Tricks and Sniffs

Tricks that don't need equipment

3-2-1 Let's Go

Which Hand Holds the Treat?

Run and play game with your dog.

Dog must hold a Stay while you count down 3-2-1-GO then race around the room with your dog.

Tip: You can hold their collar if needed to keep them in a stay.

Which Hand Holds the Treat?

Place a treat in one hand and lightly close it.

Hold both hands out for the dog to sniff.

If dog selects the correct hand then reward with the treat.

If dog selects the wrong hand open it and say oops, then begin again.

Sit

Which Hand Holds the Treat?

Down

Practice using both hand and voice signals independently.

If your dog is not responding to hand signals go back to luring the command without using your voice.

Down

Stay (6’ distance for 10 sec)

Down

Practice using both hand and voice signals independently.

If your dog is not responding to hand signals go back to luring the command without using your voice.

Stay (6’ distance for 10 sec)

Practice using both hand and voice signals independently. If your dog is not responding to hand signals go back to luring the command without using your voice.

Tip: Start close to your dog and slowly increase the distance and length of time

Come

Stay (6’ distance for 10 sec)

Practice using both hand and voice signals independently.

If your dog is not responding to hand signals go back to luring the command without using your voice.

Tip: Start in a small space like a bathroom and work your way up. When training outside use a long line so that you can reel them in if they choose to go in another direction.

Kisses

Circle & Around

Spin & Twist

Sit on the floor and hold a treat to your cheek with 2 fingers and say kisses (or make a kissing sound).

Reward the dog with the treat once they lick your cheek.

Repeat the above a few times and then try without a treat and just holding your finger to your cheek.

Spin & Twist

Circle & Around

Spin & Twist

Lure your dog by placing a treat on their nose and leading them in a circle (clockwise and counter-clockwise)

Circle & Around

Hand Signals (3 behaviours)

Lure your dog by placing a treat on their nose and leading them in a circle around you with your legs closed (clockwise and counter-clockwise)

Tip: Moving the treat from one hand to the other behind your back can be awkward at first. Practice this without the dog first.

Hand Signals (3 behaviours)

Sit, Down, Stay, Come – practice giving multiple signals one after the other only use a hand signal.

Peekaboo Sit

Hand Signals (3 behaviours)

Nose Touch to Hand

Place dog in sit-stay, stand a few feet in front of them with your back to them.

Lure dog between your legs from behind you and have them sit in between your legs looking up at you.

Work up to not using a treat to lure and holding this position for longer periods.

Nose Touch to Hand

Hand Signals (3 behaviours)

Nose Touch to Hand

Start with an open hand with a treat in between your fingers and hold your hand out for your dog to sniff and say “Touch”.

Mark the dog once they touch your hand with their nose and release the treat.

Work up to having them touch your hand with no treat in it and reward with a treat in the other hand.

Make it more difficult by changing the position of your hand (ex. higher, lower, out to the side, between your legs)

Jump for Joy (jump straight up in the air)

Start with holding a treat just out of reach of your dog and encourage them to reach their head up to get it.

Slowly increase the height of the treat and encourage them to lift their front paws off the ground.

Then increase the height even further and encourage them to jump for it.

Tip: You can also jump with your dog to encourage them.

Leg Weave

Jump for Joy (jump straight up in the air)

Have your dog in a sit/stay at heel position, move your right foot forward enough that your dog can pass through your legs and lure them through, and then move your left foot forward and them through.

Keep walking forward while luring and work up to not needing to use a lure.

Tip: Having a treat in each hand makes it easier to lure each way.

Hide-and-Seek

Jump for Joy (jump straight up in the air)

Go Find <person's name>

Place dog in sit-stay, move away to the other side of the room and call the dog excitedly (this is a game!).

Place dog in sit-stay, move just outside of the room and call the dog

Make the game harder each time you play it by hiding further away and in different locations (ex. behind furniture, in different rooms, in a closet).

Go Find <person's name>

Start with 2 people in the same room with one holding the dog’s collar.

The person with the dog says “Go Find <person’s name>” and let’s go of the collar.

The other person then calls the dog and rewards him for coming.

Repeat back and forth with each person taking turns holding and calling.

Once the dog has the hang of the game slowly increase the distance, difficulty and time with the people in different rooms changing hiding spots each time.

The goal is for the dog to go looking on command without the person they are seeking calling them.

Step (Slowly)

Go Find <person's name>

Step (Slowly)

Place dog in a stand-stay and then lure him slowly towards you.

Once the dog takes a single step close the lure hand and then mark and reward with a treat from the other hand.

Keep going one step at a time until the dog understands the command and then slowly decrease the number of rewards.

Back Up (2')

Go Find <person's name>

Step (Slowly)

Lure the dog to move backwards by either placing a treat on their chest and mark/rewarding if they take a step back OR walk backwards while luring the dog to move back with you and mark/reward if they take a step back.

Tip: Use a narrow hallway or furniture to help keep the dog moving back in a straight line.

Peekaboo (stay between my legs while I walk)

Lure dog between your legs from behind you and have them slowly walk forward with you while staying between your legs.

Work up to not using a treat to lure and walking for longer stretches.

Figure 8's Through Legs

Peekaboo (stay between my legs while I walk)

Have your dog in a sit/stay facing you and spread your legs apart enough that your dog can walk through them.

Lure the dog through your legs by placing a treat between your legs.

As your dog is moving through your legs pass the treat to your other hand to lure him through your other leg.

Sniffing Games

Find the Hidden Treats

Hunt in Box of Packing Material

Equipment: Food Storage Containers or Kongs

Split the dog’s meal into multiple containers and place them around the house where he can easily find the containers (add treats, cheese or chicken to increase the scent - can use Kongs instead of containers).

Slowly increase the difficulty by adding lids with holes on the containers and hiding the containers under objects but where they can still easily get to it and adding lids to the containers (can hide them outside too!).

Tip: If your dog is distracted put them on a leash. If your dog is too eager place them in a crate or another room while you hide the containers.

Hunt in Box of Packing Material

Equipment: Box with Balls

Hide a treat in a container with holes under balls in a box and allow the dog to search for it.

Tip: Any non-edible item can be used as packing material (ex. empty water bottles, scrunched up balls of paper)

Muffin Tin Game

Hunt in Box of Packing Material

Muffin Tin Game

Equipment: Muffin Tin & Tennis Balls

Place treats in each of the muffin tin cups and allow the dog to eat them.

Slowly add balls to cover treats until all treats are covered.

To increase the difficulty, reduce the number of treats hidden under the balls.

Easy tricks that need equipment

Leave It (10 sec - Item 5' away)

Equipment: Dog Dish

Place dog in a sit-stay, place treat in a dish 5’ away, return to dog and release.

Work up to the dog staying for 10 sec after you return to them.

Kennel Up

Leave It (10 sec - Item 5' away)

Equipment: Crate

Use a treat to lure the dog into a crate.

Once the dog is consistently going in for a treat then add the command before tossing in a treat.

Work up to the dog going in on command and then closing the door before giving a treat.

Roll Out a Carpet with Nose

Leave It (10 sec - Item 5' away)

Roll Out a Carpet with Nose

Equipment: Towel/Blanket

Start with placing treats on the towel in multiple places as your roll it up, leaving a bit of a lip at the end, place the towel on the floor and add a treat to the lip.

Encourage the dog to touch the towel with their nose to unroll it and get the treats.

Slowly decrease the number treats rolled up in the towel until the dog is consistently unrolling it and then only reward by hand after they have completed the trick.

Memory Game

Touch a Target (nose touch disc)

Roll Out a Carpet with Nose

Equipment: 2 Small Baskets

Starting with 1 basket: Place dog in sit-stay and show him as you place a treat in the basket.

Release him to get the treat.

Add 2nd basket: Place dog in sit-stay and show him as you place a treat in one of the baskets.

Release him to get the treat, if he goes to the wrong basket put him back in a sit-stay and re-show him the treat.

Work up to 3 baskets.

Tunnel

Touch a Target (nose touch disc)

Equipment: Tunnel or Chairs and a Sheet

Lure dog through tunnel by tossing treats into it, slowly reducing the number of treats needed to get them through.

Once they are going through consistently only reward after they have gone through.

Tip: You can make a tunnel by using 4 to 6 chairs set up in 2 rows with a gap in between. Cover the chairs with a sheet and you now have a tunnel.

Touch a Target (nose touch disc)

Equipment: Target

Hold target in hand with a treat to encourage the dog to sniff it and mark the behaviour.

Once dog is consistently touching it with their nose stop using the treat to lure the behaviour and just mark it.

Slowly increase the length of time the dog has to hold their nose to it.

Tip: A target can be a container lid (ex. Lid from a sour cream container)

Touch a Target Stick (nose touch target stick)

Equipment: Target Stick

Hold target stick on hand and wait for dog to sniff it and then mark the behaviour.

If the dog doesn’t sniff it then use a treat as a lure.

Slowly increase the length of time the dog has to hold their nose to it.

Tip: You can use a wooden spoon as a target stick with the dog holding their nose on the spoon.

Crawl (5 steps)

Touch a Target Stick (nose touch target stick)

Equipment: Carpet or Grass

Have your dog in a down and slowly drag a treat just out of reach across the floor in front of them.

Reward for forward movement and slowly increase the amount of movement needed before giving them the treat.

Crawl Tunnel

Touch a Target Stick (nose touch target stick)

Crawl Tunnel

Equipment: Crawl Tunnel or Chairs

Lure dog through crawl tunnel by tossing treats into it, slowly reducing the number of treats needed to get them through.

Once they are going through consistently only reward after they have gone through.

Tip: You can make a crawl tunnel by using 2 to 3 chairs set up in a row so that the dog can crawl in between the legs.

Trick Titles

There are many trick titles that you can earn with your dog through Do More With Your Dog. To obtain titles your dog needs to do the following number of tricks:

Novice

To obtain a Novice trick title your dog needs to be able to perform 15 tricks (lures can be used for 50% of the tricks)

Intermediate

To obtain an Intermediate trick title your dog needs to be able to perform12 tricks (lures can be used for 25% of the tricks)

Advanced

To obtain an Advanced trick title your dog needs to be able to perform 5 tricks (off leash and no lures)

Expert

To obtain an Expert trick title your dog needs to be able to perform 5 tricks (off leash and no lures)

Trick Title Submissions

To submit for titles you need to video you and your dog doing the tricks and then submit the video(s) to a Sparks Group leader. Sparks Groups can be found on the Do More With Your Dog website.

Suggested Sparks Group on Facebook: Woofermutt Trickstars Novice – lots of great trick training videos posted by Cindy Frederick Still. Cindy will review your videos and confirm you have achieved a title. Cindy has groups for the other levels as well.

CKC Trick Title

The CKC now recognizes trick titles earned through Do More With Your Dog. (Tip: To save money only submit the highest level achieved to the CKC)

Additional Resources

101 Dog Tricks by Kyra Sundance

The Dog Tricks and Training Workbook by Kyra Sundance

10-Minute Dog Training Games by Kyra Sundance

The Big Book of Tricks for the Best Dog Ever by Larry Kay and Chris Perondi

Brain Games for Dogs by Claire Arrowsmith

Beyond the Back Yard: Train Your Dog to Listen Anytime, Anywhere! By Denise Fenzi

Fenzi Dog Sport Academy Online Courses www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com