Useful Tricks to Teach Your Dog

Dog tricks are cute, but they should be useful too.

From relieving himself on command to fetching you a cold one, knowing a few tricks makes a dog more than just your best friend, it makes him your best roommate.

10. Bathroom

The first trick or skill that anyone should teach a new puppy is how to let you know they need to use the bathroom. They need to figure out a way to let you know that they need to go outside by barking or sitting. You can also install one of those doggie doors and remove yourself from the equation.

9. Beg/Speak

Everyone seems to love this. You show the dog a treat and they stand on their back legs and bark. It’s cute, but you can end up with a dog that begs during dinner, which can be annoying.

8. Shake

This is many people’s favorite tricks to teach your dog. It is just amusing to see a dog raise its paw and shake hands with you. In fact, it never seems to get old.

7. Roll Over

Once your dog is lying down, you can work on rolling over. It serves no particular obedience purpose, but it sure is funny when you add in the, “Bang! You’re dead” part and the dog follows suit.

6. Down

This trick is really more of a command. It can involve either requiring the dog to lie down or just get down off of company when they enter the house. This applies to giant breeds as well as little teacup poodles. No one likes to go for a visit and have your 100 pound dog jump all over them.

5. Stay in Yard

Again, the concept of staying within your unfenced yard is more of a skill than a cutesy trick, but some dog owners may think it really is magic. Of course, it is still wise to have a collar with your name and phone number and to be microchipped.

4. Walk on a Leash

We’ve all seen it – the poor dog owner being dragged along by an out-of-control dog. It’s embarrassing to watch. Train your dog to walk next to you at a pace you control and you will both enjoy the walk.

3. Catch a Frisbee

Whether it’s a casual Sunday in the park or a professional competition circuit, dogs catching Frisbees is definitely one of the cooler tricks to teach your dog. Some dogs love it so much that they head out the pet door and play by themselves in the backyard.

2. Sit

This is probably one of the most popular skills a dog can learn (right after the bathroom). Telling a dog to sit can be useful when you are getting their food ready, when being examined by a vet or when the neighbor’s cat tries to come in your pet door.

1. Beer

Well, maybe this is just a football season fantasy, but any dog that can grab a beer out of the fridge gets top grades in my book.