There are many ways that you can use your knowledge of animals to impress your friends. There are lots of great dog tricks that you can teach your dog quickly and easily that will be sure to impress. When you are looking at the various types of dog tricks that you might decide to do, one of the most important things to think about is the way that your dog is going to be obedient to you.

With the right combination of treats and praise, you can teach your dog to do just about anything. Therefore, it is first important to look at how to teach them a trick.

When you have a dog, chances are that you already know about a bit of food or two that might make them do anything you want. Training treats should be small, and should be low calorie, so that you can give them to the dog without making the dog overweight. Once you've chosen a training treat, use it only for the times in which you are training, because otherwise your dog will simply think that he can get those treats at any time, and won't worry about doing what you ask any more.

Sit and Stay

The first trick is not only one of the best, but is a classic and all time favorite. It's the sit and stay routine and exemplifies the fact that your dog has good behavior. The first step to accomplishing this routine is to hold a treat in your hand and then hold your hand above your dog's head. This way, he has to look up to see the treat. While he is looking up, he will be inclined to sit down as a natural reaction. Once he does this say the word "sit".

Next, move your hand with the treat to a new position (either forward or backward in the air) so that he has to move forward or backward to see it. He may or may not sit down. If he doesn't, gently push his bottom to the floor and say "sit". Otherwise when he sits down again say "sit". Do this a couple of times and then praise him out loud and give him the treat. Practice this daily.

The next thing to do is to move on to "stay" which is a little harder. Start by putting your hand, open palm, in front of his face and verbally say "stay". Then begin to back away. Afterwards, if he stayed even for a little bit, give him the treat and some praise. Continue to practice this until he can stay for longer periods of time.

Bring It Back

Another one that is always fun is to teach your dog to bring something back. This can be a ball, or a stick, or just about anything. Most dogs will do this naturally, so start by throwing something for him to retrieve, and when he brings it back, praise him for it. This should lead to a great game that you can play, and that you can use to train your dog!