As loving dog owners, we all want to keep our furry friends happy, healthy, and mentally engaged. While physical exercise is crucial, dogs also need activities that challenge their natural intelligence and curiosity.
Teaching your pup some new tricks is the perfect way to provide mental stimulation while strengthening that magical human-canine bond.
Check out these six fun tricks that will keep your dog’s mind sharp!
The Classic “Roll Over”
You can’t go wrong starting with the crowd-pleasing roll over trick. Not only does it show off your dog’s smarts, but it tires them out a bit too.
Use a treat as a lure, moving it from their nose towards their shoulder as you give the verbal “roll over” cue. As they roll to follow the treat, immediately provide praise and the treat itself when fully rolled over.
With repetition and phasing out the treat lure, rolling over on command becomes an eagerly anticipated party trick. Just be sure to teach them to roll in both directions for full exercise engagement.
The Impressive “Walking” Backwards
Here’s a trick that will have your friends doing double-takes! Teaching your pup to walk backwards on command is an incredibly handy trick for getting out of tight spaces and works their cognitive skills.
Start by holding a treat by their nose, taking a step back, and using the cue “back up” as they move their front paws backwards to follow the treat.
Gradually increase the number of steps they take by continuing to back up with the treat lure. Soon, your dog will be moonwalking like a star on voice command alone! Just be sure to keep sessions short to avoid any dizziness.
The Hilarious “Play Dead” Trick
For a real laugh-inducing crowd pleaser, few tricks top the classic play dead move. Once your dog has mastered the “down” command, you’re ready to level up.
Kneel in front of them, flatten your hand, and use a treat to lure their nose and body into a side-lying position as you give the “play dead” or “bang” cue.
As soon as they’re fully on the ground, provide the treat and praise. Over time, phase out the lure as they learn to simply flop over on the verbal command. For the finale, have them “revive” themselves from playing dead on a release word like “okay!”
The Brilliant “Tidy Up Your Toys”
Combining the power of commands with productivity, having your dog pick up their own toys is the ultimate party trick.
First, work on the “take it” and “drop it” commands using treats as lures and rewards. Then move to picking up actual toys on command, exchanging them for a treat once returned to your hand or a toy bin.
Eventually, your dog will joyfully gather all their toys when you give the “tidy up” cue! Just be sure to keep initial sessions brief to avoid overwhelming them with too much cleaning at first.
The Impressive “Close/Open” Commands
Amaze your friends by teaching your dog to open and close doors, cabinets, drawers, and more on command.
Use the same treat luring system, gently pushing their muzzle against the object as you say “close” or “open.” Feed and enthusiastically praise upon success.
A closing command also doubles as a great way to have your dog shutter their crate by pushing the door closed with their nose or paw.
Just be sure to prevent any nipping by redirecting unwanted mouthing during training sessions.
The Focused “Leave It” Trick
Last but not least, the “leave it” command is an invaluable party trick that reinforces your dog’s focus, impulse control, and trust in your leadership.
Start by placing a treat in your palm and closing your hand around it. When your dog smells it and tries to grab it, cover the treat fully with both hands if needed.
As soon as your dog stops going for the treat for even a split second, mark that moment with a “yes” and treat from your other hand.
Eventually your dog will learn to leave the tempting treat alone until given a release word, even with it sitting untouched on the floor!
With regular short training sessions to prevent boredom, mastering even a few of these deceptively simple yet brilliant tricks will do wonders for keeping your dog mentally sharp.
And you’ll have some killer party tricks to show off!
If you found these trick ideas useful for tiring out your dog’s mind, be sure to share this post on Facebook!
The more dog owners we can inspire to engage their pups, the better. Let me know which tricks were hits with your four-legged friends too.
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