So what trick should you teach her first?! There are SO many tricks, and you are going to have a blast teaching her a variety of new tricks. Perhaps you should start with a kiss first. As the instructions from Dog Notebook say below, hold a treat in front of your face and say your command. As soon as your pup touches your cheek give her the treat! Enjoy spending time with your pup and training her the below commands. It's going to be fun!
1. Kiss
All dogs will lick your face without much prompting, but teaching them to give a gentle kiss without the saliva can be a challenge.
Hold a treat in front of your face, and say the command. Offer your cheek towards your dog, and wait until he touches it with his nose.
As soon as he makes contact, pull away, and give him the treat before he has a chance to lick you.
If you are fast, your dog will eventually learn that all he has to do to get a reward is to lightly press his nose to your cheek.
If your dog likes to nip when overexcited, do not allow children to perform this trick with him. It is also wise to take care with extra-large breeds as a small kiss can easily turn into a painful head-butt. If your dog knows how to be gentle, you can take the trick to the next level.
2. Play piano
If you have a piano or keyboard in your home, why not teach your dog to play it and amaze your friends?
If your dog will do almost anything to earn treats, then teaching him to play the piano is extremely easy.
Larger dog breeds should be able to perform this trick with a standard size piano. Start by placing a toy piano or keyboard in the centre of a quiet room without any distractions.
As soon as your dog shows any interest in the piano, praise and reward him with treats. Keep the first few sessions short to ensure that your dog does not lose interest or become frustrated. Try tossing treats away from the piano whenever your dog shows an interest in it or nudges it with his nose and paw. As soon as he returns back to the piano, praise him enthusiastically, and toss another treat.
Once your dog begins to understand that good things happen whenever he approaches the piano, start limiting the amount of treats you give unless he concentrates his attention on the keyboard. Large and enthusiastic dogs may begin pressing keys without any prompting.
3. Skateboard
Skateboarding dogs are the stars of some of the most popular videos on YouTube.
Smaller breeds such as bulldogs and pugs are perfect for this trick as they have a lower centre of gravity. Start by introducing your dog to the skateboard gradually.
Some dogs can be terrified of a noisy, moving object that has the ability to chase them, so it is important to break them in slowly.
Place the skateboard upside down on a carpeted surface to allow your dog to inspect it at his own pace. Praise and reward him for any interest he shows in the skateboard. Spend a few sessions simply doing this and gently spinning the wheels to let him get comfortable before proceeding to the next step.
Slowly begin to entice your dog to mount the skateboard. You may have to give your dog some gentle encouragement at first by lifting him onto it. Once he stands still, reward him generously. Begin to build up your dog’s confidence before graduating to pushing him on the skateboard. Once he feels safe and secure, gently roll him forwards and backwards whilst praising and administering treats.
4. Peek-a-boo
Peek-a-boo is an adorable trick to teach your dog and is a great way to impress your friends.
There are two different methods to teaching your dog this trick. If your dog can already give his paw on command, start by having him sit in front of you, and ask for his paw.
Grasp his paw in your hand, and then raise it over his eyes. Repeat the command gently, and treat him immediately.
Continue repeating the process until your dog makes the connection. Another way to teach this trick is by using a small piece of scotch tape.
Have your dog sit in front of you, and then stick a small piece of tape or a yellow post-it note to the end of his nose. Ensure the tape is not too strong or he will have trouble removing it. Wait for your dog to raise his paw to remove the tape.
As soon as your dog lifts his paw to his nose, praise him, and administer a treat. Continue with the tape until he begins to understand the command. Next, try simply tapping your dog’s nose gently to get him to raise his paw. If you repeat these steps whilst saying the command, your dog will eventually perform the trick automatically.
5. Army crawl
Army crawling is a fun trick to teach to your dog that helps him improve his physical fitness.
Some dogs will begin to crawl without training when attempting to sneak onto the couch or hoover up crumbs from the carpet.
Start by commanding your dog to lie down. Hold a treat firmly between your fingers so that your dog can smell and lick the treat but cannot take it from your hand.
Hold the treat in front of your dog’s nose, and slowly drag it along the floor. As soon as your dog crawls just a few feet, praise him, and give him the treat. If the dog stands up to take the treat, quickly take it away, and start again from the beginning.
Try to get your dog to crawl for a slightly longer distance each time. Once he has mastered the trick, command your dog to lie down when he is at least 10 – 15 feet away, and then get him to crawl towards you.
6. Water Fetch
Water fetch is a fantastic game to play with your dog during the hot summer months.
If you are heading out to the beach, pool or lake this summer, why not take your dog along, and use the opportunity to teach him a new trick?
Before your dog can learn how to fetch and retrieve items from the water, you will need to teach him how to swim.
This may sound strange to owners of Labradors or Spaniels that are natural swimmers, but smaller breeds and those with short legs may struggle to stay afloat.
If your dog belongs to any of the smaller breeds such as pugs, Bulldogs or Basset hounds, you may want to purchase a small life jacket for him to make swimming safer and easier. Start by getting into the water first and coaxing your dog to join you.
7. Dance
Dancing is generally considered to be a skill for smaller dogs, but larger breeds can also learn it with some gentle encouragement.
However, this trick is not recommended for dogs that are overweight or suffer from problems with their hind legs.
From the sitting position, raise a treat slowly up and over your dog’s head. Repeat a command such as “up”, “dance” or “spin” until he rises up on his hind legs.
8. Open and close doors
Teaching your dog how to open and close doors is an impressive trick, but only do this if you are certain your dog cannot use his skills to escape from your house.
It is advisable to teach your dog to use a rope or tug toy tied to the door to open it rather than jump up at the handle.Smaller breeds cannot reach door handles, and larger breeds will leave deep scratch marks in your doors if they try to open them excitedly.
Teaching your dog to only open doors that have ropes attached will also prevent him from opening exterior doors and making an escape.
Tie a rope or tug toy to the handle of your door, and encourage your dog to tug it. This works better on doors with moving handles. If you have doors with doorknobs that need to be turned, open the door slightly first to allow your dog to tug it fully open.
Once your dog begins to tug the rope, praise him, and encourage him to pull the door completely open. Only administer a treat once he has completed the trick otherwise he will focus all his attention on the treats. Once he has learned to open the door, hold a treat in your hand to encourage him to jump on the door to close it.
