January is National Train your Dog Month, so let’s start teaching our pups some of the best dog tricks!
Training is often associated with being dull, but training your furry friends does not need to be a chore. After you have the necessary training and manners down, you can increase your level of difficulty for training and fun. Be sure to participate this month and read about some of the best dog tricks to teach your pup for National Train your Dog Month.
Basic Dog Tricks
Basic tricks and training should be a staple in every dog’s life. Training your dog basic tricks like come, sit, stay, and no jump (or ‘off’) are simple manners that are important for every dog to know and use each day. Teaching your dog these basics will strengthen your relationship and help you understand the best teaching styles for your dog. By having these initial training basics covered, you’ll have the knowledge and discipline to understand what it takes to teach your dog new tricks. If you have a young pup that needs training, please check out the puppy services we have to offer to start training early. We also offer an online dog trick program that contains 35 short video tutorials and over 15 different behaviors for any dog to learn
More Challenging Dog Tricks
Once the basic tricks and commands are covered, you’ll be comfortable and knowledgeable enough to increase the difficulty of the trick you would like to teach your dog. Some more difficult tricks are: roll over, fetch, and hug.
Rollover is a trick that builds on basic commands, such as down and spin. This is why it’s considered a bit more advanced. The training basics would need to be understood by your dog before you can put them together to teach your dog to roll over.
Fetch is another trick that builds on multiple steps and commands. First, you must teach your dog to hold the toy or ball before you can teach them to fetch it and then bring it back and drop it.
The hug is also a series of multiple steps for your dog to perform. You first need to teach your dog how to place a paw on someone or something. Once they are comfortable with paw placement, the next thing to focus on would be lengthening their hold around the object or person or animal they aim to hug.
These tricks can take more time to teach your dog as they require different hand movements and a series of cues to follow. When training your dog these tricks, remember to be consistent and repetitive in the cues and training regimen. With constant exposure and practice, your dog is sure to learn these tricks in no time.
Fun and Dramatic Dog Tricks
If you’re looking for a challenge and running out of tricks to teach your dog, then you should consider some over the top, dramatic tricks for your pup. These tricks can be amusing and even useful if appropriately trained. Some of these more challenging tricks include: play dead, fetch a beer, and bark on command.
Playing dead is a popular and fun trick to teach your dog. This trick is taught by repetitively going over the series of simple cues that your dog needs to understand. The unique thing about this trick is that you can choose any word or hand signal to be your ‘play dead’ cue. Whether it’s a simple ‘play dead’’ or ‘hasta la vista, baby,’ your dog is sure to catch on and act accordingly.
Fetching a beer is a step up from teaching your dog to fetch. Once you have fetching covered, you’ll have to train your dog to open your fridge, grab a beer can and drop it in your hand. This is a more complicated trick that is sure to be useful to you and even entertain some of your friends.
Barking on command is a complicated trick but can be very useful once taught. Again this trick requires multiple steps, including training your dog to keep quiet first so that you can train barking on command through reward when it does occur.
Even these complicated tricks build off the basics and more advanced tricks that your dog already knows. With a bit more practice, patience, and different cues to get used to, your dog is sure to pick up these new tricks to impress your friends with.
Don’t Forget to Have Fun
The best dog tricks for national train your dog month, can be taught any time. Whether you’re training for basics or fun, these dog tricks are classics that are sure to strengthen your bond with your dog and give you the confidence to be a great dog owner. Your dog is sure to enjoy spending every moment with you, especially if you bring the treats!
Be sure to check out our Dog Tricks for Fun online course that you can complete with your pup in the comfort of your own home. This package is currently on sale for $57 and is a perfect start for learning tricks for National Train your Dog Month.
For more information about training, or if you would like us to continue specific training while we watch your dog, please contact us and check out our special offer packages.