My vet taught me a foolproof way to get pills down my cat, and I'm betting it would work equally well for dogs. At first it seems a bit unfriendly, and would be if the patient were human, but pets don't seem to carry the illusions of dignity that we do so...

First place thumb and opposing finger on either side of mouth at the very back corners and press inward. To escape this uncomfortable pressure the pet opens its mouth. While maintaining the side pressure, with one smooth, swift move place pill on tongue and with one finger push the pill toward the back of the throat past the point of no return, then immediately give happy-talk rewards, petting etc. If it comes back up you didn't push far enough.

After a few times it becomes routine and the pet doesn't seem to mind. Having to wash hands afterwards notwithstanding it's the easiest, quickest way I have ever known to consistently get that pill where it needs to go.

I now see below, rogueflyer had it right. It's the way the vets do it when you aren't looking.

Cream cheese. I give mine brewers yeast every day they just eat them I don't need to trick them. Have not had one flea since I have had them. My cats even eat the brewer's yeast no tricking is involved.

Peanut butter .

I have a terrible time with my dog. I finally found out that he likes liverwurst. I cut the pill up in small pieces and wrap each piece in a glob of liverwurst. Then I hand feed him giving him some pieces without the pill. What a process. I do,the same thing with his heart worm pill. Good luck!

My mother stuck the dog pill in a cheese cube.

She made Lady sit.

Showed Lady the cheese, and tossed it into the air. Lady caught it in her mouth and swallowed it.

Hold their mouth open and push it down their throat. Sounds difficult but it's not. You have to get it back past the tongue.

I use liverwurst. It is plyable and can bemolded around any pill. Dogs adore liverwurst.

Tuck the pill into a bite of cheese or weiner.

Yes! Put them into cream cheese cut from the bar.
Works like a charm!

There are snack 'pill pockets' that you put the pill in and then give it to your dog. Mine loves the snack and she gets the pill, none the wiser. For the cat, we have to resort to a pill syringe-like device. Pull out the plunger, insert pill and re-insert the plunger. Insert the syringe into their mouth, push the plunger down and the pill is inserted into the back of their throat and then let them go away, mad but medicated.

I use a liquid treatment that you apply to the back of the neck; it kills fleas, their larvae, and all sorts of worms and other parasites. It’s called Advocate here in the UK.

I found peanut butter worked well, just surround it with a gooey mass and let her take the whole thing off your finger.

I've had issues with this as well. I've used the 1-2-3 method with some success. 1- treat with no pill followed by 2-treat with the pill followed by 3-right away treat with no pill again. They have to be pretty treat motivated for it to work so they're anticipating treat 3 as they swallow treat 2 with the pill. without realizing it. I had one dog I had to use sliced deli meat. I had to be careful not to touch the pill with my hands, just drop it on the counter and wrap the meat around it without touching it. If I touched the pill then touched the outside of t treat ball, he wouldn't touch it.

My dogs catch and devour food. I just wrap any pill they do not voluntarily consume in a piece of cheese, bread, or meat and toss it to them. I immediately chase the pill loaded food with non loaded food to ensure the pill goes down while they are worried about the second toss.

My only experience is with pilling cats, and it's pretty much what skado described. Is there an alternate form for the medication? Might be time to explore that.

Get a bag of pill pockets at the pet store. They work great with my dog. They come in all a dog's favorite flavors.

I do not care for ingested poisons for dogs....much prefer topical, you can remove them if dog has a bad reaction. But, if you must...open the pill & put it aside, quietly. Dogs notice more than you think....if you combine this action with making yourself a sandwich or coffee, the dog will not go on alert!
Later, Enrobe the pill in a teaspoon or 2 or 3 of Chunky peanut butter. I used to have a dog that would lick off the peanut butter, then spit out the pill, but if I held another bit of peanut butter right in her face she would swallow the first blob to hurry up & get the second blob.

Take a little ball of cheese and soften it up and shove the pill in the middle of it

i have a dog that hauls ass the opposite way when i crinkle the package.... then i have a couple that come thinking it's a treat. none of them like to take pills. the BEST way i have figured out is to crush the pill into a powder between two spoons. then scrape it and put it into a clean spoon (because when you crush it, part will stick to both spoons). after i scrape it off into a clean spoon i dump it into the dog's mouth and hold mouth shut until they move their mouth/tongue around. that way they CAN'T spit it out. follow up with a treat..

Depending on how bad the fleas are, I found, many years ago now, the use of garlic pills kept fleas in check. And, for what ever reason, my cocker thought they were treats and ate them excitedly. I don't remember the dosage, something to check out online or with your vet.

Chop the pill into smaller pieces and put it in a meat treat.

Inside a piece of hotdog, in some peanut butter, non hydrogenated of course.

I use generic Capstar- Nitenpyram sold on ebay. One capsule inside a meatball of canned food. They swallow it quickly.

I don't know if she smells them, sees the motion, hears something or what the Q is but she'll spit them out, mouth out the crumbs, only choose the one that doesn't have a pill. Peanut butter was working well but it constipates her.