Back to school: Fun, new tricks to teach your dog

It’s that time of year again. The kids are starting up at school and your dog, who had perhaps too much companionship in the summer months, is left alone with boring old adults during the day. Why not send your dog back to school too?

Most dogs already know how to sit, stay and lie down. But there are some pretty innovative tricks out there for those with the inclination and a bit of spare time. Here are 7 of the most interesting tricks you can teach your dog, now that the kids are doing some learning of their own:

1) Sneeze on command

Let’s face it. Dog sneezes are cute. And believe it or not, it is possible to train dogs to sneeze on command. When your dog is about to sneeze anyway, say "Sneeze!" or "Atchoo!" Praise your dog after he complies. Keep this up, and over time he will get the hang of it. Want to see a dog sneeze on command? Watch the first few seconds of this video:

2) Show your teeth

Even the cutest of dogs can look mean if they lift up their lips and bare their teeth a little bit. Though a strange trick to teach a dog, one can't help but laugh when you see the results. NOTE: If you do decide to teach your dog to bare its teeth, be sure that you are not rewarding any aggressive teeth-baring, but only the cute kind.

3) Turn the lights off

This is one of those "ah-ha" tricks. Sure, your pup can shake. But can she do something useful, like turn the lights off when it's time to start the movie? If not, try using these helpful training tips. In a nutshell, you'll need to position a treat close to the light switch and praise your dog when she flips the switch going for the treat. If trained correctly, the results can darken a room instantly (it's at the end of the video):

4) Yawn

Doggy yawns are almost as cute as doggy sneezes. And not only are they contagious, they can be trained! Here's a cute little movie on how to go about tiring your dog out with a simple command.

5) Take a bow

If your dog can already do all kind of cool tricks, why not teach him to take a bow afterwards? Teaching this trick is fairly simple – put your hand underneath your dog's stomach and put a treat on the ground.

6) Count

Why not train your dog to do the exact same thing the kids are learning in school? While writing in cursive may be out of the question, you can teach your dog to count! Here's how, and here's what it looks like in action:

7) Be a snob (requires 2 dogs)

Most parents don't want to teach their puppies bad manners. But sometimes it's just too entertaining not too. See how one woman has taught her too dogs to "be snobs" too each other on command. The video is long, but the snobbishness takes place in the first few seconds.

New dog tricks can be fun for everyone – especially your dog! Dogs need plenty of mental stimulus to be happy, and if the kids are gone and the house is empty, it might make sense to conduct a little school of your own.

Whew. Learning is exausting, isn't it?