10 Less Common, but Useful Things to Teach Your Dog

The most useful less common things to teach your dog

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But there are some more unusual commands that you probably didn’t think about teaching the pup. We’ve compiled ten less common, but useful command you can teach your dog. Enjoy and let us know how long it took you to teach him!

1. Bark on Command

This has always been one of the toughest tricks to teach your dog. It won’t happen right away, but you will need lots of patience and a substantial amount of treats to reward the furry fella. The key here is to observe what things cause him to bark and to mimic them or say their names. After some time, he will understand and start barking.

This is a useful thing for your dog to learn, because having your dog bark on command can discourage intruders and also make it easier to teach your dog the reverse, how to be quiet and stop barking on command.

2. Find Hidden Food

This is one of the simpler ones, but people don’t realize it right away. Before you hide the treat, make sure to smear your hands gently with it, and let your dog sniff you. After that, point him in the general direction of the hidden treat and just say “go!” or “get it!” If he doesn’t succeed right away, lead him to and he’ll learn in no time.

This can be especially useful as you could then teach your dog to sniff out where the chickens are laying eggs, find antlers when you’re hiking, or even simple provide a way for your dog to entertain themselves when you’re gone. Just hide treats all over your home and they will be able to search them out while you’re away.

3. Open the Door

When it comes to opening doors, many dogs are able to do it if they are tall enough and if you show them how beforehand. For the first few months, make sure you slowly grasp the doorknob and move it so the dog can see it. It no time, he’ll learn to use his paws to go through rooms!

Imagine coming home with an arm full of groceries, and having you dog be able to open the door for you. That’s would be amazing. Some people have even taught their dogs to open doors and bring them certain items. How handy would that be?

4. Reach for Stuff Under the Bed

Sometimes this can be both fun and useful, as you won’t have to kneel and reach it yourself. Just point him to the direction of the location and repeat “go!” He might not understand it right away, but after some time he’ll come diving in and salvaging any object.

5. Spin

Most people disregard teaching their dog this because they think it’s difficult, but it’s actually quite simple. Just use treats to guide your dog in a circle until they start to understand. Repetition is key when teaching a dog any new trick.

This might not be the most useful trick, but it’s a fun trick for when you want to show off how awesome your dog is.

6. Find People

If there is a group of people around him that he knows well, teach him their names and repeat them when he encounters them. Be it neighbors or family, you can then direct the pup using “go/get” and saying their names. In no time, he should be running, eager to find them.

This can be useful as you can teach your dog to round up the family for dinner or grab your kids when they’re ignoring you.

7. Doing Their Business in the Toilet

Although it may seem hilarious to some, this is a very useful trick especially if you live in cold weather conditions or in an apartment where the only other bathroom is 20 stories below. Teach your companion this is to place him on top of the seat (only if he’s big enough) and he should quickly associate that bowl with doing its work.

8. Hide

An excellent addition to playing! Begin the teaching with simply running after him with a cheerful voice and he should run away to a safe part of the yard or apartment. In the future, you’ll just have to repeat that and use one step in a quick manner to cause him to hide. Hide and seek with puppies is the best!

9. Turn on the Light

This is a thing, too! Can you imagine how nice it would be to be able to tell your dog to turn off the lights at night when you’re already snuggled into your bed at night. This trick is quickly getting moved up my list.

10. Close the Door

This one is perhaps the hardest because it requires much patience for you to show your pup he can use his bottom to push the door so it closes. After a few hundred times, any dog should start to understand and begin doing it.

Does your dog know any of these tricks? Let us know in the comments below!

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