To make your dog do tricks in Fable II, first teach him a trick by reading a Dog Tricks book (Pause menu, Items, Books and Documents), then perform the matching expression yourself from the Expression Wheel on RB. Your dog copies you: for example, playing dead or calling someone a chicken makes him play dead.
Below we cover how training works, the full list of ten tricks with the expressions that trigger each one, where every trick book comes from, the dog commands that are not tricks, and how tricks count toward The Completionist achievement. This guide covers Lionhead’s original 2008 Fable II, which plays the same on Xbox 360, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S through backward compatibility.
How dog training works
The Fable II manual explains it plainly: “Using books you find or purchase, you can train your dog to do tricks, spot increasingly valuable treasures, and cause more damage in combat.” To use one:
- Press Start to open the Pause menu.
- Select Items, then Books and Documents.
- Select the Dog Tricks book you want your dog to learn.
Once the book is read, the trick is permanent. There is no button that says “do a trick”. Instead, per the community wiki, dog tricks let your dog “perform expressions of his own”, reacting when you use certain expressions near him. Player guides advise keeping him close when you perform, since he reacts to what you do around him.
How to perform an expression
The manual’s controls: tap RB to open the Expression Wheel, select a category (Social, Rude, Scary, Flirty or Fun), choose an expression and press A. The D-pad shows context-sensitive shortcuts to relevant expressions, which is often quicker. Some expressions can also be extended by holding A (or holding the D-pad shortcut) and releasing at the right moment.
The same wheel has a Dog section. The manual says that is where you “praise or scold your dog, give him treats, and play fetch with him.” Those are commands rather than tricks (more on them below).
Every trick and the expression that triggers it
Per the community wiki, Fable II has ten dog tricks, and each one responds to specific expressions:
| Trick | Your expression |
|---|---|
| Roll Over | Seduce, Worship or Apologise |
| Chase Tail | Vulgar Thrust, Victory Arm Pump or Hand Puppet (Sock Puppet) |
| Play Dead | Play Dead or Chicken |
| Beg | Pickup Line, Come Back to My Place or Beg |
| Backflip | Hat, Headband, Moustache, or displaying a trophy |
| Bunny Hop | Dance, Laugh, Whistle, playing the lute or Heroic Pose |
| Wave | Blow Kiss, Give Gift, Follow or Wait, Thumbs Up or Down |
| Hide Snout | Belch or Fart |
| Growl | Any scary expression |
| Targeted Urination | Point and Laugh, insults or Kiss My Ass |
You also need the matching expression, so a trick can sit unused until you learn an expression that triggers it. The easiest pairs to see early are Play Dead with Chicken, and Hide Snout with Fart, since Chicken and Fart are both childhood expressions per the wiki. The wiki also notes that once your dog learns Backflip, he performs it each time you complete a quest, as a victory cheer.
Where to find each trick book
Per the community wiki, most books cost 200 gold at Fiction Burns, the bookshop in Bowerstone Market: Roll Over, Begging, Tail Chase, Targeted Urination, Play Dead and The Wave are all sold there. The others take more work:
- Growl: in a chest in Gargoyle’s Trove, a reward from The Gargoyles quest after you destroy the gargoyles (the wiki also lists it at Fiction Burns).
- Bunny Hop: in a Silver Key chest (one key) in Bower Lake near the Demon Door, or in a chest in Snowglobe Village from the See the Future add-on.
- Hide Snout: in a treasure chest near the Demon Door in Rookridge, and also reported from dig spots, gifts and Fiction Burns.
- Backflip: not in the base game. It comes from the See the Future downloadable content, or from Fable II Pub Games, per the wiki.
Your dog helps with the hunt: the manual says he barks when he senses “a chest, buried treasure, or an object related to a quest”, and if you face him, “he will attempt to lead you to it.” Gold spent on books competes with other good causes, and if you are also pushing your Hero toward Good, our guide on donating to the Temple of Light shows which donation sizes give the most alignment per coin.
Dog commands that are not tricks
The Dog section of the Expression Wheel handles care and play, per the manual and the community wiki:
- Praise and Punish (scold): both unlocked during adolescence.
- Treat: needs a treat bought from a general store.
- Fetch: needs a rubber ball from a general store.
- Heal: needs Dog Elixir. The manual says giving him elixir “will improve his health and make him happy.”
The manual also notes that your dog’s look reflects your alignment: follow “a righteous path” and “your dog will be noble as well,” while an evil Hero’s dog “grows fearsome-looking.”
Tricks and The Completionist achievement
The Completionist is worth 50 Gamerscore, and its description reads: “Get all expressions, pet tricks and abilities, or see another Hero do so.” Per the community wiki, the four moral expressions (Apologise, Laugh, Threaten and Extort) and Feign Attack are not required, but the Backflip trick is, which means you need See the Future or Pub Games to finish it solo. The wiki notes you can also earn it by joining the co-op game of a player who already has everything.
This all applies to Fable II. The upcoming Fable reboot is a different game from Playground Games; our Fable release date guide covers what is confirmed about it. If you are playing Fable II through Xbox Cloud Gaming on PC, our guide on connecting an Xbox controller to PC sorts out the controls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why won’t my dog do tricks in Fable 2? He needs both the trick book and your matching expression, and player guides advise keeping him nearby. Check the trick table above for which expression sets off each trick.
How do I teach my dog a trick? Press Start, go to Items, then Books and Documents, and read the Dog Tricks book, per the game’s manual.
Where do I buy dog trick books? Most are 200 gold at Fiction Burns in Bowerstone Market, per the community wiki. Growl, Bunny Hop, Hide Snout and Backflip come from chests, quests or add-ons.
How many dog tricks are there in Fable 2? Ten, per the community wiki, including Backflip, which comes from See the Future or Fable II Pub Games.
Do dog tricks count for an achievement? Yes. The Completionist asks for all expressions, pet tricks and abilities, though the community wiki says the moral expressions are not needed.