Dog Advent Calendar: 25 Tricks for December

A dog advent calendar doesn’t have to be a box of treats. Teach one small trick a day from December 1, in about five minutes, with rewards only, and finish with a short show on Christmas Eve. The plan below starts with focus games, moves to paws and poses, adds brain games and household helpers, and ends with the week of Christmas, when calm cues matter most. Each trick gets a one-line method; if a day doesn’t click, roll it into the next day’s review.

The rules that make it work

• Rewards only. The AVSAB states that “evidence supports the use of reward based methods for all canine training.” Every trick here is taught with a marker (“yes”) and a treat or a toy.
• Small treats, counted. AAHA and the AVMA keep all treats to about 10% of a dog’s daily calories. Use pea-sized pieces, or set aside part of the day’s kibble for training. The free feeding calculator helps you see what the day’s total looks like.
• Short and happy. One or two rounds of the new trick, one quick review, done. Stop while your dog is still winning.
• Kind to the body. Skip any pose that looks uncomfortable, and ask your vet before body tricks for a puppy, a senior or a dog with back or joint problems.

Week 1: focus games (December 1 to 7)

Day	Trick	How to teach it in one line
1	Name game	Say your dog’s name once in a quiet room, and mark and treat the instant they look at you.
2	Hand touch	Hold your flat palm a few inches from their nose; mark the bump of nose on palm, then treat.
3	Find it	Say “find it” and toss a treat on the floor; after a few rounds, toss it farther or into a rug.
4	Which hand?	Hide a treat in one fist, offer both, and open the right one when they sniff or paw it.
5	Spin	Lure a slow circle at nose height with a treat, then mark and pay at the end of the turn.
6	Chin rest	Cup your palm under their chin; mark the moment they let the chin settle, and treat from the other hand.
7	Review	Three quick rounds of your dog’s favorites from the week.

I like the chin rest because it is more than a party trick: it’s a first step toward calm handling for eye drops and ear checks.

Week 2: paws and poses (December 8 to 14)

Day	Trick	How to teach it in one line
8	Shake	Hold a treat in a closed fist at chest height and mark the moment a front paw lifts toward it.
9	High five	Ask for shake, then turn your palm up and out a little more each time until it’s a high five.
10	Take a bow	Lure the nose down between the front paws while the rear stays up; mark that first dip.
11	Through the legs	Stand with feet apart and lure your dog from behind you through the gap.
12	Back up	Walk slowly into your dog in a hallway and mark any step backward.
13	Go around	Lure a loop around a chair leg, then fade the lure to a pointing hand.
14	Review	Pair two tricks in a row: spin, then bow.

Week 3: brain games and helpers (December 15 to 21)

Day	Trick	How to teach it in one line
15	Shell game	Let your dog watch you put a treat under one of two cups, then pay when they nose the right one.
16	Name that toy	Play with one toy while saying its name, then ask for it by name beside a second toy.
17	Tidy up	With “drop it” over a box, mark the moment the toy lands inside.
18	Ring the bell	Hang a bell at nose height and use the hand-touch cue to get a bump; mark the jingle.
19	Hide and seek	Leave your dog in a sit or with a helper, hide in the next room, then call once and celebrate.
20	Paws up	Lure the front paws onto a low, stable step or box, and mark while all paws are steady.
21	Review	Run the shell game and name that toy for a family member.

“Tidy up” borrows the AKC’s “drop it”, which is taught as a trade for something better. It’s worth having for real reasons this month: a dropped ornament hook or a chocolate wrapper.

Week 4: Christmas week (December 22 to 25)

Day	Trick	How to teach it in one line
22	Mat when the bell rings	Ring the doorbell, toss a treat onto the mat, and pay again while your dog stays there.
23	Chain of three	Ask for three tricks in a row and pay once at the end.
24	Christmas Eve show	Five minutes, your dog’s five favorites, for whoever is home. Then a chew on the mat.
25	Christmas Day	No new trick. A long, sniffy walk and a stuffed food toy.

Day 22 is straight from the AKC’s “go to your place” method, and it’s the most useful thing on this calendar for a holiday house. My guide to cues to teach before the holidays covers it, along with leave it, settle and waiting at the door.

Can the calendar earn a title?

It might. The AKC’s Trick Dog guide says a dog earns the Novice Trick Dog title by performing 10 tricks, or 5 if the dog already has a Canine Good Citizen title on record, and that at the Novice level handlers may use food or toys as lures. Check the AKC’s current trick list for which tricks count before you plan around it.

Keep it safe

Holiday tricks happen in a holiday house. Train away from the tree and the cords, and keep chocolate out of reach, including the family’s advent calendars; the AVMA says it’s safest to consider all chocolate off-limits for dogs. If you buy a dog advent calendar, its treats count toward the same 10%. The free 30-day enrichment calendar gives you more low-key ideas for the days after Christmas, and my guide to dog enrichment has more ways to keep a dog busy through the winter.