AKC GoodDog! Helpline Trainer Milena Barreto has taught her Standard Poodle, Phoebe, dozens of tricks and they often entertain as a therapy dog team at assisted living centers and hospitals. Here, she tells us how to teach one of the crowd favorites. What can be more rewarding than showing off that your dog is a […]

They are the undisputed braniacs of the canine universe. Whether they’re chasing lost lambs on craggy Scottish hillsides, blasting through agility courses, giving the “eye” to a herd of cattle, or wowing readers and television viewers with thousand-word vocabularies, the Border Collie never fails to astound. Their busy, no-nonsense take on the world has been […]

AKC GoodDog! Helpline Trainer Milena Barreto has taught her Standard Poodle, Phoebe, dozens of tricks, and they entertain with her repertoire during their therapy dog visits to hospitals and assisted living centers. Here she tells us how to teach a cute one: Cross Your Paws! This is an easy trick to teach your dog when […]

When people start training their dogs, "sit" is usually where they start. It’s an easy basic.  I've taught lots of dogs to sit! Then I got a retired racing greyhound.None of the usual methods worked; his back legs were pillars of unbending granite. No amount of luring or tricks would get him to fold those […]

Does your dog know how to stay? Does he have a release word? If not, he should! A release word is a word that tells your dog he is allowed to move, following the "stay" command. "Stay" needs to have a defined beginning and end, otherwise your dog will learn he can move anytime he […]

AKC GoodDog! Helpline Trainer Milena Barreto has taught her Standard Poodle, Phoebe, dozens of tricks. They use their repertoire of tricks to entertain on their therapy dog team visits. Spinning is an easy trick to teach your dog. First get his attention, using a treat. Holding the treat in your hand, hold it above his […]

AKC GoodDog! Helpline trainer Milena Barreto has taught her Standard Poodle, Phoebe, dozens of tricks. They use their repertoire of tricks to entertain when they make their therapy dog visits. This is a good trick to teach your dog when she is tired and ready to rest. She needs to know the DOWN cue before […]

Looking for a fun training project for dogs and owners? You might want to try out the “Do More With Your Dog” program created by famous Hollywood trainer and AKC competitor Kyra Sundance. This goal-oriented program creates a solid foundation of obedience in the format of learning simple tricks that owners keep track of and […]

This is an easy trick to teach, and your dog will love it! It’s best to start with teaching your dog to catch treats as you don’t want to throw a toy that might hit him in the face and turn him off to catching forever. Sit your dog about two feet in front of […]

Teach Your Dog to Do a Handstand AKC GoodDog! Helpline trainer Erin Rakosky tells you how to teach a cool trick that will impress your friends -- a handstand! Here are some simple steps to help teach your dog to do a handstand. Remember to take it slow and have lots of small treats ready. […]