Tricks

OK, what tricks do your furkids know? Besides owning us and the house! Ben is approx. 6 months now and knows 4 tricks. He fetches the PAPER (& we have a bit of a long driveway) he did that on 2nd try because I got so overjoyed & thrilled. Then a bit later SIT, and the hardest was SHAKE (left & right), and then last night, on first attempt DOWN. Last night I was acting like he had learned a second language (remember it's been 13 years since I had a puppy). What about yours? Any odd ones? I taught a past pet Cocker to climb up a slide & slide down once. Never could teach him to wait his turn in line though.

Pepper does all the classics, Sit, stay, come, down. I cannot for the life of me get her to shake. I'm working on roll over but our party trick is...I put a treat on her nose tell her to wait and then back away and wait a bit sometimes I can even look away and talk to someone. Then I'll look at her and say "OK" and she'll flip it off and catch it in her moutn in one smooth move.

Love that one...Ben is no where near that! Shake was not hard for my previous pets but Ben wanted no part of it for the longest. The Book I bought has a different method. Book is 101 Dog Tricks and you hide the treat in your closed hand urging the dog to paw at it & say get it & shake. As the dogs paws it, then start standing. The old way I used was just pumping his paw up & down saying shake but then it's hard to know when to reward him. Mandy this book even has the shell game where you hide it under 1 of 3 cups! Cuuuute!

Last week, Annie learned to jump through a hoop, and then through my arms and over my leg. So fun, but so easy--just held a treat in front of her!

My schnauzers can sit, down, stay. Nicky rolls over on command and will lay down quietly on his side when I go "bang" - (play dead). Greta will sit up with her paws folded under looking very cute to beg for a teat; she also will play dead. Nicky will bark on command; and the are both learning to not bark when I say "no" or "no barking". Both can do some very fundamental agility stuff - jump over; go through a hoop; and both started learning weave; but, the difficulty arises when I find both can not have many treats because of their sensitivity to fats. Darn. They are very food driven and I could teach them many tricks with treats but...green beans only go so far.

Kirby can sit, down, stay, roll over, BANG (play dead), sit pretty, shake, give five (regular or high), and jump through hoops. Kirby will do these by command or hand signal. He also will obey the Kennel command, no matter where he is in the house.

Finnegan (who is 8 months) can sit, lay down (a little shaky if he gets distracted), and "drop it/leave it". Yes, I consider the last a trick, since Kirby won't do either. We're working on stay. It's not working so well right now.

Does helping with laundry count? Not stealing dirty clothes (which is comical since Kirby steals them from the closed hamper and Finn steals from him), but getting hangers. Kirby is really good about helping to get the hangers and bringing them to the laundry room. He gets excited when we ask him to help. If he hears you getting them by yourself he will come running. Finnegan is getting better at it, but we still have to give him a treat to give them back to us.

> 5. Maggie, is 7% fat okay? If so, look for Zuke's Mini Naturals. Maybe 1/4 tsp in size, soft and smelly, so I cut them in half and then pinch them in half again. Annie LOVES them even when cut in quarters--I think because they're so SMELLY. (We use the salmon formula.)

ETA: $8 per lb at feed store and $10 at fancy pet store. Maybe cheaper on the web? Cost is also incentive to keep portions small!

well, I don't really know. The vet wanted me to stay on the medically OM diet (obesity maintenance). I don't even know how much fat is in it. But then I discovered that it is hugely protein heavy and I know both dogs blood levels were not good last time we checked. I really should do some more research.

But 7% fat is pretty high. I have seen treats in the 3% range and the dogs have liked them.

Scottie shakes paws and she will swap the paw she is shaking if you say "other paw" to her. If she really wants something she will offer one paw and then the other over and over until she gets it.

My mum's dog Bob, now sadly gone, would find the invisible rabbit on command, hunting down and pouncing on them. He would also spit out a treat if he was told to, which Scottie would never do.

Because my Chinese Crested was once a show dog she will NOT sit (they are trained to stand at all costs, for the ring) My dachsunds, her sisters at heart, will sit, after all it is only an inch or two down for them. When my husband has them doing sits for treats, the Crested, Nylons, will slightly scrunch her bottom down, like a mini-squat, but you can make it out! It is so cute, because you know she gets the idea, but she is much too hyper and her previous training is still ingrained, apparently. She has her own distinct personality and she will never give us kisses, unlike the doxies who will kiss you raw. Once in a great while she will lick us once on the nose, and we are so delighted. My husband says that he has never seen another breed of dogs like our doxies, who do exactly the same things as each other, have the same movements and body language, they are like book-ends but they don't look at all alike. But he says when he sees the breed out of the house they too, act just like our girls. The dominiant female, Boston, will give us her paw and then the other if we ask for it. Kaia will sit but I think that's it. They will catch their treats in mid-air though. I don't consider the way they stare at us from the yard when we call them, a trick. No, that is more of an annoyance, and is only forgiven when they finally come bounding at us, on their little crooked legs, the gold one like a rocking horse, and the dappled one like the Alpo dog, as fast as her little pistons will carry her.

Oh-Mom wants me to get this down before Halloween, gotta practice, the treats mean nothing...I just needing the practice!

LOL, so cute!

What? So I has my own way of holding it. It's still Trick or Treat right?

Adorable! I need to teach Finn too. He's starting to get used to his costume. I'll have to fix the head piece though. It's too big.

Awesome! I am very impressed. I'm assuming there isn't actually any candy in there right now? I know Miles would have his nose in the pumpkin if there was something in there!

Ben is allowed one treat at a time. He runs away, sticks his head in it and eats it then back he comes holding the pumpkin in various ways. I had to cut the opening larger as he kept getting stuck. = )

My dogs know one trick, sleep, yeah, they all do it very well! Good Dogs!

Skeelo, being the world's most brilliant dog, has gone way beyond doing tricks to please us. He has now trained us to do tricks for him. These include sitting on the floor because he wants the sofa, taking him out for 'extra' walks because he has that look on his face, clinging for dear life to the edge of the bed all night because he wants the middle bit etc, etc.

Miles has learned lots of stuff so far. I really like training so we spend quite a bit of time on it. So far he knows sit, down, stay, come, drop it (he drops everything even if you say it from a distance), wait (before going outdoors, not gobbling something that was dropped on the floor), leave it, relax (laying down on his side), stand, shake, beg (sitting up on hind legs with front legs held up), find it (he's on a sit/stay and I go hide food somewhere out of site. When I get back to him I say "find it!" and he'll sniff it out), and in your crate. This week we started to work on pose (perked up ears and cocked head for pictures) and Tigger (jump straight up two or three times).

We have lots of fun learning new behaviors. I'm always thinking up new things to teach him. :)

That's pretty impressive, lefty! I'm more like Booksloth I'm afraid - my previous experience with dog training seemed to put me more in the role of trainee, rather than trainer (Bonnie had me wrapped around her little paw). I think I left it too late to take her to obedience classes. She learned all her commands and would do as instructed when we were in class, but never anywhere else (unless a suitably impressive treat was on offer - and she always had to see the treat first!).

I am planning on making a better start with my new pup when she arrives. She's a newly born welsh springer spaniel, and will be coming to live with me at the end of November.

Oh Val..you get a early holiday gift. How wonderful! We will all be waiting to hear of your new little girl.

#19 -- If you want, you can come down here and train Sophie next! ;-) She is good about coming when called, and knows "Go to your room!" (crate), but beyond that, we have not been very good about training her. She will occasionally "sit" if she is in the mood and thinks there might be something in it for her.

Congrats on your new pup, Val! How exciting to know she's coming. :)

Foggi, you have no idea how much I would enjoy that! I love working with a dog and seeing when they start to understand what you're trying to get them to do. Must be the teacher in me. And now that I'm not teaching anymore, it's coming out in dog training instead. ;)

My dog has trained himself not to listen to me....

Thanks Bons and Lefty - it's been 4 months now since Bonnie passed away and life without a dog has been pretty ordinary (to say the least). I had decided that I wanted a welsh springer spaniel, and when I started contacting breeders everything just fell into place! I found an absolutely lovely couple who were just planning on mating one of their bitches; I have a 3-week trip booked in early November, so would not have taken a new puppy on prior to that, but this one will be 'ready' for her new home just a few days after I get back from my trip. I was even able to extend my leave from work so I will have a few weeks at home with her full time to help her settle in. Perfect!!

>24 kirbyowns: kirby - I think that's an innate ability rather than a learned behaviour!! The remarkable bit is that, although they're not listening to you, they still somehow always hear when you've made a comment or asked a question favourable to them (eg. anything involving walks, treats, etc.).

I know. Instead of yelling (which, let's face it, all of us want to do at times), I start to whisper. He stops what he's doing to listen. He's a mess. Really.

Finn has learned a new trick though (other than those in #6). He now shakes hands beautifully. He has turned out to be left pawed (handed), so he will only shake with that paw.

I tried to teach Bonnie to shake hands but all she learned was that I wanted to hold her paw - so she just used to sit and waggle it out in front of me expecting me to hold it - and she expected me to hold it for ages!!!

BEN TURNED OFF THE LIGHT FINALLY!!!!!! Once on purpose and once by accident..but there was slight recognition in his eyes so I'll take it!!

Val, FOREVER Ben would give me his paw so I could use it to turn the light off!!! I thought of you & your Bonnie.

So UP is the command to jump on the bar level chair by the switch. Then, "Ben, LIGHT" and he starts pawing at the switch. Many times he gets no where near the double switch in the kitchen and once he did it with his mouth and I laughed so hard I forgot to "click"! I have found that Ben prefers me jumping, hugging him and squealing "Yay" over the sound of the clicker. I dream of the day I can have Ben putting his toys away, turning off the lights and going to bed! Think he could lock the doors too? = )

It's possible. Both of mine can open the front and deck doors. Finnegan has always known that the doorknob is how you get in and out of anywhere. Instead of scratching the door, he will try to turn the knob. Doesn't work on our inside doors, but our front and deck door are pull down knobs. We have to make sure we keep those locked.

I completely forgot to write about Finnegan finally catching the frisbee. He loves, loves, loves to play frisbee outside. We have gone through 3 or 4 of them since he was a puppy (I keep a stash of PetSmart ones in the closet). I had found one on clearance at a Walgreens and switched out to it, thinking it would last longer. Problem is it's so heavy. Well the other day he accidently caught it. I praised and jumped up and down and made a big deal. He's been trying to catch it for a long time, but just couldn't. Well we kept practicing and he couldn't get a hold of it again. So I raced in to get one of the light PetSmart frisbees. He caught it 6 more times in a row! Yeah!

#29 -- Sophie thinks that frisbees are scary. Of course, she thinks that a lot of things are scary, including blankets (if they are waving in the air instead of laying on the bed or couch).

YAY Finnegan! Ben loves balls but will not attempt a frisbee. I think I might have to take him to the dog park and hope he gets to see a dog in action with a frisbee, maybe a light bulb would come on.

Isn't it funny with the recognition of how things work? My Golden's just always take thing as they come, are so loving and loyal. They do the standard tricks. But like Finnegan, Ben seems to put things together. Not that he's any smarter than the others, just more of a processer, some of it on his own. Maybe the more curious a dog is the easier they are to train? If you have a fenced in lawn, Finnegan could open the dorr and walk himself and Kirby!

Foggiedawn, that is right out of The Art of Dancing in the Rain. I would so love to hear Sophies thoughts on the waving blanket...(giggle) I know it would be precious and even logical!

Cal, the same for Bones. I always chuckle if I see a deer head...I just invision it whispering at Bones! (another giggle)!

Pepper also thinks frisbees are scary

I never tried Bonnie with a frisbee - I suspect it would have been recipe for disaster. No matter what I threw to her (even treats) she would always just stand there and let it hit her on the nose, then pick it up off the ground and give me a sorrowful "why did you do that?" kind of look.

Bons - I'm so impressed with Ben learning to turn off the light switch (although the thought of him getting to the point of packing away his own toys, turning off the light and putting himself to bed is hysterical!).

I'm getting all sorts of ideas from this thread about things I can teach my new pup to do. She's 5 weeks old now, and will be coming to live with me on 30th November - I can hardly wait!!!

Finn's working on the opposite of that trick Bons. He's one to get every single toy out of the toy box before we can go to bed. Then I have to go around picking them up, while he gets out the toy that I had just put back in. It's a game to him.

You would think I already had G-Babies the way my floors are strewn about with toys.

Val, Speaking of babies...Nov. 30th will be forever away for us waiting on your baby. Have you had a chance to see her? How grand that you have time to spend with her before returning to work.

Bons - unfortunately my puppy is currently about 3500km away on the other side of Australia - there are no registered breeders for Welsh Springer Spaniels (the type of pup I wanted) on my side of the country. Unfortunately this means that the poor little thing will have to endure a five and a half hour flight to get to me. Fortunately for me the breeder is lovely and is sending me regular photo updates. Let's see if I can remember how to post photos and try to put a few here for you to see....

This is Mum and her 10 pups on day 3 (I can't pick my pup out of this bundle) ...



And this one is my little girl getting weighed at 4 weeks (1.55kg) ...



(Apologies - had to delete my first attempt at this because the images were ENORMOUS and it wouldn't let me edit the post)

So cute, Val! She is beautiful. I love the rich golden brown coloring of mom too, which I'm assuming your girl will grow into. Lovely!

Val,
Look at her! Wee legs and not so wee tummy!

When you mentioned the breed you were waiting on I searched internet images of pups.

She is such a love and has no thought of how she will soon be adorned with love and a sweet home. Adorable pics!

Thanks lefty and Bons. Yes, I she should grow a bit richer in colour in time, although she is one of the lighter coloured of the pups. I agree that the Mum's colouring is absolutely glorious. And Bons - I have another photo of all 10 pups at their feeding dishes, and I reckon mine's got the roundest tummy of them all, so she obviously likes her food!

I like her facial markings you can see in the bottom photo - almost looks like a little white heart from the top of her head down past her eyes (although this will no doubt change as she grows and her facial shape changes).

#37 & #41
Oh my goodness! She does have a heart on her head. Too precious. I missed that last evening from looking at her tum. Love it!

I am at a loss as to why I can not post this pic of Ben turning the lights off. But for those who would like to see it try this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38158679@N08/4051302319/

You should just be able to grab the html and post it in here.

Let me try.

kirby..thanks...not sure what I was doing different in my command...

This is the latest trick. Hard to catch an in action shot with him moving but one can get the jest of his "Lights" trick.

wow reading all of your posts makes me feel totally inadaquate (sp?) Milo came to live with me in May (after my dad died, my stepmother was going to have milo killed) and I've just got him so that he knows what "sit" is and "enough" when we're playing...

Cute, Bons!!

Ashley, you've gotta start somewhere! Just build on one or two new behaviors a week so you and Milo don't get overwhelmed. :)

My vet said that Milo will be very difficult to train but just last night we finally got him "kiss" to give someone a kiss on the cheek. (He's a 12 year old Jack Russel Terrier that seems to think he's a Rottweiler)

lefty...I enjoy your comments on training as I enjoy reading kirby's or anyones thoughts & issues with training. Training my Ben has given me a closer bond to him. It has also taught me a bit as well...patience, perseverance and a bit of insight to a canine's world.

Stay (while I am out of sight) is not an easy one. Controling Ben outside is even harder for me, even though he is so very good inside.

lol -- thanks, Bons! I always find it helpful to hear what other people try too. And training definitely strengthens the bond!

Outside is certainly trickier than inside. We were just at Pet Smart and you'd swear Miles never heard the word sit. He was extra-hyper because it just snowed a good 6 inches and he loves to run through it. So maybe I shouldn't have taken him out today but otherwise he would be crazy at home so at least going somewhere tires him out a bit. It took like 10 seconds to focus him enough to get him to sit so someone in the store could pet him. Usually he sits automatically. Goober puppy. :P~~

When I got over pnemonia, I thought I'd train Ben to help me. This is his first time to preform in front of others..he was a little excited! Please watch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdoHfThLYts

That's awesome! Brontë would've (at best!) picked up the box and stopped to chew up all the contents!

By the way - nice to see you "in person" (so to speak) on the video :o)

Bonnie, Everybody at work loved that video! Said you should definitely upload it to America's Funniest Home Videos.

Too cute! Finn has stolen kleenex from the box. Of course, one at a time. He's so dainty with them.