Fun fact for you folks: when I got my first dog after moving into my first apartment by myself, I did not have cable or internet. I spent much of my free time training and teaching my dog tricks like playing dead or fetching beer from the fridge. As you might imagine, my dog got pretty good at those things since we worked on them just about every day. As we continue to social distance, now is as good a time as any to teach your dog a few new tricks! Short, frequent training sessions are a great way to break up your work-from-home day, and these easy but cute dog tricks are super simple to teach, but yield really adorable results.
Before we get started, you’ll need some training treats, a reward marker (clicker or a word used to mark desired behavior), and a positive attitude. Remember to keep training sessions short and upbeat; they should be fun for both you AND your dog. If either of you are getting frustrated, take a play break and come back to training later. Honestly, you can do as many of these short sessions throughout the day as much as you and your dog want! As long as you are both having fun, you can’t really “over train.”
Finally, most of these tricks require very basic obedience cues like sit or down. If your dog has not learned those cues, start there before incorporating these fun and easy but cute dog tricks!
Trick One: Twirl
This is one of the easiest tricks in the book, but so fun! Every dog that learns this trick seems to love it and have a lot of fun performing it. Best of all, this trick requires no prerequisite knowledge. All you need for this easy but cute dog trick is some training treats.
Start with your dog standing in front of you. Say your cue word (mine is “twirl”) and then lure your dog to turn in a circle with a treat. As soon as they’ve made the full circle, mark the behavior with a clicker or word and reward. Most dogs pick this up pretty fast with only a few repetitions. However, you can start by doing this 5-10 times in a row once or twice a day until your dog gets the hang of it. Then, you can fade out the lure.
In my experience, a hand signal goes a long way when you fade the lure out. If your dog doesn’t respond to your cue word alone, move your hand in a circle like you would if you were luring so that your dog follows. If they still don’t get it, go back to the lure phase for a few more sessions and then try to fade the lure out again.
Another way to build on this cue is to teach your dog “twirl left” and “twirl right” so that they learn to twirl in both directions!
Trick Two: Crawl
I recently started teaching my dog, June, this easy but cute dog trick and it has been so much fun! Start with your dog laying down. Bring a training treat a few inches away from their nose and tell them to “Crawl!” or another cue that indicates your dog doesn’t need to hold the down command. You may need to bring the treat to your dog’s nose and then lure them forward. As soon as they move even a tiny bit forward, mark the behavior with your clicker or word and reward them.
Once your dog starts to get the hang of it, grab a handful of about 5 treats. Start with your dog laying down and bring your hand to their nose. Give your cue and move your hand forward so that your dog has to “crawl” towards your hand to get the treat. Mark, reward, and repeat, all while keeping your dog in a down position. Ideally, it looks like this: cue, reward; cue, reward; cue, reward; etc, until all five treats are gone. Then, release your dog and give them lots of praise.
If your dog stands up at any time, simply have them lay back down and start over. If your dog is struggling, you can even incorporate a non-reward marker (like the word “no”) when they stand up to indicate that’s incorrect. This isn’t meant to be a negative, simply another cue to guide your dog towards what you want. Be sure to only mark/reward the correct behavior, but don’t forget to mark/reward even the smallest amount of correct behavior! It doesn’t matter if your dog crawls one inch or one foot, you should still mark and reward.
As your dog gets the gist of it, you can slowly begin to increase distance before rewarding. When upping the ante like this, be sure to take baby steps. You want to challenge your dog just enough to make them think, but you don’t want to confuse or frustrate them.
Trick Three: Beg
Also known as “sit pretty,” this is one of my favorite easy but cute dog tricks! Not only is it adorable, it’s also quite functional. This trick helps build core strength for your dog, which is important for their overall physical health. Just like people, dogs need to build up their strength over time. As they build their strength, their balance will improve. This, in turn, helps build duration. A great tip I learned for building duration with this trick is to use a spoonful of peanut butter, which you’ll read about below.
Start with your dog in a sit. Hold the peanut butter or training treat just high enough so that your dog must lift its front paws off the ground to reach. If your dog comes to a full stand, move the treat away until they sit back down, then try again. When they are sitting up on their butt with their front paws off the ground, mark the behavior with your clicker or reward marker word and reward.
As your dog gets the hang of this, add in a verbal cue. I use “Beg.” Say the cue, then lure your dog into position with the treat. Mark the behavior and reward. Repeat this process until you feel your dog understands what you are asking of them. Now, it’s time to build that duration!
To start, use a spoonful of peanut butter and let them lick it as long as they maintain the position. Intermittently use your reward marker to mark the duration. The benefit of the peanut butter is it encourages them to hold the position better than a single treat. Even if they fall over or take a moment to rest, they are encouraged to pop back up. This is how you build their core strength. If you don’t have peanut butter, you can use a handful of treats. Just deliver a steady supply of treats to encourage your dog to hold the position.
As your dog grasps the command and builds their strength, you can fade out the lure. Eventually, this becomes a great trick for photos! Additionally, this fun trick is the foundation for many other cute tricks like hide, hug, or pray.
Benefits of These Cute But Easy Dog Tricks
There are so many benefits to teaching your dog these cute but easy dog tricks. While we are all confined at home, training is a great way to tire your dog out and keep them from going stir crazy. Many times, a mental workout is far more effective than a physical workout when it comes to tiring your dog! Plus, teaching your dog fun tricks is a wonderful way to strengthen your relationship. Finally, teaching your dog new tricks is great for your mental health, too! Training sessions are a fun way to break up your work day and give you something positive to focus on. Interacting with your pets can reduce stress and anxiety, and it’s rewarding to watch your dog succeed. Not to mention these tricks are so cute that you can’t help but smile when your dog performs them.
What are some of your dog’s favorite tricks? Share them in the comments, or tag us on social media @dogfriendlysa!
More training tips & ideas:
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