Teaching A Trick

[Nichole]

Hi Everyone, my Amstaff Diesel has just started puppy school and the trainers want us to teach the dogs a trick and the best trick wins a prize..... We are up against some very cute puppies (the who doesnt love them type faces ).

Does anyone have any ideas of some good and easy tricks for my boy to learn? He is a fairly quick learner which is good! :-)

[Kirislin]

to play dead? Have you already taught him to drop? if so you're half way there. I taught a racing greyhound to play dead by first having him in the drop position then saying Bang! and laying him on his side. As soon as he was flat, I'd praise and give him a treat.

[TerraNik]

Some easy tricks Jedi learned around 2-3 months old -

Dance (up on hind legs)

Shy (paw over face)

High 5

High 10

Wave

Bow

Weave through legs

Roll over

"Bang!" (roll onto side and play dead)

[becks]

teach your dog to bark from a hand cue - then in class you can get him to bark the answer to maths questions!

jumping (low level) through a childs hula hoop

to spin

[Red Fox]

High five is really easy to teach, kids love it and it's a bit more fun than shake.

Took me around 5 minutes and a few treats to teach this to Kei

[mrs tornsocks]

to play dead? Have you already taught him to drop? if so you're half way there. I taught a racing greyhound to play dead by first having him in the drop position then saying Bang! and laying him on his side. As soon as he was flat, I'd praise and give him a treat.

What's the method in the play dead ? Once he's in drop, where do you hold the treat to get him onto his side ?

thanks !

[TerraNik]

to play dead? Have you already taught him to drop? if so you're half way there. I taught a racing greyhound to play dead by first having him in the drop position then saying Bang! and laying him on his side. As soon as he was flat, I'd praise and give him a treat.

What's the method in the play dead ? Once he's in drop, where do you hold the treat to get him onto his side ?

thanks !

You can lure him to lie onto his side (from drop position) with the treat to begin with, so that he rolls onto his side. Then put the treat on the floor next to his nose so he can get it while he's lying there.

[Kirislin]

I used to just gently push him over and when he did it I'd stuff a treat into his mouth, I had no idea what the correct way to do it was but mine worked with him anyway.

[Gayle.]

I used to just gently push him over and when he did it I'd stuff a treat into his mouth, I had no idea what the correct way to do it was but mine worked with him anyway.

That's pretty much how we taught Benson, and as the treat went in we'd say "Bang!" He soon figured out that bang meant lay on his side.

[all that glitters]

Shylas "Spin Left" and "Spin Right" amuse people!

[Erny]

What's the method in the play dead ? Once he's in drop, where do you hold the treat to get him onto his side ?

thanks !

Might be difficult to explain or understand from the written word in the absence of demonstration :

Draw the treat around to one side of him, so that he is turning and looking towards his hip.

Then draw the treat a bit upwards towards his withers/back.

Tip : Take note of how he is laying. It is easier if he has 'flipped' a hip (ie laying to one side). Use the treat so you can follow the direction he's already semi-started.

Tip : If it's a bit difficult to begin with, reward him for "successive approximation". IOW, give him the treat for getting part way there and then only for each improvement towards your final goal.

Tip : Don't worry about putting a command/cue to the exercise until you have him doing it regularly with the lure. When he is beginning to do it, start adding in the cue as he's doing it. Then you can begin to add in the cue earlier and earlier (during which time he should be getting better and better) until you're putting the cue in at the beginning.

[Erny]

I used to just gently push him over and when he did it I'd stuff a treat into his mouth, I had no idea what the correct way to do it was but mine worked with him anyway.

That can work too. All you're doing is "guide, show, place" (which is a gentle version of compulsion) and helps some dogs who aren't 'getting' what you're after, catch on. For other dogs, putting hands on can be a bit distracting and in some cases, a bit worrisome (which in itself means the dog needs more handling anyway). For a puppy, it might be more inclined to be distracting and bring his mind onto mouthing rather than on to the trick itself. But I agree, your method can work. I trained my adult avatar girl (since passed, bless her cotton socks) in that method as, whilst she enjoyed food, if I made her work too hard for it she'd give me a look and give up on it.

[Jetty]

oh that play dead with saying "bang" sounds great

my pup has trouble with going down though he has never done it.

[Aubrey]

Aubrey can do the following

Shake, Spin, Walk, Stick 'em Up and Beg.

I need to do the Bang side with her so I we can do Stick 'em Up then Bang in one movement, but she is reluctant to go on her side... more treats required!

I like the idea of Shy, might have to do that one soon!

Andrew