Chelsea, age 9, Cardiff

My dog, Mocha, can shake a paw and turn around.
My sister taught her how to shake a paw so I don't know how she did it.
I taught her to turn around by letting her follow the treat I gave to her.
Carmen, age 10, Vernon British Columbia

Send us your trick! or Jump to bottom of page

I taught my dog sit and she does it quite well. I also taught her
paw while she was sat down, so she can do those two now. I'm teaching
her paw when she's standing up and she does it sometimes. And I'm
teaching her dance, she also does that sometimes. She is a cute little
Border Terrier puppy!!! Aw! I taught her sit by pushing her bum down gently
and saying sit, and giving her treat. I kept on doing this and then when
I thought she was ready I let her do it by herself.

I taught her paw by tapping the back of the paw and lifting it up,
and saying paw and also gave her a treat. I kept on doing this again
until I thought she was ready. She did it with me tapping the back of
her paw and saying paw, then I taught her again without the tapping,
and just saying and she does it. I do the same with standing and paw,
but without lifting it. I taught her dance by putting a treat up a bit then
lifting her up and saying dance. Then I just put it to her mouth and
moved it up a bit and say dance then she jumps up a bit!!

Hope you can teach your dog some of them =]!!
I need to teach my puppy more!! Bye! =] :)Ellie, age 13, Hull, United Kingdom

I taught my dog Beau, a 12 year old Black Lab/English Pointer,
to do many tricks within 2 weeks. His best tricks are beg and shake
right now. He learns very well. There is no such thing as you can't
teach an old dog new tricks! We are starting to work on the tricks
from the trick page as well. But, other than doing tricks, Beau likes to
hunt, fish, swim and follow me around the farm. He is my best friend.
I've been with Beau since I was one year old! Happy Tails!
Dezy, age 13, Virginia USA

I taught my dog, Gertie, a Burmese mountain dog/terrier mix
how to take a nap and which hand is the treat in? I taught her how to
take a nap by telling her to sit, then lay down and wait for her hips to
shift to one side, then slowly push her down and if her head kept
popping up, I would take the treat and bring her head down and say take a nap.

I taught my dog how to do which hand is the treat in by easily taking
a treat putting my hands behind my back so she cannot see it. After I
took my hands out she would nudge the hand it was in, then I gave
her the treat. Olivia, age 10, New York USA

Hiya!! My dogs are named Mac and Max. Mac knows a lot of tricks,
more than Max. He knows: sit,, beg, jump, roll over, and my favorite: he leads
blind kids like me. I'm blind in one eye. Here are the tricks that Max knows:
jump, hide, crawl, fight, bite, smell. He knows all those because he's a police dog.
Bye!!! Chianne, age 14, Kentucky USA

[My dog knows] sit, stay, come, go, lay, up, shake, double shake.
I did all by doing it a lot and eye contact. Wori, age 11, Texas USA

I taught my dog to 'high five'. It's like shake except you
put one hand in the high five position. You say "high five". If she
does it, give her the trick. It will take about 5-10 minutes if your
dog can't do it, that's ok. Elizabeth, age 14 Illinois USA

What up! I have two dogs, a German Shepherd and a
Doberman Pinscher. The Doberman's is named Destiny, but she
only knows basic commands. My German Shepherd is named Roush
and she knows quite a few tricks, but my two favorites are
"jump through a hoop" and "dance." I taught her to jump through
a hoop by holding the hoop and letting her walk through it, and as she
would walk through I would say, "jump!" Every time she walked through
I raised the hoop higher and higher giving her a treat. She LOVES jumping
through a hoop!

I taught her how to dance by holding a treat in the air and I said,
"Dance!" every time she jumped for the treat. She learned it
very well and likes getting the treats every time she dances. I hope I
gave you some good training tips! Woof, Woof! Hannah, age 10, Ohio USA

I taught my Beagle/Miniature Pinscher mix, Chrissy, who is
two years old to "Take a Nap" by simply making her lay on her side,
rest her head down and then I say, "Take a Nap." Gab, age 9, Ohio USA

My dog is called Chili. He knows a few tricks:
sit, down, stay, but my favorite is Speak and Play. When I say Speak,
he barks and growls and when I say,"Play", he plays this little
toy piano! Sara, age 13, Netherlands

I taught my dog how to get off of the furniture when
I say, "up, up, up"! I taught it to him on accident. Every time that
I would get up, I would say, "up, up, up!" and I guess that he just
learned it on his own by experience. Jason, age 13, Louisiana USA

Send us your trick! or Jump to bottom of page

I have a Golden Retriever named Cassie who, at this point,
is about 7 years old. I've taught her 'Go to sleep' and 'wake up,' which
she learned surprisingly fast and well. I first told her 'lie down' which
she already knew. While saying 'go to sleep,' I made her roll onto her
side and saying 'go to sleep' again, I [helped] her head down till it was
lying on the ground, the whole time, letting her know I did have a treat
in my hand by keeping it close to her nose and in sight. Any time she tried
to get it without me saying ok, I would pull the treat away and say no.

She fought back with me [helping] her head down of course, so I made up
my own trick for that. Once I get her head down I only covered the tip of her
snout with my hand and had the treat under my hand as well. That way
she smells it and knows it's there, but she can't see it so she will lay almost
perfectly still hoping that I'll give it to her (don't let the treat get too close to
her mouth, however (or she will try getting it blindly).

While doing this I kept saying 'go to sleep' and after about 5-6 times
saying it, I said "good girl" and gave her the treat. I did this a few times
more and once she started to understand what I wanted from her, I tried
getting her to keep her head down without my [helping]. She didn't get it
at first, but it didn't take long. We slowly progressed until it got to the point
were she would roll onto her side all on her own after I said 'go to sleep'.
It wasn't long before she could do it almost perfectly.

Then I started to teach her 'wake up'. Up till now I gave her treats for lying
on her side and staying there for a moment. Now I would get her to 'go to sleep'
making sure she saw the treat in my hand. Then, after a moment, I would jerk
my hand with the treat up and say "wake up!" in a perky voice. Naturally,
she would follow the treat and get up. After doing that only about 3-4 times
I was able to say 'wake up' without having to move my hand and she would
sit up on her own.

I just want to say thanks to you. I've always wanted to teach my dog tricks,
but never knew where to start. After finding your website, actually understood
the instructions and accomplishing teaching her a new trick, I have a lot of
confidence and I'm definitely going to teach her more. Thank you.
Akira, age 16, South Dakota USA (Author's note: You are very welcome! Glad you like the tricks!)

I taught my dog to play BANG and roll over. For bang, I laid her
on her side, said bang, and then said good girl. Then she started
to get it and I started using a hand signal. For roll over, I told her
to first do bang, then I got a treat, and put it on one side of her
so she would roll over, then I would praise her.
Edie, ge 13, New Hampshsire USA

Catch: You put your hand on your dog's snout, put the treat
behind it, remove your hand, and the dog should lift his nose up and catch it!
Kim, age 13, Pennsylvania USA

I have 8 dogs and successfully taught my 4 year old mutt,
Rosco, to sit, lay, shake, beg, sit pretty, roll over, jump, high five,
kiss, catch, leave it, stay, come, twirl, dance, and agility. It took a
lot of time, but he is a quick learner. One of my 9 month old
Chihuahuas, Zoro, recently learned how to sit, lay, roll over,
crawl, and leave it. It's like I can talk to my dogs really. They
understand me and it's just so cool.

My favorite trick is dance. I say up and put some music
on and Rosco puts his paws in my hands and we twirl
around and if I say back he walks backwards
and then he goes through my legs. It's so much fun.
Corinne, age 14, Arizona USA

To teach my Jack Russell Terrier to 'dance', I take a treat
and spin it in circles above my dog's head. She spins around and around!
Angelina, age 13, California USA

Silent commands: Firstly, your dog needs to know the basics
(sit, stay, lie down, maybe paw). Ask your dog to do the trick as usual,
but include a SIMPLE action, e.g. when asking Ellie to sit, I point at her
hind quarters. After 3 or 4 times, don't say the command, only do the
action, if your dog does it the first time round treat them. If not repeat
the first step. I found that dogs learn this trick easily. Hello, age 14, England

To lay down, I told her to sit. Then I put my hand on the ground
and said, "lay down." Then I lightly [helped] her towards the floor until
she was in the lay down position. Then I kept on doing that each day until
she understood how to do that without me [helping] her down, but I still
have to put my hand on the ground for her to do that.
Halie, age 13, North Carolina USA

I taught my almost 2 year old lab to jump through a hoop.
First, I got a hoop (a hula hoop to be exact). Then I got a treat. He's
a lab so he'll eat anything. I had him sit at one end of my yard and I
went to the other side. I said Harry, come. He came and when he neared
the hoop, I threw food through it and said, "Hoop." He jumped through it
and I praised him and gave him half a treat.

Also, I taught him how to spin in like 5 minutes. I got food and had
him follow me with it and said, "spin." After repeating it a few times
he got the hang of it. I love him so much and labs are so eager to please.
I'm working on bow, hide, and open the fridge. Thanks for all this information.
Anne, age 13, New York USA

I taught my dog to shake. All I did was picked up his paw,
and said, "shake." He is a very intelligent dog, and I am so proud of him.
He knows 4 tricks, and it only took him a day to learn them.
HE IS SO, SO SMART!! "Pitbull", age 16, Arkansas USA

Send us your trick! or Jump to bottom of page

I have taught my dog to sit about 20 meters away from me
and run up to me and sit right at my feet and also about every other trick
in this site :) I love my dog. He is a Rhodesian Ridgeback crossed with a Lab.
Jess, age 13, New Zealand

I taught my Yorkshire Terrier, which are very tough dogs,
to train to rollover!! First, I taught him to sit, then go down. Then when
he would go down, I would roll him over. I did that a lot, for a long time.
Then I think he got it and I would just tap is side. Then he'd roll. Then he
got that. Doing that got him a treat, so he would just roll when I put my
hand near his side. =] Jenn, age 14, West Virginia

I taught my eleven month old Jack Russell, Buster, to shake.
I held a treat in my hand and gave it to him to smell. I lifted [his paw]
and said the command "shake" He is now a great hand shaker, all
because of me! Poppy, age 13, Benidgo Australia

I have a Puggle who is one year old. I have taught
her to put her head down on command by just keeping a treat
on the floor with my hand over it and she caught on. I have also
taught her to flip over like she's dead with the command, Bang.
All you do is put them on their back and say bang and just praise
them and give a treat and they will catch on.
Ashley, age 16, South Carolina USA

I got my dog, Domino, and I taught him to sit by: [touching]
his bottom gently. Thanks from Domino and me, Jules.
Jules, age 13, New Jersey USA

Trick: High Five
First of all, say "paw" to your puppy/dog whenever they want
something, i.e. dinner time, before you put their leash on to go
for a walk. Lift up their paw onto your hand. Repeat this until they
will do it by themselves. Then a few days later, hold a treat in
between your thumb and your pointing finger, say paw and get
the dog to put their paw on the palm of your hand after you have
repeated this, say the words "high five paw" and eventually
just say "high five". Nadia, age 14, Scotland

I taught my eleven month old Jack Russell, Buster, to shake.
I held a treat in my hand and gave it to him to smell. I squeezed his paw
(not too hard)and lifted it and said the command "shake." He is now
a great hand shaker, all because of me! Poppy, age 13, Benidgo Australia

I taught my puppy, Mia, Leave It. I taught her the way
that you guys say to and it worked very well!!!!!!! She also knows
how to shake...to teach her that I put a treat in my hand and I put
it by her nose. Eventually she started to paw at it and when she did,
I said "shake mia" and then I gave her the treat. She is a smart
little dog and I <3 her lots!!!Anonymous, age 12, New Jersey USA

Hello, my name is Jessica and I have 3 dogs.
I try and teach them a lot. They know basic obedience
and a few tricks. Here is one of them...to 'hug', tell your dog
to give a 'paw', then teach them to give the other, too. After
a while put your knees on the floor and say "paw" and pat your
shoulder. Then repeat with the other paw when they have both
paws up, you say "nice hug" and give them a treat. My dogs do it
when I say "hug" now :) Jessica, age 13, Illinois USA

I taught my puppy, Pito, how to stay. I make him sit
and I show him my hand and say, "STAY." Then I grab a treat
in my other hand, and place it down. If he starts moving towards it,
I grab back the treat until when I throw a treat, he doesn't move.
But remember always after saying, "STAY" to also say, "GO"
and slap your hands on your legs to get him excited so he will
get the treat. Gabriel, age 13 USA

Play dead! Give me paw! So when we adopted him,
he loved to play 'give me your paw' and ' to lie down'.
He started playing dead. We did not teach him that.
He just caught on. He is real talented and we love him.
Shyanne, age 15, Pennsylvania USA

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Rattle: Spray your dog with a hose while saying, "Rattle!"
while he shakes himself off. Practice this a few times, then
say "Rattle" without the water! Praise him with treats or hugs.
Laney, age 10, North Dakota USA

My rescued dog, Maddie, 1 1/2 years old is a very
smart Lab/Terrier mix. We got her when she was only a puppy,
within just two days of having her I had taught her how to
sit and shake. For sit, I simply had a treat in my hand and
raised it over her head until she sat and said "Sit." Then when
she did it, I praised her and gave her the treat. Jackie, age 15, New Jersey USA

I have a 9 month Border Collie. Her name is Lady and I
have taught her sit, bow, jump, seek, shake, play dead,
hide, to look sad (puppy eyes), lay, stay, crawl, kiss, hug,
and speak. They are all cute. She tries her best to do things
right, which helps a lot. and she can catch a Frisbee™ in her
mouth. She's fast and fun. She's a working dog. I found her
with a collar on that was four inches wide and she couldn't
eat! She could barely drink!! She was nearly dead. She was
abandoned, but now she has a loving family. She's a good dog
and smart! Suzie, age 15, New Jersey USA

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

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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

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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

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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 buttuntil 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

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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

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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

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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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