Easy Dog Tricks to Teach Your Dog at Home
Updated: 22 hours ago
The easiest tricks to teach your dog are touch (a nose bump to your hand), spin, shake hands, high five, find it and paws up.
All six are on the AKC Trick Dog Novice list, and each one can be taught with a treat lure, a marker word and a few minutes a day.
This guide covers step-by-step instructions, a difficulty table, safety rules, tips for kids and how simple dog tricks add up to a title.
What Makes a Dog Trick Easy?
A trick is easy when your dog can do it in one simple movement and you can guide that movement with a treat. Roll over fails that test: the dog must lie down first, then turn over in stages.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) Trick Dog program agrees. On its Novice list of beginner dog tricks, handlers may use a food or toy lure if needed.
Tricks often called "easy", such as roll over, bow and play dead, sit on the harder Intermediate and Advanced lists.
Basics help. A dog that already knows basic cues, like the formal obedience cues taught in our Levels classes for everyday manners, picks up shake and push-ups much faster.
When your dog is ready for more, our Trick Dog classes in Crystal Lake take you from beginner tricks to official titles.
How to Teach Any Trick: Lure, Mark, Reward, Fade
Every trick in this guide uses the same four steps, and they work for almost any beginner trick.
Lure. Hold a small, soft treat at your dog's nose and move it so your dog's body follows into the trick.
Mark. The instant your dog does the right thing, say "Yes!" or click a clicker.
Reward. Give the treat right after the marker, every time.
Fade the lure. Repeat the same hand motion with an empty hand, then reward from your other hand. Add the word cue last.
The marker is what makes clicker training work. Karen Pryor Clicker Training explains that the marker communicates the exact moment your dog performs the behavior. A cheerful "Yes!" works just as well if you say it the same way each time.
Some tricks can also be captured. Pat Miller of Whole Dog Journal describes capturing as marking and rewarding anytime your dog just happens to do something you like. That is how many dogs learn "bow".
Fading the lure matters because your dog should follow a hand signal, not a treat. If you are new to reward-based training, our free seven-day course for new dog owners is a gentle place to start.
Trick session rules
Keep it short. Stop while your dog wants more.
One trick at a time. Finish one before starting the next.
Mark, then treat. Your marker always comes first.
Use a non-slip floor. A rug or mat protects joints.
End on a win. Finish with a trick your dog knows.
Never push, pull or scold during a trick session. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior reports that aversive training has been shown to impair dogs' ability to learn new tasks. Punishment backfires: it makes a dog less willing to try, and trying is what tricks are made of.
Easy Dog Tricks by Difficulty: Which to Teach First
Start with the tricks marked Easy, then work down the table. Our rating: Easy means a Novice trick taught with one lure, Medium means a Novice trick that builds on another trick or needs equipment, and Harder means an AKC Intermediate or Advanced trick.
Trick | AKC level | Method | Kid-friendly (8+ with a parent) | Difficulty |
Touch | Novice | Offer your hand, mark the bump | Yes | Easy |
Spin | Novice | Lure a circle with a treat | Yes | Easy |
Find it | Novice | Treat under a cup | Yes | Easy |
Shake hands | Novice | Lure from a closed fist | Yes, with a calm dog | Easy |
High five | Novice | Builds on shake hands | Yes, with a calm dog | Medium |
Paws up | Novice | Lure onto a low stool | Adult sets up the stool | Medium |
Roll over, wave | Intermediate | Roll over: lure from a down | Adult-led | Harder |
Bow, back up, play dead | Advanced | Several stages, often shaped | Adult-led | Harder |
The levels come from the AKC's Intermediate trick checklist and Advanced checklist. Save roll over until the six easy tricks below work without a lure.
6 Easy Tricks to Teach Your Dog, Step by Step
Teach these six tricks in order, because each builds skills for the next. Use pea-sized soft treats in a quiet room.
1. Touch: your dog's nose touches your flat hand
Touch, or hand targeting, is the best first trick: your dog moves to an empty hand.
Hold your flat hand, palm facing your dog, a few inches from its nose.
The moment the nose touches your palm, say "Yes!" and give a treat from your other hand.
Move your hand a little left, right and lower, and repeat.
Once your dog bumps your hand quickly, say "Touch" just before you offer it.
2. Spin: lure a circle with a treat
Spin is one flowing movement, so it is one of the fastest tricks to teach.
Hold a treat at your dog's nose while it stands.
Slowly draw a wide circle at nose height so your dog turns all the way around.
Mark as the circle finishes and give the treat.
After a few smooth turns, make the same circle with an empty hand and reward from your other hand.
Say "Spin" before the hand signal.
3. Find it: a treat under a cup
Find it uses your dog's nose, so it suits shy dogs and rainy days.
Let your dog watch you place a treat under a plastic cup that cannot break.
Say "Find it." When your dog noses or paws the cup, mark, lift the cup and let your dog eat the treat.
Once your dog goes straight to the cup, hide it while your dog waits in another spot.
4. Shake hands: lure from a closed fist
Shake hands works best once your dog can sit, because a seated dog lifts a front paw easily.
Ask your dog to sit.
Hold a treat in a closed fist, low and close to one front paw.
Mark the moment the paw lifts or touches your fist, then open your hand and give the treat.
Switch to an open palm held low, and mark when the paw lands on it.
Add the cue "Shake."
Never lift the paw for your dog. Pulling on a paw teaches many dogs to avoid the game.
5. High five: builds on shake hands
High five uses the same paw lift as shake, with your hand held upright instead of flat.
Turn your palm to face your dog, fingers up, at about shoulder height.
Mark when the paw touches your palm, and treat.
Add the cue "High five."
6. Paws up: lure onto a low stool
Paws up means both front feet on a low, steady object, back feet on the floor.
Choose a sturdy, low step or stool with a non-slip top that cannot tip.
Hold a treat just beyond the stool so your dog steps up with its front feet.
Mark and treat while both front paws are up.
Fade the lure by pointing at the stool, then add "Paws up."
Next, try other Novice tricks such as push-ups (sit, down, sit) or get in a box. "Speak" is on the Novice list too, but teach it only together with "quiet" so barking does not increase.
Safety Rules for Teaching Tricks at Home
Safe trick training means the right treats, floor and pace for your dog's body.
Treats: if you use peanut butter, the FDA advises you to check the label to make sure it does not contain xylitol, a sweetener that is dangerous to dogs.
Floors: train on a rug, mat or grass. Slippery floors make spins and paws up risky.
Puppies and seniors: keep sessions very short and skip tricks that twist the back, such as roll over.
Pain: if your dog avoids a trick it used to enjoy, limps, or will not lie down, stop and see your veterinarian.
If your dog growls, freezes or snaps when you touch its paws or take a toy, stop. Talk to your vet and a certified behavior consultant or veterinary behaviorist, and read our guide to why some dogs guard toys and food.
Teaching Tricks With Kids
Kids can teach tricks safely when an adult is always present and the child's face stays away from the dog's face. Touch, spin and find it are the best picks, because the dog moves toward a hand or a cup.
In our classes, parents attend our Canine Communication seminar on reading dog body language first. Children 8 and older can then handle the dog with a parent or guardian in the ring, after they attend the seminar too.
At home, an adult hands out treats if the dog is mouthy, and the session ends when the dog walks away. Our post on giving every family member a role in training has more ideas.
How to Earn an AKC Trick Dog Title
Your dog earns the AKC Novice Trick Dog title by performing 10 tricks for an evaluator. The AKC says your dog performs 10 skills from the Novice list.
A Canine Good Citizen (CGC) title on record counts as 5 of them, so a CGC dog needs only 5 more tricks.
An AKC Approved CGC Evaluator tests your dog in person or by video. Lures are allowed at Novice but not at Intermediate, unless the checklist says so.
We teach and test for trick titles through the AKC Trick Dog program and Do More With Your Dog. Our founder Heather Pohlman's Sheltie, Phantom, became only the 12th Sheltie to earn the Champion Trick Dog title, at just 2 years old.
Trick classes are designed for dogs with prior training, so we ask for an evaluation or proof such as a CGC title. Trick Dog is one of several low-impact sports that keep dogs fit and focused.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest trick to teach a dog?
Touch is usually the easiest trick to teach a dog. You hold out a flat hand, your dog sniffs it, and you mark and reward the nose bump. There is no lure to fade, and touch later helps you guide your dog into spin, paws up and other tricks.
How long does it take to teach a dog a trick?
It depends on the trick and the dog. Single-movement tricks like touch and spin often come together within a few short sessions, while roll over takes longer. Move on only when your dog does the trick without a lure.
How old does a puppy need to be to learn tricks?
Puppies can start gentle tricks like touch and find it as soon as they settle in, in very short sessions. For titles, the AKC says the earliest an AKC Trick Dog title will be awarded is 4 months. Pair tricks with a week-by-week puppy socialization plan.
Can an older dog learn new tricks?
Yes. Low-impact tricks like touch, find it and shake keep an older dog's mind busy without strain. Skip tricks that twist the back, train on a non-slip floor, and ask your vet first if your dog has joint or back problems.
Your Next Step: Teach Touch Today
Pick one trick from the Easy row, teach it this week, and add the next trick only when the first one works without a lure. Touch is the best place to start, and it also helps with skills like teaching your dog to come when called.
When your dog knows its basics and a handful of tricks, come and work toward a title with us. See our Trick Dog classes, or call us at (779) 994-4200 to schedule an evaluation.
