whatevah Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 (edited) This can be quite a hard trick and may take a while to teach. Take a Bow Uses - Good stretching exercise for dog before agility/flyball, fun party trick, used in doggy dancing Equipment Needed - treats/ and or clicker Methods - Lure Method - Have the dog in a stand (off lead), hold a piece of food in between the dogs legs. The dog should bow, then give the treat. Add Cue word "bow" Target Method - Teach the dog to target your fingers, (when dog places nose touching finger, he gets a reward, practice this really well before going onto next step), then place your fingers down on the ground between his front legs and say your word for touching your fingers (mine is "touch"). When the dog does this he is in bow position. Clicker Method - Lure dog down with food and as soon he puts his front paws down with rear end still in the air click and treat. Trouble Shooting Dogs goes into a drop position. Try putting the food down and quickly raising it back up before he has time to fully drop. Mine dogs kept doing this one all the time. Only click and treat where the dog leaves his rear end in the air. Some people hold the dog under the tummy so he cannot drop. My dogs don;t like this one. Some people also place their hand against the back knee to stop the dog from dropping. You could also try and capture this movement. Whenever dog does a bow click and treat. Some dogs have an early morning stretch. You also try placing the dog in the corner, so he does not have room to drop. For some dogs this trick can take ages to teach. You can try giving it a rest for a couple of days and coming back to it. When dog gets it right, give a big jackpot of food. Try and finish on a good note. Edited June 20, 2005 by Toilet Duck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clicking Mad Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 I taught my Texas to do this via capturing. It is a behaviour that he did quite regularly so I had plenty of opportunity. I actually started early on calling it a "biiiiigggg ssstreeech" and gave him a big rub on his chest which he totally loved and almost everytime I went out the backyard to say hello he'd go into a bow and this initiated my chest rub - he was teaching me!!!!! as then it often led to a game of fetch, obviously another thing he wanted me to do. The hard part was putting it on cue. I initiated it by giving him a rub on his chest and he'd go into a bow and I'd click and give a bit of food. I did this for a while saying "big stretch" at the same time. A while later I stood in front of him and said "big stretch" and clicked when he bowed. This was going ok, and I was using quite a bit of body language (leaning in - as if I was going to give him a rub on his chest) so the change of cues to "bow" wasn't that hard, as he was definately paying more attention to the body language rather than the words I was using. But, then I tried to extend it out a little and accidently clicked as his butt hit the ground, and then "bow" turned into a really nice drop (his "down" is often sideways, with his hips rolled over on the left or right, but when he dropped from the "bow" he was square). It took quite a bit of remedial work to get the word "bow" to go back to meaning keep that butt off the ground. Even now when I ask for it and lean in too much, he will occassionally go all the way into a down. So, I agree with you Jules, it is not a quick or easy trick to teach. It's funny though, now the other two copy Texas and when I get home from work or if I'm going to say hi and do you want to play a game? they all go and do these bows at me. I have been put off by teaching the other two though. Maybe I'll spend some time in the next month trying it out. See if they get it quicker, or if I have learnt anything from my attempts with Texas hehehe Sam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tapferhund Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 Toilet duck, thanks for this one, I am going to give this one a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJ Posted July 16, 2004 Share Posted July 16, 2004 This is a cool trick! I have taught one of my girls using the lure method and also everytime I saw her do it naturally I would say "bow" and treat her. It did take awhile to treach but people love to see it. When Soot is being lazy/is sick of showing off or does not like the treats being offered she does pathetic half hearted bows that we call curtsies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatevah Posted July 17, 2004 Author Share Posted July 17, 2004 With my flatcoat I used luring. I lured him down and only if he kept the bow, did he get the food. No food for dropping. I think someone lured and I clicked when he was in right position. With Moses, tryed a bit of free shaping with the clicker. I clicked for him standing and then for looking at the ground, then for touching the his nose to the ground and then I got a slight elbow bend and clicked for that, but I couldn't get much further. So then I did the target method, where I placed my two fingers together on the floor and said "touch" and clicked and treated when he touched. Sometimes he dropped. But we peservered with it. Sometimes it is good to give something the dog is having trouble with a little break, for a couple of days or a week and come back to it. I think they get stuck into a mind set. I now have him doing a bow. Anybody got photos? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
!Kristen! Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 chanels been doing this since she was a puppy, just never taught her to do it on command. i tried it this morning, she got it after about three trys. now she does it on comand. ive just gotta take away the food reward now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 I taught 2 greyhounds to bow just by clicking every time they stretched.They both picked it up real quick. The older grey Sam used it as his default behaviour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dali-love Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 Bow sounds very close to down for a dog so if you use down consider using bend instead of bow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpikesPuppy Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 I tried to take a picture of my Dobie X doing this, but it didn't work with me telling her to 'bow' and then rushing to take the photo :D. I snapped her coming up and you can't really tell it was from a bow lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatevah Posted July 23, 2004 Author Share Posted July 23, 2004 Thats where video cameras are great. All the photos I have posted to this forum have been taken using a video camera. I just film the scene, then play it back and hit pause, and I then get a still. Great!!!! I use the word bow, but for drop, I use the word drop. I also think teaching this trick on a wet surface may help, as the dog doesn't really want to drop, and some dogs will just put the front end down and leave the back end up. Looking forward to the photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayreovi Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 Hello Everyone, I taught Nova this last night, he got it after a few tries I started with free shaping, didnt work, then in very very little steps then decided he had no idea what was being asked so i would put him in a stand then put my arm (not touching) under his belly then asked for a bow and lowered my hand he kept his bum up cause my hand was there. after a few repititions he knew exactly what to do so i can say bow and he will do it i am half way with him bowing when i do!!!! Cant wait for the next trick i have taught Nova most of the other ones but some he cant seem to grasp? thanks natasha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kim777 Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 heh might have to expand and teach the stay command whilst doing the bow...then you can take your pic Will see if I can train my border to do it tonight and get a pic using our new digital camera we got yesterday. Hopefully shouldn't be too hard, he usually grasps things within three gos ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 Kim, you reminded me that I took a couple of pics last week... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vickie Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 (edited) and this one Edited August 10, 2004 by vpzn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clicking Mad Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 I'm not sure if I've posted this somewhere before but it's more appropriate here... Texas' bow BTW: you don't have to have your dog in a bow/stay if you have a video camera ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kim777 Posted August 11, 2004 Share Posted August 11, 2004 vpzn - cute!! Didn't even get a chance to train last night ;) partner got home late so I had to cook dinner. O well when I get the chance I'll do it and post pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clicking Mad Posted December 17, 2004 Share Posted December 17, 2004 (edited) Awesome pics vpzn :rolleyes: I got some more ... that I thought I may as well add .. I have introduced a bow with Tex and I facing the same way so we can both take a bow ... thinking end of a doggy dancing routine here ... and I've been extending the time out a little too ... Sam. Edited December 17, 2004 by Clicking Mad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vehs Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 I'm having a bit of trouble teaching D the bow. He's never offered the behaviour (well maybe once when he was a little pup) so there is no point capturing it. I lure him into a bow and have my arm/hand under his tummy so he can't drop, click reward, but then just after the click he tends to go down into a drop. I will keep this up slowly taking my hand away and trying to only treat before he drops. Any advice? The other problem is the hand signal that I will eventually use, I don't want it to be close to the one I use for a drop - what are other people using when they want a bow? Today we were able to stop using a food lure and he just follows my hand into a bow - but this is a similar hand movement to my drop one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clicking Mad Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 Hi Vehs, Dropping their arse on the ground sounds familiar. I even accidently clicked it once or twice. As long as you are clicking when in the bow position, I think D will catch on. The click is technically supposed to end the behaviour ... just thinking aloud here ... when you click could you quickly back up or move away so D has to follow you to get his treat off you, rather than him falling into the down and then you giving the treat ... could break the habit of going into a down after the bow? Understand yes? And yep, try and take your arm/hand out of the picture as soon as you can. re: hand signalling. What I do is bow at my dog ... it was easy because I had to lean over a little to scratch his belly when first teaching it, so it just became part of the picture for him. Don't have any other ideas for hand signals, sorry, hope someone else comes up with a nice idea Sam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vehs Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 Thanks Sam I will start moving away from him to stop him dropping I think bowing at your dog is a cute signal! I'll try and build up for that - I suppose if I ever demo'd any tricks we could both end with a bow like that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now