3 Easy And Cool Tricks To Teach Your Dog

You’ll be the hit of the party 😍

Tricks are always one of the most exciting parts about being a dog parent — and it comes with tons of fun bonding time for the two of you.

The Dodo spoke with Shelby Semel, head trainer at Animal Haven rescue in New York City, to find out how to teach three of the most well-known tricks: shake, roll over and play dead.

JUMP TO: Shake | Roll Over | Play Dead

What you’ll need to teach your dog tricks

Before starting to teach your dog some cool tricks, you’ll need some things to be successful:

A clicker

Clicker training ​​allows you to precisely mark the exact behavior you’re trying to get your dog to do. When teaching your dog any basic cue (and especially when teaching cool tricks!), it’s always a good idea to have one.

Try these Pet Training Clickers from Amazon for $6.99

High-value treats

You’ll want some of your pup’s favorite treats to help enforce the cue.

Like these Crazy Dog Train-Me! dog treats from Amazon for $3.99

The down cue

If you’re looking to teach your dog to roll over or play dead, making sure she’s mastered the down cue will be beneficial.

The best time to teach your dog a new trick

“Generally speaking, you are better off not training tricks immediately after feeding your dog or when he/she is bursting with energy,” Semel told The Dodo. “It’s ideal if your dog is in a somewhat calm state and ready to focus on the task at hand — I know, this is not easy!”

So a good time to train your dog might be before breakfast when she’s super hungry or before bed when she’s feeling calm. You can try training your dog at different times of the day to find out what works best for her.

Once you and your dog are all set and ready to go, here are the three tricks with steps recommended by Semel:

How to train your dog to shake

A dog shaking her paw | Shutterstock/Alex Zotov

Also known as “paw,” shake is one of the cutest tricks you can teach your dog.

Here’s how it’s done, according to Semel:

  1. Put your dog in a sitting position.
  2. Tap gently behind one of your dog’s front kneecaps until she lifts her leg off the ground. Say “yes” or click, and give her a treat.
  3. Now, as you do that, swiftly put your hand under your dog's paw as she lifts it off the ground. Say “yes” or click, and give her a treat.
  4. Repeat 5 to 10 times.
  5. Now try just leaving your hand in that same spot where her paw should go without tapping behind her kneecap. If she does the action — JACKPOT (which means extra treats *heart eyes*). If not, repeat step three 5 to 10 more times and then try again.
  6. Once your dog’s doing this consistently with your palm out, add a verbal cue, like “low five” or “paw,” as she’s performing it.
  7. Start weaning out treats by using an intermittent schedule of reinforcement — meaning you give her a treat every other time until you wean them away.

How to train your dog to roll over

A dog rolling over | Shutterstock/Martin Christopher Parker

“Roll over is a cute trick that is easy and fun to teach your dog,” Semel said.

  1. Ask your dog to perform a “down” position in front of you. Kneel beside your dog and hold a small, high-value treat to the side of her head near her nose.
  2. Move your hand from her nose toward her shoulder, luring her to lie flat on her side. Try this a few times, saying “yes” (or clicking) and treating each time she follows the treat and lies flat on her side with her head on the floor.
  3. Once she’s lying flat, continue the movement of your hand from her shoulder to her backbone. This should cause her to roll onto her back.
  4. Continue moving the treat hand so she rolls onto her other side, and then wait for her to resume his upright down position, finishing the “roll over” behavior. Say “yes” and treat each time!
  5. When she’s consistently following the treat all the way around, add the verbal cue “roll over.”
  6. Gradually reduce the hand motion and use of a treat lure (by saying the verbal cue before luring her with your hand) until your dog can perform the trick on just a verbal cue.
  7. Remember to still praise and reward her hard work!

How to teach your dog to play dead

A dog playing dead | Shutterstock/WilleeCole Photography

The play dead cue is best taught on a soft surface — there’s going to be plenty of flopping around while she learns it!

  1. Put your dog in a down position, and kneel beside her.
  2. Using a treat or target stick, hold it by her nose, and then move it around and behind her so that she lies onto her back or side. Say “yes” or click, and treat.
  3. Make sure to lure her to the side she’s already leaning to in order to help her succeed.
  4. Next, have her hold there for a full second before you mark with a verbal “yes” or a click, and reward. Then have her hold two seconds. Then three … etc.
  5. After 5 to 10 successful attempts, do the same action WITHOUT the treat in your hand. Still give her a reward after, though!
  6. Once she’s staying there until you release her with “yes” or a click, start working towards standing up yourself. Inch further and further away from her each time.
  7. Once you’re in standing position, add the term “bang” (or “play dead” or “sleep”) right before you say “yes” or click.
  8. When your dog’s doing it consistently, try doing it from a standing position (instead of putting her down first). Give her time to think it through. If she doesn’t get it in 10 seconds, help her out by luring her into position.
  9. Begin rewarding occasionally, offering jackpots (which means just more treats than usual) for the better efforts.

Additional tips for training your dog:

Here are some additional tips to make every training session a good one:

  • Exercise your pup before training to ensure he’s calm (he learns better this way!).
  • Always keep training light and fun (no stress = better results).
  • Keep training sessions short (two to five minutes is ideal).
  • Always have some treats with you (just in case he does something good).
  • Vary how many treats you give (to keep him guessing).
  • Teach the handle signals before the verbal cue (dogs learn best through body language).
  • Say the verbal cue one time only (so that he knows it’s important).
  • Practice in different environments (so your dog can learn how to do the trick anywhere).
  • Eventually wean your dog off of treats (and he’ll eventually respond to the cue without them).

Just remember to be patient, always use only positive reinforcement and give your pup plenty of breaks if you start to notice her getting restless.

We independently pick all the products we recommend because we love them and think you will too. If you buy a product from a link on our site, we may earn a commission.