15 Tricks to Teach Your Dog, From Easiest to Hardest

The trick tree: what builds on what

Most trick lists are just lists. The problem: if you try "play dead" before your dog has a solid down, you'll both get frustrated. Tricks grow from three starting positions, and each one makes the next easier.

Before you start a branch, make sure the root is reliable: your dog should sit and lie down on a single cue, at home, without a treat in your hand. If not, start with our guides to basic dog training and teaching your dog to lie down. A good stay helps too: it's the base for play dead and for posing for photos.

All 15 tricks at a glance

How to teach any trick

Every trick below uses the same toolkit. Once you know these three ways to get a behavior, you can teach almost anything:

• Luring: a treat at your dog's nose guides them into position. Fast, but fade the lure early or your dog will only work when they see food.
• Capturing: wait for something your dog does on their own (a stretch that looks like a bow, a bark) and mark it the moment it happens.
• Shaping: reward small steps toward the final trick. Great for things a lure can't show, like tidying up toys.

In all three, a marker tells your dog the exact moment they got it right: a short word like "Yes!" or a click. If you've never used one, our guide to clicker training explains how to start. Reward-based methods like these are the ones the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends (AVSAB, 2021).

Keep sessions short. In a study on dogs learning a new task, those trained in single, spaced-out sessions learned better than those doing several sessions back to back (Demant et al., 2011). For tricks, 3-5 minutes and five to ten good reps is plenty. End on a success.

Easy tricks

1. Shake

With your dog sitting, hold a treat in a closed fist low in front of their chest. Most dogs will paw at it: mark and open your hand. Then present an open palm instead and mark when the paw lands in it. Add the word "Shake" once it's happening reliably. Full steps in our shake guide.

2. Touch

Hold two fingers or a flat palm a few inches from your dog's nose. Most dogs sniff it: mark the moment the nose bumps your hand, and reward. Move your hand a little to the side, then higher and lower. "Touch" is a superpower: you can use it to move your dog around, get attention on walks and build tricks like close the door.

3. Spin

With your dog standing, put a treat at their nose and draw a slow, wide circle at their head height. Mark when they complete the turn. After a few reps, make the circle smaller with your hand until a small twirl of your finger is enough. Teach both directions ("Spin" and "Twist") for a fancier version.

4. Go to your mat

Toss a treat onto a mat or bed. When your dog steps on it, mark and reward on the mat. Gradually wait for all four paws, then for a down on the mat. It's less a trick than a life skill: a "place" to go when guests arrive or you're eating.

Medium tricks

5. Speak

Find something that makes your dog bark (a knock, a doorbell sound), mark the bark and reward. Add "Speak" just before the trigger. Teach "Quiet" at the same time by marking a pause in barking. If your dog is already a barker, consider skipping this one. See our speak guide for how to keep it under control.

6. High five

Start with shake, then hold your palm a bit higher and turned toward your dog, like a high five. Mark when the paw touches. Raise your hand gradually over several sessions.

7. Bow

With your dog standing, lower a treat from their nose straight down between their front paws, and slightly back. The front end goes down while the rear stays up. Mark that exact moment, before they lie down completely. A hand under the belly is not needed: if the rear keeps sinking, mark sooner. You can also capture the natural morning stretch.

8. Back up

Stand facing your dog in a narrow space, like a hallway. Step toward them; when they take a step back, mark and toss the treat behind them. Build to two or three steps. Keep it short for older dogs.

9. Crawl

From a down, slowly drag a treat along the floor away from your dog's nose. Mark the first shuffle forward while the belly stays low. If they pop up, the treat is moving too fast. Crawling under your legs or a low chair helps.

10. Roll over

From a down, move a treat from their nose toward their shoulder so they flop onto one hip, then over their back, then all the way around. Teach it in pieces and reward each piece. It's one of the most searched tricks, so it has its own step-by-step roll over guide. Do it on a soft surface.

11. Fetch

Some dogs fetch naturally; many chase and then keep the toy. Start by rewarding a touch of the toy, then picking it up, then bringing it a step closer, then dropping it in your hand. Our fetch guide breaks it down, including dogs that won't let go.

Advanced tricks

12. Wave

Ask for a high five, but pull your hand away at the last moment so the paw waves in the air. Mark the air paw. Gradually move your hand farther away and turn your gesture into a small wave of your own.

13. Play dead

From a down, lure your dog onto their side, the way you started roll over, and mark when they are flat. Add a stay so they hold it for a second or two. Then add the cue: "Bang!" with a finger gun is a classic. Skip it for dogs with back problems.

14. Tidy up toys

Teach this backward. First, reward dropping a toy into a box held right under their mouth. Then move the box a little away, then on the floor. Then ask them to pick up a toy a step away and drop it in. Finally, add more toys. It needs a good fetch and "drop it."

15. Close the door

Stick a sticky note on a cabinet door and teach your dog to touch it (start with touch on your hand, then the note). Once they nose it firmly, the door closes. Avoid doors that require your dog to jump up if they are small or older.

Basics first, then tricks, one lesson a day

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Tricks for seniors and sensitive bodies

Tricks are great mental exercise for older dogs, but not every trick suits every body. A simple rule: if a trick twists the spine, puts weight on the back legs only or involves jumping, check with your vet first for dogs with arthritis, back problems or a long back.

Puppies can learn tricks too, in 1-3 minute sessions. Avoid repeated jumping while they're growing; our puppy training schedule shows how tricks fit in week by week. And for days when you just want to tire their brain, try our brain games for dogs.

When a trick won't click

FAQ

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