Hey all,
I couldn't find an older post on this topic so I decided to start one.
I'm really trying to have fun training my huskies, since they are so smart and so easy to train, it made me think...

What's your favorite trick/command to train your dog? Have a picture/video of them doing it, share please! And How did you train your dog to do it? (Step by Step!!)

I'm really stumped on what to train my 13 wk old puppy, Jago. Besides the basics.
I know it's not a "trick" but my favorite command for my 2 yr old Husky Brooks is "come cuddle" when I'm sitting on the ground with my legs open and she dives inbetween my legs and curls up all small on the floor but in my lap
I also like "clean up crew" since I have a toddler and he throws food on the floor or just a messy eater.. I trained Brooks to lie in her bed while we eat and when I am done and dishes are cleared (not Just when I stand up) I say "clean up crew" and thats when she comes and vacuums up all the crumbs for me

Okay, you're turn!!

I don't have a picture or video, but my favorite trick my girl knew was 'say your prayers' For her, clicker training was really effective. She could learn a trick in a few minutes. She knew if I clicked she got a treat and would be really creative trying to figure out what I was going for, pawing things, barking,running through things she knew, litterally anything she could think to try. At first iIt took two or three clicks for her to figure out she found the target, but soon she usually figured it out after one click (unless the click surprised her, the she'd cycle through the couple things that she tried right before the click), then it was refining. I taught it in two parts, 'paws up' and 'say your prayers' I started with teaching her to put her front feet up on a bench, a chair, a low table, or even my arms and putting her butt down once the paws were up. Once she had that down, I used a treat and lured her nose between her paws. At first she got a click if her nose was even slightly between her front legs, and she didn't take a leg of the table. Then I shaped it into the final picture by rewarding only the best performances. Eventually I could just give the 'say your prayers' command and she did the 'paws up' on her own. I could put her in that and she would stay until I released her. Although she would peak over her paws every once in a while. It was adorable. My other favorite was 'charge' - essentially play dead.

I train more with signs than words. I've always found it worked better.

My favorite trick is "TEN" . Five was easy and fun to do so one night I decided I would train Tika how to give me TEN instead. I put both my hands up with my palms out and she has to jump up and touch both my palms with her paws. If I'm standing and do it she jumps and gives me TEN.

Normally that wouldn't be all that "fun". The reason I enjoy it so much is because of how stupid I was when I trained the sign.

When people are naturally uncomfortable, or scared of a dog, they tend to back up with their hands up at chest level with this palms facing out.

I can't count the number of times Tika has given people who want nothing to do with her "TEN". Tika isn't normally a jumpy dog, but she will when random people she has never met before ask her to give them TEN!

It is a constant reminder of how daft I can be, and at the same time it makes me chuckle every time it happens (I know I'm a terrible person). It really happens a lot less then it did, I worked on it when I first noticed it, but she still can do it from time to time, and it's just one of them eye rolling events that I really enjoy.


Other than that Tika crawling on the floor, Bowing down her front half, or Ripley Durping and sitting pretty come in right behind.

~Chris~

My favorite to do with Lycus is really simple. Regardless of what he's doing, I can stand up and spread my legs apart a bit and I tap my thighs, and Lycus immediately comes and runs through them!

Meeks only knows "Sit", "down", "come", "stay" , "on me" (when walking, to aboid distractions" and my favorite so far "Home".

Didn't really trained her on "home". I say it and she either goes to her doggy bed inside the house to call it a night or she howls at me and goes to her doggy house outside.

The trick just started one night when she refused to come in and sleep in a corner part of my backyard. Next day I built her a doggy house and the rest is history.

Now if I can only teach her shake/paw I'd be happy even if she doesn't learn anything else.

Clicker training has been effective with me, without it, it all goes out the window on certain days.

I think my favorites are "go home" and "I Love You"

Go home I didn't train my fiancé did. But when we go out for a walk we ask go home and he will turn around and walk towards the house or my favorite is when we go to the dog park and we ask go home he walked to the gate and we don't have to drag him out.

I love you great when you get an I love you back. Lately he doesn't want to say it. But we started to 2 barks then 3 barks and then fine tuned it to I love you.

We tried I love you for so long with Tika, it never worked. Maybe its something to give another go at.
Ripley has like 3 tricks, we are trying to teach her to bow like Tika does now, but we havent progressed too far in it. We are at the stage where we just associate her front stretch with the command.
Tika's crawl is so funny. I love Freeze too, when we put the treat on her nose. She's gotten really good at that. Ripley's Derp is so funny. One day I'll catch it on camera.

I wish I could get Shaqua to talk. She is the quietest dog ever unless she REALLY wants something or emergency sirens are too loud. I guess she makes up for it being highly animated.

Dakota has a bunch of commands down but the most useful has been "wait" . He is awesome with it. He knows wait means he will get whatever it is he wants if he just waits.
For example my 5 year old come walking up to him when he was sitting on the couch ( somewhere he is technically NOT supposed to be) waving a slice of pizza in his face. I panicked because i knew my daughter would throw a fit if He stole the pizza that, in his eyes, she was offering to him. I shouted "wait!" more to my daughter than to the dog and he sat there, drool pouring out of his mouth, watching that pizza, but he didn't even try to take it. She literally had it a centimeter from his nose. Of course, I had to give him some pizza crust after that.

We're currently working on "bang bang" what he's supposed to do is fall to the ground with his paws in the air, what he does right now is talk back and lay down then jump up demanding his treat lol.

He can also "speak" which is a loud bark and "little speak" which is a quite rooroow

We're working on adding "Uh Oh!" to our list, especially since Korra's recovering from the spay and gonig stir crazy. Also known as "cover" for covering their nose with their paw, but that's so literal. So we use "Uh Oh!" instead. She will do it for pretty long, and cower/shy away about half the time, it's just actually touching her face that we can't get her to do yet. It's a work in progress, all in good time.

Oh yeah! The nose cover... Tasha knew that as 'shame on you'

If I may ask, where does everyone get a step by step training book/manual or have all of you taken your pups to some form of training?

Meeka starts "beginner" classes today at Petsmart, but she pretty much as down the commands they will teach "sit" and "down". I'm starting off with that one as "down" once in a while goes out the door unless I have a treat.

I took Tasha to obedience school and they taught clicker training. Once I understood the concept it was really easy to teach tricks. Once you figure out the timing, you can reward the instant they do something right. It's better for some things and dogs then others, but for teaching Tasha tricks, it worked really well.

Edit - I took her to puppy class and then a beginning level obedience class, then did the rest myself.

Dakota graduated from basic obedience . And the rest of his commands have been taught by me. You don't really need a book, think of what you want them to do and when they do it after you give the command they get big rewards.

I've never used a book or took Cally to training, I have done it all myself and she knows a fair amount of tricks.

I would have to say my favourites are sit pretty (her fav too) in which she stands up on her hind end. Picture isn't the best sorry


And I just recently taught her to bow, it may be a new favourite lol

I just got Loki this last November, as a turning 1 year old pup who did not even know how to sit.
He now knows "Sit." "Down." "Come." (That is, when HE wants to, lol.) "Stay" "Wait" and of course "NO." He recently learned "Shake-Paws" and "Stand-up". I recently found out if I am being silly and dancing to something, He will stand up and put his paws on my waist, LOL.
My favorite has to be "Wait." I can now effectively put a steak in front of him and tell him "No." or "Wait." and he will NOT touch it, no matter how much he wants to.



Oh, He has also learned "Hike!"
Cannot wait to get him a harness!

Sky is only 12 weeks old but she knows sit, come, lie down, bed, paw and other one (other paw) we are working on wait atm

Of course sometimes she just blanks me lol

Stark knows quite a few - my fav ones are whisper and up-up.

Whisper - he'll go through the motions of barking, but not make any noise. He knows speak too so that makes it people easier to distinguish the difference.

Up-up - He gets on his hind legs and holds his paws against your chest. I'm going to try and condition him to wrap his paws around you and change the name to hug.

His "come" command is pretty good too (not that he does it ALL the time), but when we're at opposite ends of the dog park, and to watch him bolt to me at full speed with that crazy smile on his face is awesome.

This is the only one that he still gets treats for every time he does it. I started to randomize a little too early on this one so he regressed a bit... =\

Target training! It is a useful base for expanding your training.