I teach tricks to all my personal dogs.
Sit pretty, go touch, go around, roll over, talk, shake, weave, spin, bow—anything that comes to my mind, pretty much.
Recently, while training outside with my dog, a passerby commented on how cool it looked and wondered whether I do Superdog performances or compete in tricks.
I don’t.
Orca could probably be a cool movie dog. She learns fast and can synthesize information well. She knows how to open and close drawers and can easily recycle a plastic bottle or cardboard.
However, “coolness” or trick titles is not why I teach tricks.
I teach tricks for two major reasons.
One: the more things my dog knows, the better she is tuned to my body language. It takes focus and concentration to differentiate “place” from “touch,” or “touch” with feet from “poke” with nose. It also takes processing power to sort these very similar tasks into specific categories, and then discriminate actions within those categories. Finally, it hugely raises a dog’s body awareness: spin, bow, touch, and go around all engage different muscles. Good body awareness = precision and accuracy.
Two: I don’t compete in tricks, but I do compete in Obedience, Rally, and IGP. These sports require not only precision but also a specific exuberant yet controlled attitude. Tricks help remind the dog what its attitude should be, and carry that attitude into performance.
That is, if I see Orca is stiff or stressed, I have her spin and weave to loosen up, then bark to bring excitement levels up. Once she’s loose and excited, I put an obedience command cap on that energy—having her hold a down, for example.
Bottom line, tricks are fun, easy to teach, and dogs LOVE them. Most importantly, tricks are not just cool; they make dogs sharper, faster, and better engaged, and this is ultimately what most dog owners want. Try and use one of the tricks your dog knows before throwing any obedience at it - and you will see the difference for yourself.