Barney learned how to balance a Milkbone dog biscuit on his nose (and then flip it into his mouth) in about 30 minutes. That was always a neat trick. My version of teaching how to play dead was to make my hand look like a gun, point it at him, and say “bang bang”. His version of playing dead wasn’t very convincing, as I never could get him to stop wagging his tail. Maybe because he knew he’d be getting a treat momentarily? He also would roll over when you’d draw a circle in the air with your index finger.
Something I always got a kick out of was playing hide and seek with Barney. I think this started from teaching him how to “stay”. I’d make him sit/stay in one of the main rooms, then go hide behind a door, or on the far side of the bed, or my favorite, in the bathtub with the shower curtain drawn. Then I’d call him and he’d come looking. It was so funny, I’d have a hard time not cracking up. I still do that with my current mutts, but they pretty much know all my hiding places, and they cheat, there’s three of them and one of me. You should try it sometime, your dog is soooo happy when they find you!
I’d also play hide and seek when I would take him for walks in the woods. I’d let him off-leash, and sometimes he would get way far ahead of me. So I’d step off to the side of the dirt road or trail and hide by a big tree or bush or something and call him. This was also lots of fun. He’d come hauling ass past me, then put on the brakes, and come back. I think it was pretty easy for him to find me by my scent out there in the woods as opposed to in my house (where my scent is everywhere). After a while, when he’d run on ahead, he’d turn and check on me, to make sure I was still there. Sometimes he’d catch me as I was fixin to “hide”. If I ever wanted him to come back in a hurry, I’d turn and walk the other way. That’s something my sister taught me.
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