It’s time to teach a Halloween trick! A great way to give your dog mental and physical stimulation is to teach spooky season-themed tricks! Tricks for treats! Grab some of your dog’s favorite dog treats (like Chicken Bites), and teach some festive tricks. Not only are these tricks a fun way to spend quality time bonding with your dog, but they are also sure to impress all your friends and family this fall.
Carry Halloween Trick-or-Treat Bucket
If your dog knows how to hold an object on cue, level up and have your dog carry a trick-or-treat bucket or bag. For this trick, we’ll teach your dog to carry a lightweight trick-or-treat bucket. This trick is great for photos and it’s a fun way to include your dog in the seasonal festivities. Just make sure your dog doesn’t get any chocolate and candy which can be toxic for dogs. Read more tips here for a dog-safe Halloween!
Step 1
Refresh that your dog knows how to hold on cue. Start by handing your dog the handle of the trick-or-treat bucket and praise and treat your dog when they take it.
Step 2
After your dog is comfortable holding the bucket, take a step away from your dog and encourage your dog to follow you. When your dog takes a step holding the bucket, praise and take the bucket from your dog while giving lots of praise and treats to help your dog make the connection you want them to walk while holding the bucket.
If your dog drops the bucket, just go back and hand your dog the bucket again to remind them to hold and go back to just taking one step, and build back to taking a couple of steps.
When your dog is constantly carrying the bucket you can start to introduce a verbal cue of choice like “carry” or “bring.”
Step 3
When your dog can move a step towards you, hand your dog the bucket. Then, take a couple steps away from your dog, and encourage your dog to follow you. When your dog follows you, holding the bucket gives lots of praise and treats.
Step 4
The more you practice and your dog’s understanding of the skill grows, you can start adding in more distance that you ask your dog to carry the bucket and add in distractions like asking your dog to carry the trick-or-treat bucket outside, or carry a bucket with dog toys inside.
Pumpkin Search
Dogs have an amazing sense of smell and experience a lot of the world by “seeing” it through their nose. For this Halloween trick, your dog is going to find the pumpkin-flavored dog treats that are hidden. You’re going to want treats and three paper cups. If you want to make things extra festive, use fall or Halloween-themed cups. As your dog gets more confident, shuffle the cups after you hide a treat under one of the cups. This makes the game even more challenging for your dog and more impressive when your dog finds the treat!
Step 1
Take one pumpkin treat, show it to your dog, and then put it under a paper cup. When your dog sniffs at the paper cup, praise your dog and lift the cup so they can get the treat.
Step 2
After a few repetitions your dog will understand there is a treat under the cup. When your dog consistently goes to the cup and shows you where the treat is, add a second cup without a treat under it. When your dog goes to the paper cup with a treat under, praise your dog, and lift the cup so your dog can get the treat.
Step 3
Once your dog consistently goes to the cup with the treat, add a third cup. Now, you should have one cup with a treat and two without treats. When your dog finds the cup with the treat, give praise and let your dog eat the treat. If your dog thinks the treat is under an empty cup just lift the cup so they can see the treat isn’t there. Then, try again and praise and treat your dog when they pick the right cup.
Zombie Sit
You might have heard of this dog trick as “sit pretty”, but for the fall season, we’re going to think of it as a zombie sit! For this Halloween trick your dog will sit up and beg, giving the appearance that they are a zombie dog rising for the spooky season.
Step 1
When your dog is in a sit position, bring a high-value treat to your dog’s nose, and then slowly release the treat above your dog’s head.
Step 2
Your dog will follow the treat up and raise their front feet off the ground. As this happens your dog lifts their body up onto their hips. As your dog’s front feet leave the ground, praise your dog, and give treats.
Step 3
When your dog can consistently be lured up into the sit pretty/zombie position you can add a verbal cue of choice like “zombie” or “rise.” Slowly ask your dog to hold zombie position longer and longer. Since this Halloween trick can be very physically demanding, go slowly. Zombie sit isn’t a trick you want to teach dogs with joint issues, or growing puppies.
Play Dead
This is a classic dog trick that is perfect for Halloween. When your dog completes this trick they will drop to the ground and flop over on their side.
Step 1
Start this with your dog in a down position. If your dog knows “down” you can give your cue to down, or you can use a treat to lure your dog into a down position.
Step 2
When your dog is in the down position, get their attention with a treat and put the treat at your dog’s nose. Then with the cookie on your dog’s nose lure your dog’s head back over one of their shoulders. Your dog’s head will follow their nose and your dog’s whole body will rotate.
Step 3
As your dog’s body rotates your dog will flop onto their side. When your dog reaches the “play dead” position, praise and treat your dog.
Step 4
As you practice and your dog gets more confident, following your treat lure into the “play dead” position with a verbal cue of choice like “splat,” “bang,” or “dead.”
Step 5
When your dog is confident with the Halloween trick you can begin to fade out the treat lure and instead just give your verbal cue, and a smaller physical cue that gets smaller and smaller until your dog is just playing dead when you say the verbal cue.
