List of Tricks in Nintendogs

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This page is a list of all tricks learned in the original Nintendogs. If you were looking for tricks in Nintendogs + Cats, click here.

Basic Tricks

The player is given instructions for Basic Tricks in the Dog Training Book.

Trick	Directions	Image
Sit	Pet your dog's head, then slide the stylus down.	"Sit" command
Shake	Touch and hold your dog's paw, then lift it. Make sure to use the same paw or it'll get confused. There are four different variations of this trick. It can be taught on either the left or right paw, and can be done while standing or sitting. Holding the dog's paw for too long might cause it to become angry. If this occurs, give it a treat to calm it down.	"Shake" command
Lie Down	Make your dog Sit, then slide its head down again using the touch screen.	"Lie Down" command
Play Dead	When your dog is lying down, slide the stylus either to the left or right to make it lay on its side. Note: This trick is not to be confused with "Roll Over" in Obedience Competitions.	"Play Dead" command
Roll Over	Petting your dog's belly while in the "Play Dead" position can make it roll over on its back.	"Roll Over" command
Spin	When your dog turns around, touch its tail and hold it until the dog spins either clockwise or counterclockwise. After doing this multiple times, some dogs may get angry and they'll need a toy or treat in order to continue. This only happens while the dog is learning the trick.	"Spin" command
Jump	When your dog is excited and playing, tap the air to make the dog jump.	"Jump" command
Beg	Not to be confused with Stand. A Begging Nintendog will rest on its haunches; Stand raises the dog completely off the ground. Slide your dog's head up on the touch screen and it will do a begging motion. It takes practice to learn how to do this trick. Some dogs are not loyal enough to do it and will only wobble on their back legs for a short time and look at the ceiling.	"Beg" command

Advanced Tricks

Advanced Tricks are tricks that the player is not given the instructions for, and must discover on their own.

Some Advanced Tricks take more patience to learn, because a dog will only perform them if their bond with their owner is strong enough. Most Advanced Tricks are taught through commanding the dog to perform easier tricks in succession, so they require the dog to already know basic commands.

If a trick requires the dog to already know a basic command in order to learn it, then the component tricks must be performed immediately after one another-- without petting or rewarding the dog-- or else it will perform the commands as separate tricks.

Trick	Directions	Image
Scratch	While your dog is scratching the floor, go to the Home Screen. The training icon should appear in the top right corner. Your dog is more likely to scratch while it is "Filthy."	"Scratch" command
Lick	While your dog is licking itself, go to the Home Screen. The training icon should appear in the top right corner. Dogs will usually lick themselves after they have eaten.	"Lick" command
Rub	Make your dog Sit, Lie Down, or Beg, then grab one of its ears. If you hold long enough, the dog will lift its paw up and start rubbing its ear or face. The training icon should appear in the top right corner. Some dogs may get angry after doing this multiple times. If this occurs, give your dog a toy or treat to continue.	"Rub" command
Yawn	If you see your dog yawn, go to the Home Screen. The training icon should appear in the top right corner. Dogs can be encouraged to yawn with the Naptime Record. If using the record, make sure that the game system's volume is off when giving the voice command, or it will pick up the music in the background.	"Yawn" command
Sneeze	Tap your dog's nose. The training icon should appear in the top right corner.	"Sneeze" command
Kick	Tap your dog's back paw while turned. It will calmly tap its hind foot like it is trying to shake dirt off of its paw. The training icon should appear in the top right corner.	"Kick" command
Play Bow	Call your dog over and greet it, then wait. Your dog will start to play bow to get your attention. The training icon should appear in the top right corner.	"Play Bow" command
Sing	This trick requires the keyboard. Once you have your dog's attention, focus the camera on it and tap the piano keys in whatever order you'd like. The dog can memorize up to 15 notes. The training icon should appear in the top right corner.	"Sing" command
Boo	You need to have either the Balloon or Surprise Record to teach your dog this trick. Throw a balloon to your dog, then quickly return to the Home Screen. Your dog will go after the balloon and bite at it until it pops, causing it to flinch. The training icon should appear in the top right corner. Alternatively, you can play the Surprise Record, then return to the Home Screen. At a certain part of the song, the music will swell, scaring your dog and causing it to flinch. The training icon should appear in the top right corner. If using the record, make sure that the game system's volume is off when giving the voice command, or it will pick up the music in the background. Note: Both methods can make you lose Trainer Points.	"Boo" command
Wiggle	Your dog needs to be Filthy to learn this trick. Stay at the Home Screen and wait until your dog rolls over. Do not tell it to Roll Over; you must wait for the dog to roll over on its own. While on its back, your dog will become itchy from the fleas, which will cause it to do a wiggling motion. The training icon should appear in the top right corner.	"Wiggle" command
Say Please	Stay at the Home Screen and wait until your dog rolls over. Do not tell it to Roll Over; you must wait for the dog to roll over on its own. Once on its back, there is a random chance your dog will start waving its front paws. The training icon should appear in the top right corner. Since this action is random, this trick may take some time to learn. Alternatively, you can give your dog the Wiggle command while at the Home Screen and afterwards it might decide to perform either Say Please or Swing It before getting back up. Doing this can speed up the process, as you won't have to wait for your dog to roll over.	"Say Please" command
Swing It	Similar to Say Please, stay at the Home Screen and wait until your dog rolls over. Do not tell it to Roll Over; you must wait for it to roll over on its own. While on its back, there is a random chance your dog will start swinging its hind legs. The training icon should appear in the top right corner. Since this action is random, this trick may take some time to learn. Alternatively, you can give your dog the Wiggle command while at the Home Screen and afterwards it might decide to perform either Say Please or Swing It before getting back up. Doing this can speed up the process, as you won't have to wait for your dog to roll over.	"Swing It" command
High Five	Similar to the Shake command, but the dog will hold its paw higher in the air. Tell your dog to Sit, then drag the dog’s paw all the way up to the top of the touch screen. Let go and it will hold it there for a short while, then quickly tap the Training Icon. After teaching the dog the trick, it will raise its paw up and hold it there, as though it is high fiving the player.	"High Five" command
Rear Up	Dogs cannot learn this trick if there is only one Nintendog in the house. While dogs are playing with each other, they will sometimes rear up on their hind legs and playfully wave their front paws in the air. When you see your puppy doing this, go to the Home Screen. The training icon should appear in the top right corner.	"Rear Up" command
Chase	Dogs cannot learn this trick if there is only one Nintendog in the house. Occasionally, your dogs may chase each other. If you see them doing this, go to the Home Screen. Focus the camera on the dog that is the one chasing, not the one being chased. The training icon should appear in the top right corner. Alternatively, you can play the Toreador Record, then return to the Home Screen. The music will anger your dogs, causing them to tackle and chase each other. Focus the camera on the dog that is the one chasing, not the one being chased. The training icon should appear in the top right corner. If using the record, make sure that the game system's volume is off when giving the voice command, or it will pick up the music in the background. Note: Although using the Toreador Record is the faster method, be aware that it can make you lose Trainer Points.	"Chase" command
Hug	Dogs cannot learn this trick if there is only one Nintendog in the house. Occasionally, your dogs will hug each other. If you see them doing this, go to the Home Screen. Focus the camera on the dog that hugged first. The training icon should appear in the top right corner.	"Hug" command
Backflip	Tell the dog to Sit, then tell it to Jump. Alternatively, you can play the Flower Waltz Record, then return to the Home Screen. Near the end of the song, your dog will do a backflip. The training icon should appear in the top right corner. If using the record, make sure that the game system's volume is off when giving the voice command, or it will pick up the music in the background.	"Backflip" command
Frontflip	Tell your dog to Roll Over, then tell it to Jump.
Breakdance	Tell your dog to Roll Over, then immediately tell it to Spin. The dog will contort itself while on its back, causing it to spin around.	"Breakdance" command
Rodeo Jump	When your dog is doing the Breakdance trick, tell it to Frontflip.
Howl	Occasionally, a firetruck or a dog barking from outside (in-game) will sound off and cause your dog to automatically howl. When this happens, go to the Home Screen. The training icon should appear in the top right corner. This takes a lot of patience to learn, because the firetruck and neighboring dogs can only be heard a few times every day.	"Howl" command
Stand	Command your dog to Beg, then lift its paw up into the air. When it reaches the top of the touch screen, let go. The dog will balance on its hind legs, though it may wobble a little. Like with the Shake command, the dog may get angry while teaching the dog this trick.	"Stand" command
Handstand	Tell your dog to Lie Down, then to Beg.	"Handstand" command
Waddle	Command your dog to Beg and Spin in succession. It will assume the Beg position and waddle awkwardly in a circle, like a toy soldier.	"Waddle" command
Bunny Hop	Tell your dog to Stand, then to Jump. It will begin leaping on its hind legs like a rabbit, which may look a little awkward!	"Bunny Hop" command