# What is the coolest trick your dog can do?



## sspbass

I really enjoy teaching Athena cool tricks. i.e. I just trained her to get a "beverage" from the fridge, bring it to me and then go shut the door. I told a few friends and none of them believed me until they came over and saw it for themselves. I'm so proud of how smart she is and want to keep teaching her new things. So... what are the coolest tricks you guys have trained you GSD's to do?


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## mysweetkaos

My husband trained Sherman to wink. Now if you wink at him, he will wink back. Kind of silly, but cute. I'd never seen a dog do that


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## sspbass

haha, that brought a smile to my face. I can just envision my dog winking at me all the time.


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## Liesje

When we did trick demos for my husband's second grade class, their favorites were....

-"Bang" (drop dead on the side)
- rollover
- directed retrieves over a 1meter jump
- a little routine of going from heel position to under my legs, heeling between my legs, weaving between my legs, then flipping back to heel
- Revier (bark and hold on me)


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## Andaka

I taught several different dogs to speak on a signal. You can then moify the behavior to different tricks.

One dog and I would sing "How much is that doggie in the window?" he would bark when i tapped under my chin.

I had a dog that could "read my mind". It was something like what Johnny Carson used to do. I could hold a playing card to my forehead and ask him "what card". He would then bark the number of the value of the card.

I had another dog that could do math. He could do addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and square roots. He could also do flash cards.

it makes for a cool trick.


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## Syaoransbear

If he stands at the fridge long enough my mom makes him a sandwich. I guess that's more of a trick he taught my mom, though. 

It doesn't work when I try it. She tells me to make my own sandwich :<. 

He also trained her to fetch by dropping his ball down the stairs, then my mom brings it back to him.


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## Laney

We are BIG Chargers fans (hence my GSD's name...Rivers)...so we trained Rivers to bark/get excited and give us a high five every time the Chargers score a touchdown :happyboogie:


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## jang

sspbass said:


> I really enjoy teaching Athena cool tricks. i.e. I just trained her to get a "beverage" from the fridge, bring it to me and then go shut the door. I told a few friends and none of them believed me until they came over and saw it for themselves. I'm so proud of how smart she is and want to keep teaching her new things. So... what are the coolest tricks you guys have trained you GSD's to do?



How did you teach her that? Does she put the beverage can into her mouth or do you have some kind of fetch thingy? GREAT TRICK! Jan


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## sspbass

jang said:


> How did you teach her that? Does she put the beverage can into her mouth or do you have some kind of fetch thingy? GREAT TRICK! Jan


1. I got her to retrieve an empty coozy. 
2. Then I put an empty soda can in the coozy and got her to retrieve that. 
3. Then I tied a towel around the handle to the fridge and taught her to open the door via a little tug o war and treating her when she got it open. 
4. Then I got her to retrieve the can with the coozy from the open fridge until she got the point that the can was going to be in the fridge. 
5. Then I started shutting the door and just used the command to retrieve the can and she new she had to open the door to get it.
6. I struggle figuring out how to get her to shut the door but then I found this video on youtube and got her doing it on command (more or less) in 30 minutes. 

She doesn't always make it all the way to me without dropping it so I've gotten used to shaken beer!


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## Lilie

Hondo knows all of his basic commands in sign language as well. Not proper sign language, just signals I provide. (Finger up = sit / Finger down = down / Finger to the lips = go outside / Roll the fist = dead dog / point two fingers to my eye and he looks me in eye, etc. ) Once he was solid on those it's fun to use when non-doggy folks are around.


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## GregK

Got a Rottie who crawls backwards.

Taught my mom's GSD to wave.


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## Kaiser2012

Dakota winks all the time...I never seem to have a clicker or treat on me when she does though!

Most people love "hide", where she puts her paws around her snout and looks at me. They also like "wave"  Those that don't train their dog seem to really like "hold it", which really means "hold whatever position I just put you in" (different from "stay")...but in this particular scenario, it means "hold the cookie I just put in your mouth...until I tell you to "drop it". She then gets the cookie after she spits it out


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## kennajo

I want to teach the drop to side when I say "Bang" how is it done?


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## Kaiser2012

I taught Dakota "flat"...where she lays flat on her side (its the position she does "hide" from). Basically with her I put her in a down, then started to motion for her to "roll over" but stopped her as soon as her shoulders hit the ground. Lots of treats. She got it almost immediately as I put a command and proper hand signal to it.


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## TriadGSD

i didnt really Teach triad but if he wants to go out he will get my shoes brings one then goes and gets the other . now all i have to do is say get my shoes and he will go get them.


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## Caitydid255

sspbass said:


> I really enjoy teaching Athena cool tricks. i.e. I just trained her to get a "beverage" from the fridge, bring it to me and then go shut the door. I told a few friends and none of them believed me until they came over and saw it for themselves.


I could never teach Freyja that trick. I'd come home to an empty fridge.  Freyja knows "spin" where she tightly spins counterclockwise and "turn" where she spins clockwise. Both know the command "up up" and when I point they must jump upon or over an object. Angus knows "speak" where he barks on command. We refuse to teach that command to Freyja as she would rather lecture than speak once. They also know the names of their toys and will fetch whichever one we request.

My favorite trick is when I have a camera and I tell Freyja to stay. Whatever position she is in, she will freeze and "pose". Hubby jokes that she learned that as soon as I get my picture she gets released so she pleases me so she can escape. Angus is not thrilled when I have him do this but he's learning.


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## GSD2

kennajo said:


> I want to teach the drop to side when I say "Bang" how is it done?


I taught my dog to 'play dead' in a series of steps, or shaping the behavior. Break the behavor down. I used clicker training for this. Maybe start with sit, then down, then I lured my dog with a treat onto her side. At the end I hold a treat in my hand with my finger pointing at her and say 'bang!' I learned this on youtube, you can find it there, along with lots of other fun tricks.

I have yet to capture it on video but it is the funniest thing I have ever seen! If we havn't practiced 'play dead' in a while it seems she has to remember how to do it and will revert back to doing the trick in steps, first she throws her head to the side, as she did when I was luring her with a treat, this usually makes her stagger two to three steps before falling over, it is too too funny! LOL Or it looks as if she was shot in the side when her head turns quick after she lays on her side. One time she staggered two or three steps, fell into the wall then fell on her side, so dramatic! She could be a movie star if I could just get it on video! LOL


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## Chicagocanine

If I taught my dog to open the fridge I'd probably come how the next day to an empty fridge and a full dog! 

Bianca only knows "paw" right now, we're working on "sit up/beg" but she needs to put a paw on my hand to steady/balance herself still.
My terrier mix could do a bunch of tricks though including paw, other paw, high 5, high 10, speak, wave, beg, bow, play the piano(synthesizer) and paint a picture.
I taught my Golden Retriever to play dead and roll over (she also knew a bunch of other stuff), but when I went "Bang!" she would sloooowwwlllly lay down on her side so it looks like she was doing a dramatic scene or something, and sometimes I'd have to "Bang!" again to get her to put her head all the way down on the floor. She also would roll over really slowly.

Here's a very old video of mt Golden doing the trick, unfortunately the sound is really bad and it lags behind the video though...


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## doggiedad

how does your dog know the Chargers scored a touch down?? 


Laney said:


> We are BIG Chargers fans (hence my GSD's name...Rivers)...so we trained Rivers to bark/get excited and give us a high five every time the Chargers score a touchdown :happyboogie:


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## Laney

doggiedad said:


> how does your dog know the Chargers scored a touch down??


We use the word "touchdown" as the command. And we get excited so he gets exited too!


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## Scarlettsmom

Scarlett can jump through a hula-hoop held up 4 feet from the floor. She jumps up, tucks her legs under and lands on the other side. It's a good "little kid crowd" pleaser. She knows the bang-play-dead trick too, but she says it's demeaning and will only do it if we really pressure her. :0)


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## fuzzybunny

Jazz will thump his tail on the floor if we say, "Give me a waggypoo" . He can also jump through a hoop.

Bunny will howl on cue.


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## Jax08

Her coolest trick: Training DH to give up his side of the bed.

Jax will start barking in the morning on the weekends. DH will finally get mad and get out of bed to take her out. She promptly jumps up on the bed and curls up on his pillow next to me and refused to go with him.

If that fails, she jumps up on his side of the bed. Walks across the top of our pillows and lays on his head while she's licking my face.

Makes me laugh every time.


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## SamanthaBrynn

Callie knows her basics...and she can play dead. Most recently though, if we say I love you, she mimics almost exactly back to us. It's hysterical. She's a talker that one.


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## Super_HKS

I would have to say that my boys best trick if you can even call it a trick is to "rescue/find it". If I take a bunch of pillows/blankets and then bury myself and then call out in distress, he will use his head and paws to remove the blankets and pillows and then barks at my ear and licks me once he has found me. When I tell him that I am ok and good find, he goes crazy and gets excited. I have a feeling he would have made an excellent rescue dog.


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## Rascal

There are some cool tricks you can teach . The best thing my boy does right now is: I put him in a down stay, place a treat in front of him on the floor and tell him to stay, my girlfriend tells him to get it but he can only get it when i tell him to, it works the other way around too. Man these dogs are smart


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## Discoetheque

Everyone's favorite trick of Reba's is an oldie but a goodie. I taught her to wave when someone says "Hi, Reba!" and waves. She's a good waver, too. Doesn't just flail around willy-nilly, but brings her paw straight up and holds it there for a minute. Kids especially love it.

Discoe's is somewhere between her extreme down (she just flips her front legs out from under her and crashes to the ground) and her backward heeling.


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## VaBeachFamily

Our female does the extreme down also when she is told to Platz, Cullen is more laid back. I do want to teach backwards heeling.


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## iBaman

High five. For sure. Cause he jumps in the air to hit your hand xD


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## mysweetkaos

OH I forgot in addition to winking Sherman will crawl on command.


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## iBaman

mysweetkaos said:


> OH I forgot in addition to winking Sherman will crawl on command.


That one is Sheldon's favorite xD


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## Bismarck

i taught my dog how to limp on command


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## Chowgal

I taught Jasper to drink out of a water bottle and the water hose. ~lol~ 

Dixie knows "get 'em". ~lol~ She runs up to whoever I point at, grabs their pant leg and leads them closer. ~lol~ It's quite amusing. Especially the first time I show someone. ~lol~ They always thing she's gonna attack them. ~lol~

Jasper and Dixie both know shake and "high five".

And I've taught Todd "hop hop". ~lol~ He bounces up and down in front of me, happily. ~lol~


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## vicky2200

Dakota: Sneezes when we say "haaachu" but he is stubborn/old so he wont do it EVERY time but if he really wants a treat he will. We don't do this anymore because he has issues with allergies and sneezes enough.

Ditto: She knows the basics + she will turn in a circle when I say circle, wave, over (leg or stick) and touch my hand or item with her nose (she hates that one) Her BEST is when I say " Circle sit speak wave" and she does it in that order. However, our house has gotten so hectic with 4 dogs that usually she does them out of order or forgets one now. Oh she can flip a treat off her nose and catch it. She will keep it there for a decent amount of time if I make her

Daisy: Has the basics + can do circle, wave, nose, sit pretty, up and balance (on back legs), she mimics you when you say "i love you" when she is feeling generous lol, and go over my leg. My favorite is when she sits pretty. She can flip a treat off her nose 50% of the time and only catches it 50% of that 50%. 

^ all of them know bang but only Dakota likes it
Weegee: Basics. However, if I hold him like a baby and say bang his head goes limp and he looks dead. I didn't teach this, he started doing it on his own so I added "bang" and now he does it when I say it. Now I need a new command to use for when i teach him to play dead on the floor.


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## Zeeva

Nothing special but it makes me so happy to have her do this!


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## PaddyD

Abby takes the caps and rings off seltzer bottles (or any large soda bottle). She took that job on all by herself.
I screw them back on as tight as I can and they are back off in 30 seconds.


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## Skribbles

Favorite is covering her eyes. 

I spend about 15-20 everyday at lunch teaching her new silly stuff. This week we've learned to close the kitchen drawers and cupboards, spin in a circle and to crawl under chairs.

Running out of ideas.


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## Jessiewessie99

My dog is a ninja.


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## VChurch

Minna will pick-up things and bring them to me. And she'll grab things and carry them to someone else (sort of).

Bacca is working on play-dead I just haven't attached the phrase to it yet.

They both know how to high five; and 'lay your head down' -- always cute.


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## The Packman

Elly May will call me to dinner on command.


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## HundenHaus

Back in the day when Brandon was alive, if you toss a key, a hat, and a ball, then you tell him to go get whichever you tossed, he will bring it to you.


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## marbury

vicky2200 said:


> Dakota: Sneezes when we say "haaachu" but he is stubborn/old so he wont do it EVERY time but if he really wants a treat he will. We don't do this anymore because he has issues with allergies and sneezes enough.


We're not the only ones, haha! My 12 y/o rescue mutt was my first dog as a kid, so you bet I spent an ungodly amount of time teaching him to do weird tricks. We've won all sorts of 'contests' at Petsmart and such with the sneeze trick; remarkably easy to teach if you shape with markers, and such a crowd pleaser!

My labradoodle is one of those 'trick a day' learners that is delightful and frustrating at the same time; my friends joke that one day I'll get a text message from him while I'm out of the house. We're pretty sure he's working on learning how.


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## GatorDog

Aiden can fetch the inhaler 

Aiden vom HausDaka - Inhaler Retrieve - YouTube


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## LenaDuchanes

This stuff is awesome! How do you guys teach your dogs to do this stuff?

My pup can only do a few basic things at the moment.


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## PatchonGSD

Chloe can give this pitiful, glassy eyed, ears back, nose in the air look that can make me feel guilty and sorry for her for absolutely no reason at all. Does that count? lol


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## Shaolin

My favorite thing was teaching Finn how to shake as in shaking off water on command. Keeps me from getting a shower while I'm trying to bathe him.

Zeeva, I gotta ask. The WGSD in your video...where did you get him/her? Absolutely beautiful dog!


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## dbrk9

Starla loves to "crawl" I taught her this one first and she loves it! Tonight I introduced her to the keyboards and she hit a few keys with her nose! She looked quite funny as she was making music!

Other tricks, rollover, on your back, gimme five, play dead (I add shhhhh!) she seems to know that means to not move or pant!, leave it!


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## Jag

NOT anything I taught, but my male figured out how our touch lamps worked. He kept turning them on in the middle of the night (in the bedroom) so we finally had to replace them!


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## ken k

since max is a therapy dog, i taught him a "hospital bark", same a barking but there is no bark, just his jaws moving, from that we now have the "aggressive air bark", all you can hear is his jaws snapping shut, he looks like cugo when hes doing it


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## blackshep

Technically it's not a trick, since she only did it once and by accident.

But I was throwing my pups puppy kong on the floor and trying to get her to catch it in the air after the first bounce.

She barely missed it one time and bonked it with her nose - directly back into my hand from about 10' away! 

You should have heard me cheering! Ha ha!


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## porcelanne

It's pretty easy to teach... and is a variant on "paw" but this week we've started doing high fives... it's so simple but it's so cool hahahaha! It makes him look like a wee legend because he knows exactly what I'm on about.


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## porcelanne

oh and turning the xbox on with his nose....the first time was an accident, the following next few times? he's just being a smartass!

oh and he changes the sky channel on the tv if I'm watching stuff he finds boring - IM NOT JOKING it's annoying!!! especially if you're watching something recorded, you have to go back in and get it to start playing again from the menu. little menace!


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## hunterisgreat

My favorite trick Katya does is jumping on stuff lol



























































Jäger's best trick is scaring people


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## apenn0006

porcelanne said:


> oh and turning the xbox on with his nose....the first time was an accident, the following next few times? he's just being a smartass!
> 
> oh and he changes the sky channel on the tv if I'm watching stuff he finds boring - IM NOT JOKING it's annoying!!! especially if you're watching something recorded, you have to go back in and get it to start playing again from the menu. little menace!


HAHA! Ours turns the Xbox off with his nose when my husband is playing. Gets on his nerves bad! lol


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## Jaders

Hero would shake your hand, play dead & whine afterwards because he was 'wounded', howl/sing on command, basics, and when it was raining & I had to wipe off his paws from being outside, he would alternate each front paw so I could wipe then stand for the backs.

They are so smart.:wub:


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## blackshep

hunterisgreat, love the pic of your dog in the cat tree!


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## hunterisgreat

blackshep said:


> hunterisgreat, love the pic of your dog in the cat tree!


Thats Katya for you


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## Whiteshepherds

hunterisgreat said:


>


I bet no one tries to steal your mail. :rofl:


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## wimmer105

he can open a bottle of water! he unscrews the lid.

he also opens gates for me!


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## prockerb

hunterisgreat said:


> My favorite trick Katya does is jumping on stuff lol
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> Jäger's best trick is scaring people


That is so cute! How did you train that?


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## prockerb

I am a huge fan of free style tricks, and my fave that we do is cop cop! I just love it sooo much!


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## DJMac

I gotta start on some of these tricks mentioned.


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## Deno

There are some really good mind reading illusions out there.

All of them take a little training, The pick a card trick takes the least 

and may work the first time depending on the dog.

You have someone pick a card out of the deck while you explain 

your dog can find it. Unknown to them you have the slightest amount 

of butter on top or at the side of your thumb joint. After they pick a 

card you slyly transfer the butter to the back of their card. Then you

shuffle the deck and spread the cards out on the floor face down.

Your dog should sniff around and then lick up the right card. 

Of the useless tricks I have taught Dex, most people like the Bang your dead trick the most.


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