Teaching your dog tricksPart of · Teaching your dog tricks

Tricks to avoid or supervise carefully

7 min read

Why some tricks are a problem

A dog's skeleton is built to spread its weight across four legs, with close to 60% of the load on the forelimbs. Every spectacular trick shifts that balance: backwards for bipedalism, into rotation for the backflip, into concentrated impact for jumps, into full inversion for the handstand. The dog learns the movement quickly; it's its ligaments, its joints and its back that pay the price, often silently. In a puppy this is even clearer: before the growth plates close, repeated impacts and early stairs weigh on hip development (Krontveit et al. 2012).

The temptation is the "wow" effect. The helpful reflex is the opposite: first ask what the movement asks of your dog's body, then choose the ground-level alternative that gives the same play value without the strain.

Trick by trick: ban, supervise, replace

Three families, to decide at a glance before you begin.

Never to be taught

Attacking or biting a humanYou don't teach a companion dog to bite a person. The need to bite is redirected onto tug and the padded sleeve, into materials, never onto someone.

Chasing living beings (joggers, bikes, animals)This isn't a trick: predation is channelled (ball, tracking, treibball), it isn't taught. Training the chase creates a danger that reinforces itself.

The backflip or saltoThe one trick where the answer is simply no: it combines spinal twisting, landing impact and the risk of a bad fall. There's no "light" version.

Strictly supervised (mature adults only)

High or repeated jumpsIt's the repeated landing that wears out shoulders, wrists and hips. Height capped at the hock, 3 to 5 jumps maximum, soft ground, never before growth is complete.

Held bipedalism, walking on two legsHolding an upright stance shifts the load onto the lower back, the hips and the knees. A brief lift in a healthy adult is trivial; it's duration and repetition that we avoid.

The handstand (weight on the front legs)It inverts the entire weight distribution onto the wrists, the elbows and the neck. Reserve it for a gradually conditioned adult dog, for the shortest duration.

Fake limpingIt sets up a repeated non-weight-bearing pattern and can blur the reading of genuine pain. If you do teach it: very short sessions, alternate the limb, never starting from a real limp.

Alternatives that give the same benefit

The slalom or gentle "spin" on the groundThe joy of movement, without the twisting or the impact.

Low step-overs and the mini-tunnelBefore the jump: the dog goes across at ground level, with no strain on the joints.

A brief "beg" with the hindquarters on the groundBefore held bipedalism: a short lift, never held.

Targets, capturing and scent workSubtle tricks that work the mind, perfect for a puppy, a senior or a fragile dog.

Supervising a physical trick, in order

For the tricks that can be supervised, the decision is taken in this order, and everything is built without ever straining your dog's body (AVSAB 2021).

Rule out medical issues and growth

An adult dog, growth plates closed (around 12 months, 18 to 24 months in large breeds), no history of joint or back problems, no at-risk conformation. At the slightest physical doubt, ask the vet before, never after.

Choose the least costly alternative

Before the jump, the ground step-over or the tunnel; before held bipedalism, the brief "beg". If a less demanding version is enough, stop there.

Dose it like a physical exercise

A non-slip surface, a warm-up, very few repetitions, a build-up over several weeks. It's an exercise for the body, not a memory exercise you repeat "until he gets it".

Mark the success, then read the discomfort

A short marker word ("yes") confirms the right movement. Lip-licking, unusual slowness, stiffness the next day, a new refusal: you step back or you give it up.

A physical trick is an excellent early detector of discomfort, as long as you listen to it.

Keep an eye on

Lip-licking or yawning during the session
The dog slows down, hesitates just before the movement

Stop and observe

Stiffness the day after the session
A new refusal of a trick he used to do happily
A heavy landing, coming down "hard"

Rule out a medical cause

A limp that lasts or comes back in episodes
Persistent, localised licking of a joint
New irritability when you touch an area

Supervise or give it up?

You can supervise the trick

An adult dog, growth plates closed, with no history of back or joint problems
No particular conformation risk, at a healthy weight
You're aiming for few repetitions, soft ground, and you know how to stop at the first signal

Better to abstain or hand it over

A growing puppy, a senior, an overweight dog, a long-backed, dysplastic or arthritic one: stick to subtle ground-level tricks
The "trick" involves attacking, biting or predation: it isn't a trick
Established reactivity, biting or predation: work for a behaviourist, not a party trick

AVSAB — Position Statement on Humane Dog Training (2021)
Krontveit et al. — Housing- and exercise-related risk factors for hip dysplasia during growth (American Journal of Veterinary Research) (2012)
Guidelines for Recognition, Assessment and Treatment of Pain, WSAVA Global Pain Council

Going further

guideTeaching the low jump safelyDosed crossing, from growth plates to the height ceiling.Read the guide guideThe "beg" without straining the backA brief lift, hindquarters on the ground, in progressive doses.Read the guide

Frequently asked questions

How do you teach a dog to attack?

You don't: teaching a companion dog to bite or attack a human creates a danger, not a trick. The need to bite, though, is real and is redirected onto tug and the padded sleeve, into materials, never onto a person. Supervised protection work stays a sport for professionals, dangerous in a family home.

How do you teach a dog to hunt?

Hunting, or predation, isn't taught: it's channelled. Teaching a dog to chase joggers, bikes or animals feeds a sequence that already self-reinforces and quickly becomes uncontrollable. Instead, satisfy that need with the ball, scent tracking or treibball, and mark the right behaviour with a "yes".

Can you train your dog for guarding or protection?

A dog trained in protection work for "guarding" is extremely dangerous in a family, and it's a professional's job, not a trick. A family dog's real deterrent lies in its presence, not in a trained bite. You gain far more from a stable, well-socialised dog.

At what age can a dog start jumping?

Not before the growth plates close: around 12 months for many dogs, 18 to 24 months in large breeds (veterinary consensus). Before then, stick to ground-level step-overs and subtle tricks. After that: moderate height, soft ground and only a few jumps per session.

Does the "beg" trick hurt my dog's back?

A brief, occasional lift in a healthy adult isn't documented as dangerous. It's the held or repeated position that weighs on the back, the hips and the knees, especially in a puppy, a long-backed dog or a senior. Keep the hindquarters on the ground and build up in very small doses.

Is it dangerous to teach my dog tricks?

No, the vast majority of ground-level tricks (targets, "spin", slalom, scent work) are safe and excellent for the mind. It's repeated impacts, twists and held lifts that are a problem. A trick always stops at the first sign of discomfort, and never on a dog in pain.

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