Dog Tricks & Training Guides

The first command for every dog. “Sit” is the foundation of self-control and of almost every trick that follows.

“Down” is the calm position — invaluable at a café, with guests over, or whenever you want your dog to settle.

A reliable recall is the single most important safety skill. Never punish a dog that has come to you.

“Stay” teaches your dog to hold a position until you release them. Build it slowly — duration first, then distance.

“Wait” is a short pause before something good — food, a door, jumping out of the car. Lighter than “Stay” and incredibly useful every day.

Your dog turns their head the first time they hear their name — not to come to you, but to hear what comes next.

Your dog meets your eyes and holds the contact on cue — the fastest way to get their attention back before it goes somewhere else.

Your dog touches your open palm with their nose on cue — a small trick with huge value that lets you move your dog without any pulling.

One word that means “we’re done, you’re free” — the ending without which sit, stay and wait hang in mid-air.

Your dog rises onto all four feet from a sit or a down and holds it — the position vets and groomers ask for most often.

Walking close to your leg on a loose leash. It takes time and consistency, but it turns every walk into a pleasure.

“Leave it” tells your dog not to touch something — food on the ground, rubbish, a dropped pill. A skill that can literally save their life.

“Drop it” gets your dog to willingly release whatever is in their mouth. It’s taught through trading, never through prying.

Your dog goes wherever the leash allows, as long as it stays slack — not the tight leg position of “Heel”, but the ordinary everyday walk.

Your dog greets with four paws on the floor instead of launching at your guests — the habit that makes every hello at the door a calm one.

Your dog stops a step short of the door and waits without being asked — a default habit that keeps them safe at the front door and the gate.

On one cue your dog crosses the room to its mat and stays there — the most practical skill there is for dinners, guests and working from home.

Your dog’s off switch — lying loose on their mat and calming down on their own while you work or drink your coffee.

A cue that stops the barking within seconds — your dog learns that the reward comes from silence, not from noise.

A single word kept only for danger — your dog turns and runs to you without stopping to think.

Your dog drops where they are instead of coming to you — a skill that stops a moving dog and can save them on the street.

The classic heart-melting trick. Easy, quick to learn, and a perfect first “party piece” for any dog.

A crowd-pleasing roll onto the back and over. It takes trust — dogs only show their belly when they feel safe.

On “Bang!” your dog flops onto their side and holds still — the theatrical hit of every family gathering.

A happy twirl in a circle on cue. Quick to learn, great as a training warm-up, and adored by kids.

The paw comes up high and slaps your upright palm in mid-air — the flashier cousin of a paw shake.

Your dog lifts a paw and waves hello in mid-air, touching nothing — learned out of a high five, but finished without contact.

The classic end-of-show bow — front end down, rear end up, striking to watch and a lovely stretch for the back.

One bark on cue and silence right after it — a showy trick that shows your dog their voice has a specific place and time.

Your dog stands between your legs facing forward and stays there — a photogenic trick that also gives your dog a safe spot to be in a crowd.

Your dog walks backwards on cue without turning around — a showy trick that sharpens hind-leg coordination and earns its keep in narrow hallways and lifts.

Your dog lies down and folds one front paw over the other like a gentleman — a quiet, elegant trick that trains precision rather than energy.

An upright sit with the front paws lifted — a cute-looking trick that is really a core and balance exercise.

Your dog weaves a figure eight between your legs while you walk — a showpiece that takes precise two-handed work and a steady rhythm.

Your dog snatches a treat or a toy straight out of the air — a trick that trains eye, coordination and timing while the dog stays put, unlike the running of fetch.

A showy circus jump through a hoop — it teaches your dog to pass confidently through a narrow gap on cue and from a distance.

Rising onto the hind legs and turning a full circle — the showiest party trick there is, built on strength, balance and a lot of patience.

The crate as a favourite den, not a punishment. Priceless for travel, vet visits, guests and peaceful nights.

The complete fetch — chase, pick up, return and release into your hand. The most efficient way to tire out an energetic dog.

Your dog lays their chin in your palm and keeps it there — the calm position that turns eye drops, ear checks and the vet into cooperation instead of a wrestle.

Your dog stays relaxed while you take, open and inspect a paw — the skill that turns nail trims, thorn removal and a pad check into a thirty-second job.

Your dog puts their own head through the harness and stands calmly while you buckle it — the end of the hallway chase before every walk.

Teach your dog to push their nose into the muzzle willingly — a skill that saves vet visits, travel and any situation where your dog is in pain.

Daily tooth brushing with no wrestling and no head-holding — the cheapest prevention there is against tartar, sore gums and extractions under anaesthesia.

Your dog gets into the car on their own and on cue — no lifting, no hauling on the lead and no panic before every journey.

Your dog scrubs their paws on the doormat on cue — not offering a paw as in “Shake”, but a real backward scrape that takes off half the dirt.

Your dog rings a bell by the door when they need to go out — a far clearer signal than scratching the paint or standing there silently while you miss it.

Your dog shoves the door with their nose until it clicks — a trick that genuinely earns its keep in a draughty home, or when your hands are full of shopping.

Your dog collects the scattered toys and drops them into the basket on cue — unlike fetch, the item ends up in the box rather than in your hand.

Your dog learns the names of individual toys and brings the exact one you ask for — real vocabulary work, not scent and not luck.

An army crawl on the belly — an impressive advanced trick that works both muscles and concentration.

Your dog searches a room or a garden and pinpoints hidden food or a scent with the nose alone — work that tires the brain more than an hour of running and suits every age.

Your dog clears a bar on cue and from a distance, with the height growing centimetre by centimetre — and clear rules on how high is safe for their body.

The step up from go-to-place — your dog covers ten metres to the mat alone, from any angle and past temptations, without you taking a single step that way.

Your dog snakes through a line of upright poles — the most technical obstacle in agility, built over weeks from a wide channel down to a straight line.

Your dog holds a treat balanced on the nose until they hear the word — and only then flips it up and eats it. Self-control at its finest.

Your dog moves left or right on a word while metres away from you — a skill for agility, for searching and for every moment you can’t walk over yourself.

Your dog picks an object up, carries it calmly and hands it into your palm — no chewing, no dropping on the way and no letting go before the cue.