---
title: What's the point in teaching tricks?
description: What is the point of teaching tricks? Trick training has so many benefits, from building confidence to stimulating those clever brains!
image: https://www.focusdogtraining.online/hubfs/polly-1.png
---

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# What's the point in teaching tricks?

![Lauren](https://7528315.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528315/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-cms-elevate-theme_hubspot/elevate/images/avatar-placeholder.jpg?width=48&height=48&name=avatar-placeholder.jpg)

 Lauren

June 21, 2025

Someone asked us this the other day and I don't think they were quite prepared for the enthusiastic and detailed response they got back! So here's an (almost) concise summary of why we love trick training!

 

**Building Confidence**

Interacting with novel objects, learning to balance, and increased body awareness helps dogs feel more confident in the world

 

We can even use familiar tricks to help dogs feel confident in new or challenging environments

 

**Body awareness**

Learning tricks helps improve body awareness, which helps with coordination, and balance.

 

This, reduces the risk of injury and builds confidence.

 

When done carefully, it can also build muscle and strength.

 

**Building connection** 

Learning tricks is great for strengthening connection and focus.

 

Tricks can be used to help dogs find value in interacting with you.

 

Figuring things out together is fun and can strengthen your relationship.

 

And they’re a great way to improve your communication with your dog.

 

**Learning together**

Teaching tricks gives us an opportunity to practise learning with our dogs with less pressure

 

Training mechanics can be tricky to get the hang of. Starting with tricks reduces the pressure of getting it ‘wrong’.

 

Trick training can help you learn how your dog learns best

 

We can use tricks to figure out what motivates them, and what methods work best for you as a team

 

**Co-operative Care**

Tricks like chin rests and nose targets can be used to make hands on care easier

 

We can use behaviours dogs already know to give them the opportunity to opt in and out of activities.

 

**Mental Stimulation** 

Nothing gets that brain more tired than learning new things

 

When dogs are given the opportunity to use those clever brains of theirs, they get better quality sleep which helps with learning and emotional regulation.

 

Dogs who don’t get appropriate mental stimulation are more likely to show destructive behaviours and other stress related behaviours like excessive barking.

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