List Of Dog Tricks

Sunflower23881

New Member
Do you guys know of any websites where it has a huge list of dog tricks and a little description of each? I might be getting a puppy in a couple of months and was just wondering different words people use for tricks because I know some are similar and not quite the same and some tricks I don't know what to call them. You can also post a list of what your dog knows:)
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
A NEW DOG? HOW EXCITING!!! AND HOW WONDERFUL that you plan to train your dog! YESsssss!!!

Sunflower, not sure what country you live in, but you might want to consider how much easier bringing home an adult dog can be, compared to a puppy.
Just a thought, since you do have time to mull it over.
http://www.petfinder.com/index.html
^ That link IS worth looking over, to see if any of those dogs in need tug on your heart.:love: Most of them are perfectly lovely, innocent dogs just hoping someone gives them a chance, just a chance to show how much love they have to give.

^That website does not work in all countries, but most other countries DO have a website dedicated to helping homeless dogs find a loving home. If you DO know what breed you want, and you have researched that breed well to know what to generally expect, you can also google your town's or area's name, plus the word rescue. For example, if you lived in Florida, you could google, "Florida golden retriever rescue" etc etc.



Puppies do not fit into everyone's lifestyle. One has to be ready to do lil rug shampoos every few hours, for months of potty training. There are many stages of puppyhood that do not appeal to eveyrone, like the nonstop nipping stage with those razor sharp teeth, the destructive chewing stage, when you might lose your favorite shoes or your cell phone, the up all night with a crying whining dog stage, the "can't be home alone very long" stage, and the multiple frustrations some ppl seem to have teaching a puppy even the basic rules, (DO peruse this website...) to name just a few of the reasons puppies are way more work than bringing home an adult dog.

Plus, puppies are always a bit of mystery, no way to know for sure what the adult dog will be like. (no, looking at his parents is not always accurate:ROFLMAO: recessive genes exist in dogs, just like in humans)
Will he be hyper? Dog-aggressive? Barks alll the time? A shedding machine? Not that friendly? A slug when you wanted a jogging partner? A fireball, when you yourself wanted a laid back dog? Healthy and free of disorders, with good solid hips, elbows and eyes? An extremely fussy eater prone to digestive upsets? An easily frightened, jumpy, nervous type of dog? A dog who gets carsick and you travel a lot? A dog who needs his anal glands pumped out every two weeks? Is it a dog who is less biddable, less than enthusiastic about agility or training in general?
A compulsive nonstop "hand-licker"? A dog prone to skin disorders? Affectionate or stand off-ish? Even size of the adult dog can be a bit of a mystery when you bring home a puppy....

many of those things, is no way to know when you bring home a mystery puppy......even from a breeder who is cranking out litter after litter after litter. Or worse, from a petshop.

and maybe you DO plan to look over the homeless dogs or puppies in your area :D when it is time to bring a canine love into your life, but just in case you, or anyone else reading along, want to know more about the "whys?" of this type of thinking, here is a thread you might care to look over...
http://www.dogtrickacademy.com/members/forums/threads/dont-buy-a-dog-not-any-dog-at-all.3109/
AT ANY RATE, HAPPY HUNTING, and if you are into dog-training, i think ANY canine you take home is going to have a great life with someone like YOU!!! sorry for derail, i will try to make it up to you!!!
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
Some tricks names are a bit self-explanatory, but if you hear one you don't know, just ask.

"Recall" is what dog trainers call it when they are teaching a dog to come when called. Teaching "Loose leash" means being able to stop a dog from pulling forwards on his leash when he is walking. "Heel" means the dog walks in an exact position beside you. "Heelwork" sometimes means while in heel, the dog is looking up at you.

There are many dog sports as well, and looking over the dog sports area in our forum, may help you learn more new words.


A few terms you might see while reading about tricks training (very partial list)


"Capture" a trick, means rewarding a behavior the dog is already doing, so the dog will begin to do this on cue. For example, say you want to teach your dog to yawn on cue, whenever dog yawns, you could CLICK/TREAT and add in a cue or signal, and in time, the dog will yawn on cue. YOu "captured" his behavior.

"Shape" a trick, is similar to capture, but one often puts an item in front of the dog to stimulate the dog doing something. Then they build upon that behavior, in ever increasing ways. Many ppl feel this is most creative way to teach a trick, as to some extent, the dog himself picks out the trick.

Most tricks are taught by what is called "luring". Like you "lure" a dog to sit, by holding a treat, up and slightly over his face, causing him to sit to see that treat better. Or you hold a treat, and move it in front of dog, so he follows it, and end up with a dog who can "spin" on cue. That is what we call "luring" a trick.

Most of us use all three ways to teach tricks to our dogs, depending on which trick we want to accomplish.

"Targetting" means you train the dog to touch something, typically your hand, or the dog touches whatever you touch with end of a long long stick, or a post-it note. dogs can be trained to target an item with their nose, or with their paw. This is often a first step to teach some tricks.

Rewards are what we call the prize the dog gets for doing the right thing, many of us use food, but some use tennis balls, or tugtoys, lavish praise, or leaving for a walk, etc. Different dogs may need different motivators to enjoy their lessons.

"Fade" means to slowly, gradually begin to stop using something. Like, you "fade" your treats AFTER the dog solidly knows the trick,------ means, you will slowly begin to skip treating every time, and begin to give treats every second time, then every third time, etc. Or one can "fade" their presence beside a dog as he does a cue, by stepping away a bit more each time, etc etc.

Most ppl who are into dog training, use "clickers", a small thing that makes a 'CLICK' noise when pushed. This noise marks the behavior you DO want,:D or, an attempt in the right direction. Every click is followed by a treat, so you might see the term "click/treat" or even "c/t" being used. Clicker trainers sometimes refer to "timing", meaning the exact moment you click, does matter to the dog!!:ROFLMAO:

Most ppl do, (or should:ROFLMAO: ), use "positive only" methods, in which the dog is rewarded for doing correct moves, and this also referred to a "positive reinforcement".
In positive training, no scolding or punishing is involved. Wrong moves by the dog are simply ignored, or distracted/interrupted.
Here is info on using a clicker:
http://www.dogtrickacademy.com/blog/category/dog-training

hope that helped. I felt i should make it up to you, for my earlier "derail" on looking over homeless puppies and dogs!! ;)
 

tx_cowgirl

Honored Member
Staff member
A few things my dogs know:

BOING!--Dog leaps straight up in the air(not for young pups, too hard on joints...wait until later); easiest way to teach this is if your dog already knows how to target your hand. Pamela Marxsen has videos on this; search her channel for "boing" and they will come right up. The ones with Bandit(the Border Collie) are the how-to's.

Stick 'em up!--beg position with both paws in the air. Some dogs will do this naturally when you try to teach beg, which is taught by holding a treat just out of their reach over their head. Others don't do this, so in this case again hand targetting comes in handy, because you signal for targetting both hands while the dog is in a beg position. The result is the dog sits up in a beg with both paws straight in the air. My hand signal for this is forming two "guns" with my hand, pointed at the dog.

Wave--taught a variety of ways. Some people have the dog in a sit and the dog paws at you, in a "wave" motion. I taught Mud to do this in a beg position, with one paw in the air(as seen in my signature). But, with my next dog I'm going to change it up, so that this behavior is in response to various questions: Who's the smartest dog in the world? Who wants cookies? Who likes [sports team]? Etc...looks like the dog is raising a paw. :)

Spin--lure the dog in a circle left or right, eventually lure is no longer needed after lots of practice and fading the lure.

High-five--another one that is taught a variety of ways. I taught this as high five with one paw, then the other, then both, which I call "Up high!"---dog stands on hind legs and high-fives with both paws.

What do boy dogs do?--my female dog hikes her leg in response to this one. :)

Back up--dog backs up

Scoot--dog is lying down and scoots backwards; also called "Moonwalk" by other trainers

Weave--weave through my legs as I walk

Boo!--dog covers nose/eyes with paw; also called "Shame," "Shy," "Bad dog," and various other cues.

Get it--used for literally anything; kleenex, keys, drinks, leash, something you drop, etc.

Drop it--drop something

Hold--hold something

Easter Egg Hunt--dog picks up Easter eggs, puts them in a basket, then brings basket to you. SUPER cute trick.

Put toys away--exact same concept as Easter egg hunt, without the basket being brought to you.

Roll over

Play dead/Bang--dog either lies on side or lies on back. I haven't taught limp yet, but just taught "Stick 'em up!" a week or two ago. My plan is to have the "Stick 'em up!", then "shoot" the dog and have the dog limp, then "shoot" again and have the dog "die"(for my dog, this is to roll on her back). Just a cute sequence. :)

Figure 8--dog walks a figure 8 around your legs

Jump--jump over anything; your leg, your arm, and object, etc.

Get up--get up on top of something
Get in--the vehicle, the tub, etc.

Touch--used for either nose or paw targetting. Personally, I use "touch" for targetting with the nose, and "paw" for targetting with the paws.

Cross paws--preferably need to know paw targetting first; target is placed next to one of the paws and wait for dog to target with the opposite paw, so that they cross their paws.


Say your prayers--dog places front paws on something and lays head down
Pray harder--dog dips nose between front legs, looks like they are bowing their head

Crawl--dog crawls

Lots of others but that should keep you busy for a while. :)

Also the basics, sit, stay, down, come, shake, etc. Possibly the two most important commands are stay and come, so I always really work heavily on these two. You want your dog to come to you no matter what, in any situation, and you want to be able to get your dog to stay should you need him to, also in any situation. Wait is also an excellent cue to master, so that your dog doesn't race out the door or gate, and will wait for food and any other thing you want him to wait for.

If you have any questions about any specific tricks feel free to ask. :)
A couple of great books to get you started are "101 Dog Tricks" and "51 Puppy Tricks" both by Kyra Sundance.
The amount of tricks you can teach your dog is limitless. :D
 

Dogster

Honored Member
I find this website to be GREAT for finding new tricks to teach a dog. It is Dog TRICK Academy after all!!!! LOL!!!!:LOL: For your new puppy, I suggest you start with basic obedience (sit, down) then work your way up to harder and harder tricks. You should wait to teach your puppy tricks such as stand up and jump until he/she gets older, not to be hard on the joints.:)
 
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