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It is not hard to teach small dogs to perform all manner of tricks. They are always ready to play and a little spare time now and then is all that is needed. Ten minutes, four or five times a day, will be enough to teach many amusing tricks and the dog will think it all good fun. The younger the dog is, the easier it will be to teach him.

Take, for instance, a six-months-old puppy. The first thing to teach him is to speak when spoken to. Until he does this, keep him out of the house.

Begin by feeding him and always feed him out of the hand. In this way he will have to look up when being fed and will learn to carry a high head. When feeding him, raise the hand a little with each bit fed until he has confidence enough to rise on his hind feet. In a few times he will get to jumping for his meat and then, when he does that, say "Speak," which he will soon learn to do. As soon as he speaks once, give him a bit of meat. Keep this up with him for several days and he will soon speak you out of the house.

Now, he is where he can be trained to be neat in the house. Bring him into the part you intend to keep him in. Begin in the morning, after he has been fed from the hand. After he has eaten, say to him, "Speak," and "Do you want to go out?" If he don't speak at once, walk out and close the door and call him by name and he will soon speak. Call him several times while the door is closed, and say to him "Speak," and he will soon understand what you want of him. Then give him a little walk and on your return to the door ask him to speak, which will mean that he wants to go into the house. If he don't speak, close the door and leave him out until he does speak, but keep calling him by name. When you give him a new lesson take time to make it clear to him and remember that anything that is worth doing is worth doing well. The dog will do his best to understand and obey. Be clear in giving the directions always.

How To Teach Him To Sit Up
Take him and set him up against the wall or in a corner of the room. At first you must hold him up and pet him. After several lessons in this way, you will have him so that he will not be afraid to sit up alone. Repay him for this by giving him a bit of meat, but he must not be overfed while learning tricks. Next bring him away from the wall, or corner, and say to him, "Sit up," and nine times out of ten he will run and sit up against the wall, but let this go. Call him out kindly, and have him sit up away from the wall or corner; if he insists on going back, call him out and assist him as at first. He will soon be able to sit up alone.

How To Teach Him To Jump
Take a small stick from two to three inches long, and put it on a couple of blocks, say six inches high, and have him jump over it. By holding a bit of meat in your hand he will jump, but be careful not to have the stick high at first, or he will be afraid to try. Encourage him to jump higher and he soon will be anxious to jump as high as he can.

How To Teach Him To Lie Down Or Roll Over
This is a great thing to teach a dog. Take both hands and lay the dog down on his back and then roll him from one side to the other. Do this several times and after the lesson feed him a bit of meat. Now, say to him, "Roll over," and he will lie down and try to do it. If he fails, assist him and he will soon learn what you want of him.

How To Teach Him To Sit Up In A Chair
Here is where his jumping will come in. Tap on a chair and say to him, "Jump," and when he jumps in the chair, tell him to sit up; if he shows any fear, assist him. Give him a bit of meat and he will not mind being so far from the floor. Now, put him in a rocking chair and gently rock it. Give him a bit of meat and he will soon be able to rock himself.

How To Teach A Dog To Find A Hidden Article
To do this, a dog must be broken to retrieve or carry, and this can be learned by the use of the Erb Patent Training Device. After he has been taught to retrieve or carry things, roll up a handkerchief with some perfume on it, put it down some few feet away and say to the dog, "Go fetch," or "Go bring," and when he brings it to you, say "Sit up," and give him a bit of meat for this and pet him. Then take the handkerchief and hide it; then go back to where you came from and say to him, "Go find it and bring," and he will go in and find it, as the perfume gives him the scent. After he finds this a few times, put the handkerchief under a can and send him for it. He will scent it and will overturn the can and bring the handkerchief to you. Later, teach him to get up in a chair and, while you say "Charge," or lie still, step back a few feet, having him lie perfectly quiet. Now, hide the handkerchief and tell him to go find it.

How To Teach Him To Walk On His Hind Feet
Say "Sit up," and have a bit of meat and show it to him, and coax him forward a little at a time, till he makes a step or two towards you. Give him the meat and pet him and let him try again. When he has learned this, try to have him walk on his front feet.

How To Teach Him To Walk On His Front Feet
Lay a bit of meat on the floor, three or four feet away, and hold him back from going to get it. Take hold of both hind feet and raise him up so that he can walk on his front feet and push him gently by his hind feet towards the meat. Go slowly, so as not to overbalance him, and he will try to help himself for the sake of the meat. As soon as he reaches the meat, pet him and let him have it. Increase the distance and say, "Up," which he will soon learn.

How To Teach Him To Catch His Tail
Tie a piece of red ribbon, not more than two or three inches long, on the end of his tail, and lift him around by it for a few times; then let him try for himself, and say to him, "Catch it," and he will go around like a whirlwind and enjoy it. When he will do this, take off the ribbon and say, "Catch your tail," and at the word, he will go around till you are tired of him and he will think it great fun.

How To Teach Him To Walk A Rope Or Pole
Take a board a foot wide, and place it between two chairs, so that it is about three feet from the floor; be sure that it is firm, and in no danger of slipping off of the chairs. Lift him onto the board and walk back and forth with him until he is not afraid; then put him down and tell him to jump up on the chair, and show him a bit of meat. Lay it on the board where he can see it, and tell him to go and get it. He will be so anxious for the meat that he will walk out on the board and he can soon be coaxed over it easily. When he is perfectly at ease on the board, take one a little narrower and keep reducing the width until he can walk on one an inch wide.

Now, you are ready for the rope or pole. When he can walk the rope easily, raise the rope a little at a time, until it is as high as you want it from the floor, and if it is changed gradually, he will not seem to mind the increased distance from the floor.

If it is any distance from the floor, build a little runway of boards, with little strips across them for him to walk up and down on.

To show what kindness will do, in training animals, the picture of a retrieving wolf is here given. The wolf is a wild animal and is looked upon as dangerous. The cause of this is hunger and he will fight for something to eat every time. On the other hand, if treated kindly, as you would treat any other animal, the wolf can be taught to do almost anything - to retrieve, pull a sleigh, or small wagon, or many of the tricks a dog can do. But this can only be done by kind treatment, plenty of petting and by feeding him well.

There are dogs and cats, too, that have mean dispositions, and are quarrelsome and always ready to fight. They will hold spite and call names as surely as human beings. A dog's memory is remarkable. He can be trained to do almost anything; to carry valuables, run ei-rands and guard property, while his devotion to his master and his fidelity make him worthy of the title of "Friend of man." Be good to your dog and he will repay you.

Don't be cruel in training him. Never put a spiked collar on him nor step on his toes; do not pinch his ears, or you will make him sore; don't tie him to a tree and leave him.

Under my system all this is useless, and a dog can be trained in the parlor if you wish, or in the kennel with the other dogs. The earlier you commence on a young dog the better, and the easier it will be to train him.