How do I teach my dog to attack?

You don't: teaching a companion dog to bite or attack a person builds a danger, not a trick. The need to bite is very real, though: it's redirected onto tug and bite-rolls, on objects made for it, never on a person. Supervised bite work stays a professionals' sport, dangerous in a family home.

How do I teach a dog to chase?

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

Can I train my dog to guard or defend?

A dog trained in bite work for 'guarding' is extremely dangerous in a family, and it's a professional's job, not a trick. What really deters, with a family dog, is his presence, not a trained bite. You gain far more from a stable, well-socialised dog.

Tricks to avoid (or to keep in check)

Teaching your dog tricksPart of · Teaching your dog tricks

Tricks to avoid (or to keep in check)

Q: 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 that, stick to the step-over on the floor and to subtle tricks. After that: a moderate height, a soft surface and only a few jumps per session.

Q: Does the 'sit pretty' trick hurt my dog's back?

A brief, occasional rise in a healthy adult isn't known to be 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 floor and build up in very small doses.

Q: Is it dangerous to teach my dog tricks?

No: the vast majority of floor tricks (targets, 'spin', slalom, scent work) are safe and excellent for the mind. It's the repeated impacts, the twists and the held rises that are a problem. A trick is always stopped at the first sign of discomfort, and never on a dog that's in pain.

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What the movement asks of his body

A dog's skeleton spreads his weight over four points of support, with roughly 60% of the load on the front legs. A spectacular trick shifts that balance: backwards when he stands on his hind legs, into a rotation for a flip, into a concentrated impact when he lands a jump, completely upside down when he balances on his front paws. The dog learns the movement quickly; it is his ligaments, his joints and his back that absorb it, often without you seeing a thing.
In a puppy, this is even more true. His bones grow from their ends, at soft areas known as growth plates. Until those close, often around a year old and later in large breeds, his skeleton stays flexible and copes badly with repeated impact. A Norwegian study from 2012, following 501 puppies of four large breeds, showed it clearly: even before three months of age, climbing stairs already raises the risk of hip dysplasia, a malformation of the joint.

The temptation is the "wow" effect. The right reflex: ask yourself what the movement asks of his body, of his behaviour, or of the picture it paints of him. There is almost always a version he enjoys just as much, without the risk: on the ground rather than in the air, a brief movement rather than a held one, real play rather than a staged scene.

Trick by trick: ban it, frame it, replace it

Three families of risk, to decide at a glance before you start: what the movement does to his body, what reflex it builds, and the picture it paints of your dog.

Never to be taught

Attacking or biting a humanYou never teach a pet dog to bite someone. The need to bite, on the other hand, gets redirected onto a tug toy, such as a bite roll (that sausage-shaped toy the dog grips and pulls), never onto a person.

Chasing living beings (joggers, bikes, animals)This is not a trick: predation, the hunting behaviour, gets channelled (a ball, scent tracking, or treibball, where the dog pushes a big exercise ball), it is not taught. Training the chase means manufacturing a danger that feeds itself.

The backflip (the somersault)The one trick where the answer is simply no: it stacks a twist of the spine, an impact on landing, and the risk of landing badly. Here, no lighter version exists.

Physical risk: to be kept in check (mature adults only)

High or repeated jumpsIt is the landing, repeated, that wears out the shoulders, the wrists and the hips. A moderate height: to begin with, no higher than his elbows, only a few jumps per session, a soft surface, never before growth is complete.

Standing up, walking on two legsStanding up puts the dog's whole weight on the lower back, the hips and the knees. A brief lift, two or three seconds, in a healthy adult poses no problem: it is duration and repetition that weigh.

Balancing on the front pawsIt completely reverses the weight distribution, onto the wrists, the elbows and the neck. Save this trick for an adult dog, build it up little by little, a few seconds at a time.

The fake limpIt gets the dog used to not putting a paw down, again and again, and it can muddy your reading of a real pain later on. If you do teach it: very short sessions, alternate the paw, never starting from a genuine limp.

Behavioural risk: the reflex nobody wanted

"Play dead" taught by forcing him onto his backForcing the dog down and holding him on his back is the old reflex of rolling a dog over to show who is in charge, an idea now set aside in reward-based training: the dog often shows fear, or defends himself. Let him lie down on his side on his own, following a treat, never by rolling him over with your hands.

"Speak" without ever setting up "quiet"Asking for a bark for fun, without ever also teaching him to stop, trains a dog to bark for attention, including when you asked for nothing. Always teach the two together.

Games that ramp up the excitement with no clear stopTugging on a toy or chasing a hand without a word that says stop trains a dog to nip harder or to jump on people to keep the game going. Always keep a stop word, and honour it.

Ethical or image risk: what it says about him

A costume worn for a long timeMany dogs show real discomfort under a costume: lip licking, low tail, a dog who freezes instead of moving normally. A light outfit, a few minutes, only if he stays relaxed.

Making him "smile" by handling his lipsIn a dog, showing the teeth is a warning signal, not a smile. Making him do it for laughs risks being misread by another dog, or by a child who then wants to tease him thinking it is a game.

Staging a fear to film itDeliberately provoking a fear reaction, a noise or an object that makes him jump, for comic effect or for views, is still a dog you are stressing on purpose. Film what he does of his own accord instead, without triggering it.

The alternatives that do the same job

The weave, or a gentle "spin" on the groundAll the pleasure of the movement, without the twist or the impact.

The low step-over and the mini tunnelInstead of the jump: the dog steps through low to the ground, without straining the joints.

A brief "beg", back end on the groundInstead of a held standing position: a short lift, two to three seconds, never sustained.

Nose games and the "touch"The dog touches an object with the tip of his nose, or follows a trail on the ground: calm tricks that mostly tire the mind, and you also reward a movement he offers by himself. Perfect for a puppy, a senior or a fragile dog.

Framing a physical trick, in order

For the physical tricks that can be kept in check, follow this order: everything is built without ever forcing the dog's body, as the American veterinary society of animal behaviour (AVSAB, 2021) recommends.

Rule out the medical side and growth

An adult dog, growth complete: often around a year old, later in large breeds, and only your vet can confirm it with an X-ray. No past trouble with the joints or the back, and no at-risk build, meaning a long back like the dachshund, fragile hips or arthritis (worn, painful joints). At the slightest physical doubt, the vet's opinion comes first, never after.

Choose the version that is gentlest on his body

Instead of the jump: a step-over on the ground or a tunnel. Instead of standing on the hind legs: a brief "beg". If a less demanding version does the job, stop there.

Dose it like physical exercise

A non-slip surface. Warm him up first, like an athlete: a few minutes of brisk walking, then two or three gentle movements (a slow "sit to stand", a relaxed "spin") before you ask for the effort. Then very few repetitions, only a handful per session, and you build up little by little over several weeks. This is exercise for the body, not a memory drill to repeat on a loop.

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 sudden refusal: step back, or drop the trick.

The red lines

Teaching attack, biting or the chasing of living beings: never, with any pet dog.
Building the fake limp out of a genuine limp, or teaching it to a dog who has already had trouble with his joints or his back.
Having a puppy whose growth plates have not closed jump, stand on his hind legs or balance on his front paws.
Working a physical trick on tiles or bare wooden floor: the paw slips, and that means a fall, then an injury.
Repeating a trick that hurts "until he gets it": you are manufacturing soreness, then a refusal of the trick.
Going through an aversive collar (choke, prong or spike, electric) or forcing his body to "get" a movement.
Forcing a dog onto his back to make him "play dead": it looks like the old reflex of pinning him down, and it can trigger fear or a defensive reaction.
Handling his lips to make him "smile": in a dog, showing the teeth is a warning signal, not a harmless joke.

A physical trick reveals discomfort very early, if you stay attentive to your dog's signals.

Keep an eye on it

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

Pause and observe

Stiffness the day after the session
He suddenly refuses a trick he used to do happily
A heavy landing, he comes down "hard"

Veterinary advice

A limp that lasts or comes back in episodes
Persistent licking focused on one joint
He becomes irritable when you touch a particular area of his body

Frame it, or drop it?

You can frame the trick

An adult dog, growth plates closed, with no past trouble in the back or the joints
A build with no particular risk, an ideal weight
You are aiming for few repetitions, a soft surface, 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, one with a long back, fragile hips or arthritis: stick to the light, subtle tricks, on the ground
The "trick" touches on attack, biting or predation: it is not a trick
Reactivity (a dog who reacts very strongly, barking, pulling or freezing, as soon as a trigger appears), biting or established predation: that is work for a behaviourist, not a parlour trick
The trick is mainly about humanising your dog to excess, exploiting his fear or stressing him for comic effect: choose a version that respects what he feels

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

guideJump overThe trick this guide targets most often: how to dose height and age so you do not damage his joints.Read the guide guideSit prettyThe great classic to keep in check: the right posture, short durations, never by forcing the back.Read the guide guideCrawlAnother posture to watch closely: it calls on the back and the elbows, to be introduced little by little.Read the guide guideSkateboard & rolling objectsA trick where balance matters more than speed: save it for an adult dog, on a surface that does not slip.Read the guide guidePlay dead ("bang!")The trick to teach with a lure, never by forcing the dog down onto his back.Read the guide guideSpeak & quietThe two cues to set up together, so you never teach barking without also knowing how to stop it.Read the guide guideChaining tricks: teach the last step firstTo build a routine without multiplying risky tricks: frame every link before you chain them together.Read the guide guideThe foundations: teaching a trick with rewardsThe basics to know before any trick: teaching your dog a new movement, with no equipment and no coercion.Read the guide

Frequently asked questions

How do you teach a dog to attack?

You do not teach it: training a pet dog to bite or attack a human manufactures a danger, not a trick. The need to bite, though, is very real: you channel it onto a dedicated toy, such as a bite roll, never onto a person. Protection sports, where biting is trained on a protected professional, remain a job for pros, and are dangerous in a family.

How do you teach a dog to hunt?

Hunting, or predation, is not taught: it is channelled. Teaching a dog to chase joggers, bikes or animals feeds a behaviour that self-reinforces and quickly becomes uncontrollable. Satisfy that need instead with a ball, with scent tracking, or with treibball (the game where the dog pushes a big exercise ball), and mark the right behaviour with a "yes".

Can you train your dog to guard or to defend?

A dog trained in bite work for "guarding" is extremely dangerous in a family, and it is a job for professionals, not a trick. What really deters, with a family dog, is his presence, not 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, those soft areas at the ends of his bones: often around a year old, later in large breeds, and only your vet can confirm it, X-ray in hand. Before that, stick to step-overs on the ground and light, subtle tricks. After that: a moderate height, no higher than his elbows to begin with, a soft surface, and only a few jumps per session.

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

A brief, occasional lift in a healthy adult poses no known problem. It is 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 back end on the ground, and build up the time little by little.

Is it dangerous to teach my dog tricks?

Most tricks done on the ground (the nose "touch", "spin", the weave, nose games) are safe and even excellent for his mind. The risk comes from elsewhere: repeated impacts and held positions that weigh on his body, a trick that builds a bad habit such as barking for nothing, or a staged scene that stresses him for comic effect. Always stop a trick at the first sign of discomfort, and never work one on a dog who is in pain.

Updated on July 11, 2026Sources

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