You can teach your dog some great tricks and get to enjoy a close relationship with him in the process. The thing to remember is that these tricks cannot be taught in just one session and you will need to be patient while doing so. There are any number of tricks that you can train your dog in, here are a few of the most popular tricks for dogs listed below for your easy reference. These tricks have been already covered by the Adam G. Katz methods of dog training and as such, they will prove to be invaluable to you.

1. Shake hands – I am sure that you would love to teach your dog this handy trick, believe me, once you have managed to do so you would have tons of fun shaking hands with your dog. Just remember to grab your dog’s paw gently in your hand, raise it and shake it at the same time. The first time you do this, your dog would want to pull back his paw. Don’t be disheartened, it is a natural instinct for your dog to feel balanced on all four paws as opposed to three of them. So persist in doing this and when your dog manages to allow you to shake his paw without trying to pull back, say ‘good dog’ and reward him with a treat. Repeat the same step but vocalize it with the command ‘name, shake’ with your dog’s name being substituted for the ‘name’ part of the command. In time, your dog will learn what it means to shake hands and will do so on verbal command from you.

2. To speak – Have you noticed how some dogs speak when prompted and some even go to the extent of taking part in a ‘sing along’. Well, you cannot train your dog to bark on command but what you can do is to get your dog excited and hyperactive so that he starts to bark. Remember, to train your dog in this command only if he is housebroken and is well trained. Otherwise, your neighbors will be making a beeline to your front door with complaints of your dog’s midnight performance. That said, get your dog’s attention, once you do so, get him excited by calling out to play. As you jump, so will he in excitement and start to bark right away. From there on, it is but only a simple step to vocalizing the command ‘bark’ and getting your dog to understand it.

3. To play dead – This is a great trick to teach your dog and one of the most difficult as well. The reason being that dogs in general are restless creatures and do not like to remain still in one position for long. There are a few things you would need to do prior to teaching your dog this trick. You must get him to sit still in one position for some time, with patience and practice; you should be able to do just that. Once you have got him in this stage, just push gently to one side and make sure that he lies on the floor. In time, he will understand that he is required to ‘play dead’ and will do so on the verbal cue from you.

4. To beg – There are some pet owners who think that it is demeaning to teach a dog this trick. Demeaning or not, it is one cute trick that you can train your dog in and believe me; it will break the ice at any party. You will need to get your dog in the ‘sit’ position, once you do so, hold a treat a little above his head. Your dog’s natural instinct is to lift up his front paws and to gently paw at your hand. In time, you can vocalize the trick with the command ‘beg’ and your dog would be able to do just that on the verbal command from you.

Training your dog these tricks is not going to be easy; it will require some effort on your part. You will need to use positive reinforcement to make sure that your dog gets the trick down pat [no pun intended]. With the Adam G. Katz methods of dog training, you should be able to teach your dog these cute tricks with little difficulty.