Easy Dog Tricks For Beginners – Top 5 Easy Tricks To Teach

Dogs are highly social beings. If taught rightly, they exhibit great eagerness to learn new things. We will tell you how to master easy dog tricks for beginners.

We base our training process on the best of humane conditions. The purpose of these is not to establish a master-slave thing. Instead, we honor dogs as loyal companions. They are family members. Dogs love to be pet. You just need to treat them as your friend and shower your love to get infinite love back.

How Do Dogs Learn Tricks?

Dogs learn by experiences. Their perception is typically based on their relationships with the owner. This is because they entrust their owners as their leaders.

Ideally, a dog bestows unconditional love for the owner. He is always eager to understand what you are expecting from him. This natural connection prompts them to learn and follow your command.

At the same time, they also have their own world. Pets can be very moody. It depends on the temperament of the breed. Familiarize yourself with the nature of your dog’s breed. This is important before practicing the easy dog tricks for beginners.

Poorly socialized dogs typically take longer to learn. You would need to socialize your pet well to teach dog tricks for beginners.

Socialization also helps pets to learn from other dogs. Animal behavior classes present ample opportunities.

Why Do Dogs Learn Tricks?

Understand why dogs learn tricks. It helps you to get on with easy dog tricks for beginners.

Your pet’s emotional state largely depends on you. Just as your joy elates them, your anxiety makes them worry.

If you are ignoring your dog, it makes them wonder if they have done any wrong. This aspect of canine psychology can be a vital tool for training easy dog tricks to learn.

Many owners tend to perceive that their pets learn tricks because of fear. Dogs do experience fear, but it is negative behavior.

Do note a common conclusion when you are teaching your dog to be afraid of you. It means that somewhere in your psyche, you are also afraid of their animal nature. This kind of interrelationship is inherently unhealthy. It can lead to severe problems of canine aggression. 

The opposite of fear is always love. Do you know that petting a dog increases the blood oxytocin level on both ends? Oxytocin is familiar as the ‘love hormone’ as it guides affectionate behaviors.

How To Teach Tricks To Dogs?

Different methods are utilized to teach easy dog tricks for beginners. Once you figure out how these work, you can choose what is best for your pet.

Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is a simple, but effective system. It involves rewarding your pet every time he does the desired behavior. Soon, your pet associates a feel-good factor to the achievement. You eventually help your pet to develop a habit.

The reward can be anything that creates a positive response in your pet. Food rewards or treats are almost universally used for this training. Make sure that it is something appealing and easy to gulp down. You may also want to use various treats to avoid boredom in pets.

Along with foods, vocal praises and playtime are also useful as rewards. Access to the yard and pet toys are other common examples of rewarding. These are crucial to teach easy dog tricks for beginners.

The correct timing for rewarding is another critical aspect of this training process. For example, when you want your pet to sit, give him the treat exactly when he is sitting. If you delay it, when the pet is no longer in the sitting position, the training will no longer be effective.

While training, you will have to associate a vocal command. Keep it uncomplicated, and deliver the command in an upbeat tone. Soon, your dog would learn to understand what you expect from him.

Conditioning

You can condition the response of your pet to teach easy dog tricks for beginners. You have two options, classical and operant conditioning.

Here’s the difference

How To Teach Easy Dog Tricks For Beginners Step By Step Through Conditioning?

Simply put, classical conditioning strengthens the foundation of your relationship with the pet. It helps with reducing pet aggression and overcoming fear. It also assists in associating the sound of a clicker with the desired response.

For example, it is your dog’s natural response to be afraid of children. That’s his trigger. You will also have to identify the threshold level of this trigger. It simply means the distance up to which your pet will accept the presence of children.

Now, you reward your dog with treats every time he sees a child within his threshold level. Stop the treat when the trigger is not visible. Eventually, he will associate good feelings with this experience and overcome his fear.

Operant conditioning is your tool to initiate a voluntary response. It is the basis of instructing easy dog tricks for beginners.

For example, consider the action of lifting the paw for a handshake. It includes punishment as a training method, but it does not have to be abusive. Ignoring your pet can suffice for enough punishment. Temporarily restricting his access to the yard also works.

Body Language

It is a fact that dogs learn faster with body language cues. Here’s an example. 

You want to train your dog to sit. You are training him by operant conditioning. Each time you want your pet to shift from a standing position to a sitting position, you also do the same. You kneel and reward your dog with a treat.

You also associate it with the vocal command. Your dog soon understands what you want him to do. With practice, just the verbal command will be sufficient. It is vital to progress with easy dog tricks for beginners.

Similarly, you train your dog to raise his paws each time you lift your hand. Nodding your head sideways to say ‘No’ is another example in this category.

Nothing Is Free

Many pet owners approach the ‘nothing is free’ approach. In this method, you keep a close watch on all the activities of your dog. Your pet has to listen to your commands all the time, and not only during the training session.

Your pet wants to go for a walk. But, you don’t take her walking unless she obeys your command to sit.

It’s your pet’s feeding time. But, you delay it unless she sits at your command. Of course, you will have to combine the conditioning method to get the desired response. It is an engaging way to help learn easy dog tricks for beginners.

Being Patient

Adhere to the golden rule of patience. Also, maintain consistency. Remember that it is only natural for dogs to not understand you at first. Don’t get frustrated on this.

The key is to enjoy the teaching process. You must keep repeating the training exercises until your pet starts to understand.

Avoid Shouting

Do not yell. Dogs interpret shouting as barking, and they respond in the same way. Instead, give your commands in an upbeat tone.

Dogs are highly sensitive to your mental state. If you are angry and frustrated, your dog might respond with aggressiveness. 

Always follow a gentle approach in instructing easy dog tricks for beginners. But, at the same time, your dominance as the owner should be evident. Canines are pack animals. They would naturally compete for the leadership position if you let them.

Establish Trust

Establishing a foundation of trust is vital. It is the foundation for easy dog tricks step by step. Your dog should be able to trust you with rewards. There should be a reward coming every time he successfully does something.

This fairness is a huge indicator of trust. You also have to be protective. If your dog is afraid of someone, place yourself as a physical guard in between. The same goes for when your pet is apprehensive of other dogs.

No Punishment

We repeat, do not punish your pets. Electric shock collars and choke collars should be a strict no. Do not beat your dog as it traumatizes him. Treat them with kindness while teaching easy dog tricks for beginners.

Do not keep your dog locked in someplace with no playing. Their simple minds cannot comprehend such behavior. In turn, they become fearful and aggressive.

Seven Basic Tricks To Teach Your Dog

What are the 7 best and easy dog tricks for beginners? Every owner should train their puppies to do these. Sit, stay, and down are primary commands. Besides these, you should also teach heel, off, come, and don’t touch.

These seven paves the way for more complicated commands afterward. You should be using the methods described above.

All these tricks condition the natural actions of dogs with vocal cues. Let us give an example. Tackle them one at a time. That makes it easy for the dog to follow.

Let’s explain sitting. Keep a notice on when the dog sits. As soon as he shifts from the standing position to the sitting stance, give a treat. When the dog stands up in excitement, stop the treats.

Add the command “sit” every time your dog sits. After a few days, when your pet has understood you, you can simply say “sit” before giving the treat.

It is the foremost easy dog tricks for beginners.

How to train your mutt to not do something? Take note of the times when your pet does something undesirable. Rummaging the trash bin is a common indicator.

Gently move him away from that place, give a treat and say “don’t touch”. Stop the treat when he again goes to the trash can.

Soon, your pet will understand you. Of course, instead of a treat, you can also use a toy as a reward. You can combine both toys and treats if you wish.

Easy Dog Tricks For Beginners

Here, we will tell you about a few easy dog tricks for beginners.

Giving A High Five

We assume that your dog already knows how to sit on cue. Start with the seated position. Hold the treats in your palm and gently tap on a front paw.

Lift your hand slightly. Your pet’s instinct will be to lift his paw as well. As soon as he does that, place your free hand on the paw and say “High Five”. Give him the treats.

Soon, your pet will understand the trick.

Doing A Handshake 

Follow the same method described above. Say “Handshake”. Hold the paw in your hand and give the treat.

The secret of easy dog tricks for beginners is to maintain consistency. When you are teaching handshake, don’t give the treat when he is standing.

Give it only when your pet does the handshake correctly. Pretty soon you will see your pet lifting his paws automatically on your vocal cue.

Roll Over 

Easy dog tricks roll over follow next. Before teaching this, your pet should learn the ‘down’ command. Start by telling your pet to go down.

Take the treats in your hand. Bring the hand close to his mouth. Then, move it towards his back. This should cause him to roll over. At this moment, add the verbal cue.

Once he does that, give the treat. Gradually increase the number of times the dog rolls over before rewarding. With some practice, your pet will get your verbal cue without giving the treats. 

Play Dead 

Try the easy dog tricks play dead next. Your pet needs to follow the stay and down commands correctly before doing this trick.

Begin with the dog in the down position. Withhold the treats as yet. You can give your dog a calming belly rub at this point.

Now, gently put his raised head to the ground. Add the vocal cue. If ‘play dead’ seems depressing to you, you can tell ‘sleep’ instead.

Give him the treat while he is in the sleeping position. Don’t give it if he springs up or sits down. Repeat the instructions over and over. By some days, your pet will follow the sleep command easily.

Army Crawl

The army crawl is one of the cutest tricks. It is a little complicated among the other easy dog tricks. To do this, your pet must be habituated with the sit and down commands.

First, ask your dog to do the ‘down’ pose. When she successfully does that, tell her to sit. If your dog does it right, she will sit with her front legs folded.

Now, take the treats in your palm. Take the hand close to the ground so that she has to stretch a little low to get it. Gradually move your hand across the floor.

As your pet follows the treat, she will do the army crawl. It would take some practice, but our clever pets master it in no time. Don’t forget to add the vocal cue when she does it correctly.  

The Spin

It is one of the easy dog tricks to teach.  Stand in front of your dog. Take the treats in your hand and move it in a circle around his back.

He will automatically spin. When he does that, give the trick and praise him. Of course, you should also add the vocal cue while your dog is spinning.

Easy dog tricks spin is not difficult. You can also use the classical conditioning method. Dogs often chase their tails. Notice when he is doing that. Repeat the spin command so that he learns to associate it with the movement. 

Training Puppies 

You can try all the above easy puppy tricks for beginners. It is easier to train puppies because they are naturally eager to learn new things.

Socialization Window 

The first five to sixteen weeks of a pup’s life is the ideal socialization window. Research shows that it is the best time for an introduction to new experiences. It is also a good time to teach the first seven basic commands one by one. 

Training Adult Dogs 

Adult dog training can be slightly more challenging. This is because they might carry past traumatic experiences. However, it is not impossible. You will have to focus on trust-building exercises first.

Importance Of Teaching Tricks To Dogs 

Enjoy the training process. It is one of the best ways to strengthen your emotional bond with the pet.

Dogs learn tricks because they think it is playtime. They like the mental and physical engagement. They also love the attention you give to them while training them. 

Your pet also wants to see you happy. This is because you are the resource giver. You give rewards and cuddles. All these are much desirable to your pet.

Takeaway – Easy Dog Tricks For Beginners

The easy dog tricks for beginners enrich your playtime. These help your pets to learn discipline and get over fears. 

It is a wonderful way to communicate in a more meaningful way to your pet. Dog shows prove that our furry friends are capable of many great skills.

Who knows, your pet may very well be the next champion dog! Keep teaching them as many tricks as you can.

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️