I've been spending a few minutes every day working on some new tricks with the dogs (and perfecting old ones.) Tricks are great for a few reasons- it's good training! Teaching a complicated (or easy) trick will help your timing as a trainer, and your patience. :o) Also, the dogs love it. They are always so excited to perform their little tricks for people.
My dogs have a fair number of tricks- but there are so many I'd like to teach them. Lots of these are very useful in agility and obedience, and some are just for fun....
Wicca in particular LOVES tricks and is so eager to learn new stuff. She can do complicated things and put behaviours together (for example she has a little basketball hoop and can drop the ball into the net)
Back- means back up...she scoots her butt backward almost in a playbow...
Dead- classic dead dog
Rollover- again, a classic
Spin- either direction
Fetch- she will fetch anything I ask her (keys, a spoon, a specific toy)
Chin- she'll rest her chin in my open hand
Sad- vito's trademark chin on ground looking pathetic
Shake- a paw...
Touch- nose to object.
Through- weave through legs
Over- jump over leg
Wrap- run around behind me
Vito has a few, mostly they are geared towards making him look cute. :o)
Sad- his trademark chin on ground between his front legs
Pretty Boy- sitting pretty
Wave- waving his stumpy leg while sitting pretty
Spin- either direction
Through- weave through legs
Dead Dog- a classic. :o)
Boone came to me knowing quite a few tricks (he used to do freestyle dancing in his past life) but he's learned a few more
Back- back up
Left- spin left
Right- spin right
Wave- self explanatory
Through- weave through legs
Wrap- run around behind me
Over- jump over leg (he'll keep going around as you keep lifting your leg)
Flip- he'll spin and backup through your legs...sounds complicated, it is. He came with this trick although never did it on cue- he'd just do it totally random and quite often trip me...I've put it on a word I can remember and we are much happier...lol
Chin- rest his chin in my open hand
No Cue- if he is standing in front of you and you lift a leg, he'll lift the same leg...it's rather entertaining...
Fetch- we are working on this...
Sad- chin on ground
Shame- this is a trick he's just learning (to put a paw over his nose)
Handstand- we started this eons ago and I just kinda lost interest. He can do it pretty well against a wall now- but doesn't get much air time..
Bounce- jump straight into the air.
Speak- :o)
Pixel knows the least amount of tricks. We're working on it and she is learning a few right now
Back- she is getting it although she is crooked 80% of the time, :o)
Sad- chin on ground
Wave- she's really not very good at this and starts head bobbing like a chicken if she doesn't get it right the first time
Nod- as in nod your head "yes." I am teaching this because she offers it all the time.
Shake- as in shake your head "no." If you have a yes, you need a no? Right?
and that's pretty well it....
I am pretty sure I've forgotten a few, but you get the idea...so what tricks do your dogs know?
6 comments:
I am a terrible trick trainer! I think all Ike knows is shake. And Bug? Maybe I need to work on some tricks!
I love teaching tricks - blast is the dog that loves to learn tricks - he weaves through my legs, does a high five, jumps through my arms, & rolls over. I want to teach him to crawl next I think. I find my smaller dogs harder to teach tricks cause they move so quickly & dart about.
Bizzie was learning a handstand until her pregnancy kinda got in the way... just getting back to it now.
And Boo - "I'm not doing any stupid tricks"!
With the list you provided, I'm ashamed to show my piddly little list :-) I think my guys know Touch, Spin, Paw (same as Shake), Other Paw, neither guy seems to have good abs so when I ask for a Beg, it's more of a hind leg stand, a really good Leave It for Jimmy, Find It (looking for a toy I hide)...I think that's about it.
The only non-obedience, non-agility trick I have taught Claire is "freebie"... she has to jump up on me to get a treat. It has been useful to get her focus on me. It's almost always my first command when warming her up for bigger things to come.
my friend at home teaches a tricks class, it was a lot of fun to take, esp inbetween obd classes, any interest in you putting one on? in your free time of course, lol :o)
Roll over and shake/wave. I'm a lazy trick trainer. Too many other things to do!
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