Need Some More Tricks!

[caffiend42]

Howdy folks

Need some advice on improving some current more tricks/commands for Indy and some new ones. I don't want him to get bored, so I need to up the challenge here. I've had a squizz at some of Toilet Duck's tricks, but I think some are not appropriate until he's a bit bigger ie like jumping over your back or thru arms (not so keen on those 2 anyway)

Ok here's what he can do so far at almost 4 months (just slightly over 7kg or about half adult sized) so I don't want to push him physically too hard, but mentally he's as sharp as a tack. Most of these are great inside except going for a wee or stopping before crossing the road , pretty good on the whole in the front yard, and average out and about where appropriate due to his nose ruling.

sit

leave it (meals, and sometimes underpants )

gentle (take things from your hands gently) - or stop biting! The latter just gives an insolent stare!

go for a wee

shake hands (he's a leftie, just like mummy!)

lie down

up (balancing on back legs) - this is still new, and really just a lure with treats

speak (one bark)

stop before crossing the road (no actual voice command here, just stop when I stop) Not that great when the nose is to ground.

Go get it and Bring it back - both good inside, but not so good outside

quiet (ok need help with how to do this one)

stay (sometimes still working on that one)

currently doing roll over - he's about half way there after about 15 minutes in two sessions.

As a gimmick, I wouldn't mind getting him to bark twice when 2 fingers are shown, and to do the "play dead" when you "shoot" him - just don't know how to do those.

Any ideas, especially for improving current ones, or is this not too bad at this age so far, and will they gradually improve with greater repetition? I'm not anal about him getting it right every time, but the safety ones are important.

Also how do you get a dog to accept food only from you? ie lets say someone chucks something nasty over the fence (worst fear). How do you prevent him from eating something that hasn't been given to him? He's good with"leave it/wait" at feeding time until we say "ok" to release.

ta heaps - off to bye bye sleepy nigh nighs now

[Clicking Mad]

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Edited January 7, 2008 by Clicking Mad

[caffiend42]

kewl I was hoping you'd reply Sam! Yep, love the push ups idea, then we can all do them together

With the shake hands, yeah he seems to be left dominant, but will also offer up his right soemtimes too, so that's cool. Might try also doing a high 5, as long as it doesn't look like "Heil, Fuhrer"!!

Also, when we get the new pup, are dogs a bit like elder siblings where some behaviours go backwards a bit upon arrival of the new kid on the block? We're expecting the new arrival would be a bit of distraction for a short while so he may not be as responsive, but I guess its all about giving both dogs quality individual attention.

[mersonmalinois]

Also how do you get a dog to accept food only from you? ie lets say someone chucks something nasty over the fence (worst fear). How do you prevent him from eating something that hasn't been given to him? He's good with"leave it/wait" at feeding time until we say "ok" to release.

You have a lot of good behaviors going already, good job!!

When we lived in Albuquerque, NM I trained at a fun dog training center. We taught the dogs a food command word. Say the word, give a treat. Continue that way so the dog associates the word with food. We progressed into gently correcting the dog for picking up tidbits off the ground or taking something without the "food" word. I'm sure others will have better, more update ways to teach this behavior, but it worked for us several years ago.

The only problem is making sure that everyone who may care for the dog knows the word. Or if the dog is picked up loose and taken to animal control. It won't eat without the command being given. I know a hungry dog will eventually blow off the command if it is starving, but it was something to consider.

People in class picked odd words, "roulette", "jade", etc., something out of the ordinary for a command.

Good luck if you decide to teach it.

Susie

[Akitaowner]

ive been teacing my boy not to eat anything unless ive told him its his - this stemmed from meals when he was tiny i woudl make him sit for food then i would make him wait for a command and slowly built up time hes almost 12 months and were at the point where if i leave the room hell wait for quite a while just lying down looking at it or me hes started coming to get me to 'ask' if he can eat it yet!!! and say sit and eventually his release/eat word

i was also trying to do this so he doesnt automatically think that evrything in his food bowl is his!!

this is maily because OH does a lot of cooking and i didnt want him hoovering up eveything that fell on the floor before i had a chance to tell him not to - he doesnt pick scraps off the street or try to get at the bins

altho he did steal off the worktop once!! ;) noones perfect!!!

but i would expect him to leave anything he found outside that i hadnt said he could have

secret to this is very slowly and they need to know a 'no' and a 'stay'

it a great trick for visitors seeing him lay there while i leave with food in front of him!!!! (altho most think im being mean!!)

weve also done right and left paws - as in high five - i taught paw and he always used the same paw anyway then when he had that down i taught hand for the other one now he does both on command and even both at the same time when overenthusiastic!!!

what else can i think of....

.....not much atm!!!!

[MonElite]

bow

walk back

heal to right leg (have a different command)

weave between your legs

shake but with a hind leg

circle

kiss, than give kiss to xxx person

find

touch

[caffiend42]

great, thanks guys.

So MM and akita, what's the order of the command - show the food first, say the command word (whatever it is) then give the treat? So "ok" wouldn't be a very clever release word then too, eh?

We've been using "leave it" when we put the food bowl down - he'll lie down about a metre from it and stare at the bowl. We can walk away and he'll still wait - having said that we haven't left it for anything longer than 30 seconds at this stage as we're building up to longer. And then "ok" to release.

So seeing that has worked quite well and quite quickly, we've been using "leave it" in other circumstances, such as scratching closed doors, his head in the fridge as soon as it opens (not that THAT works!)

I think a high 5 and both paws up too would be good.

Myszka - how did you teach the giving a kiss to another person? He's got the "hello" and "wake up" kiss down - he loves licking OH's shaved head and chin stubble.

Also, what are the basics for agility? This last one perhaps should be its own thread?

Ta again!

[ninaandted]

hi there,

we started the food wait and release thing with Nina but haven't done any work on it for a while. Our "leave it" command was "stolen". any food that is "stolen" she can't have. when we decide she can eat we tell her "Paid for". it is some old trick my husband knew of with a friend's dog when he was a kid.

we have to start all over again now though because Ted moved in and Nina has finally discovered that she might have to protect her food. (i.e. eat it before someone else does!) she has also become a thief from bench tops - little smartie pants - and stole my toast this morning (which is the first successful attempt), so she's back on remedial training with stolen and paid for!!!!

[MonElite]

Myszka - how did you teach the giving a kiss to another person? He's got the "hello" and "wake up" kiss down - he loves licking OH's shaved head and chin stubble.

Easy

The dog has to know persons name, obviously, this will not work with a stranger visiting your house, but family and often visiting friend the dog could recognise by name.

This will sound silly and most likely it is not the way to teach your dog peoples names but it has worked for me ;)

I would point to my dog and say Rex, than point at a person and say his/her name. Also if a person is in another room you call them by their name and say John COME and the person comes. Dog learns through own association that come is come and that John just obeyed my command. And than its easy, say

"Rex go to John and give him a kiss" and he does (dont forget the hand command)

oh and he knows command GO

I bet Rex understands:

Rex go blah John blah blah blah kiss and he just associated those words into a sentence.

There is a book that explains how to teach your dog various tricks I forgotten the name - something along the lines of how to speak or uderstand a dog language. it has a blue cover with a samoyed on it carring something (I think a basket) or perhaps this was on the back cover and on the front was the same samoyed reading the book wearing glasses.

If you do everthing in that book your dog will be able to perform such things like

Fido go upstairs and bring my red shoes.

The book was about $25 it is not thick and slightly larger than A5

[MonElite]

Also, what are the basics for agility?

Not that I am any good at this at all, and I'm sure there are experts here.

Wait/stay,

touch

heal on left and right,

understand directions - left and right

come

hop/over/up

through

down stay

weave

than names of equipement (tunnel, tyre)

Edited February 25, 2005 by myszka

[Sparty]

I had some excellent suggestions from agility trainer this week for our puppy, have two poles (like jump verticals without the bar between them) and lead the puppy from the outside through the poles teaching a "around" you start off close then gradually get back further so you are directing them with you hand signals and voice. i'm prolly not explaining it very well (lol he had to show me about 5 times!!) he had his dog doing figure eights around them then circles around the outsides of the poles just with his hand signals stuff he said he had taught his puppy from the start and around chairs and stuff while they were inside

[whatevah]

How about teaching your dog to retrieve, could come in really useful for a lot of tricks.

I would be careful about the hind legs trick at such a young age.

Also teach the dog to enjoy swimming. Swimming is one of the best exercises, and when you mix it with retrieving the dogs love it.

You could try teaching crawl. Do some target work. Do heeling on both left and right. Teach dog to walk backwards in a straight line.

For agility you could buy a little cheap tunnel from Crazy Clints and teach the dog to run through it.

[Tralee]

Hi Caffiend42.

So what are you doing?

Getting Indy ready for Circus Auditions? ;)

go for a wee

lie down

stop before crossing the road (no actual voice command here, just stop when I stop)

Go get it and Bring it back - both good inside, but not so good outside

stay (sometimes still working on that one)

As a gimmick, I wouldn't mind getting him to do the "play dead" when you "shoot" him - just don't know how to do those.

I use 'do wee' for that one.

There are a lot of dead grass patches around here.

Lie down is 'drop' or this could be one you could add.

Sooki did this one perfectly first time, at puppy school.

Stopping before crossing the road, and in the middle of the road (if you want Indy to look both ways), is basically a sit and a wait followed by a heal.

My Beagle Bindi was briliant at crosssing the road.

Isn't that 'fetch'.

Bindi was a good fetcher.

Bindi also used to run around crazy at a park on a 'go for a run' prompt.

Sooki did stay the first time at puppy school too.

Please don't do the play dead, especially with the finger gun.

It is so crass and indignant particularly for a Beagle.

Have you thought about getting him to scent out foxes and to give chase? ;)

Forgot to add.

I'm teaching (have taught) Sooki to prominade without going into every air-conditioned shop that we pass and to rest while I have a milkshake.

Edited February 25, 2005 by pewithers

[MamaKat]

kewl I was hoping you'd reply Sam! Yep, love the push ups idea, then we can all do them together

Sam is so modest!!

Her dogs do the following...and probably much more ;)

Wave

Bow

Pirouette

Weave between her legs while walking

Jump through her arms...

Can't remember the rest, but it's so cool to watch her with her dogs

[Sayreovi]

Please don't do the play dead, especially with the finger gun.

It is so crass and indignant particularly for a Beagle.

I think it is a great trick Caffiend and you will have lots of fun teaching it to him and so will he, who really cares if it is crass and idignant as long as they have fun.

I suggest teaching him to spin and not sure if you have but Bow is a great one and looks great.

Natasha

[ElectraWoman]

No suggestions, but I just wanted to say thanks for the thread. I've been looking for new tricks to teach my pup, and I found a few here

Currently teaching: "roll over", with "play dead" on the cards as well.

A query - I've been trying to teach Abel to "target", but instead of simply placing his nose at said target, he tries to eat it How do I teach him otherwise?

[Clicking Mad]

...

Edited January 7, 2008 by Clicking Mad

[mersonmalinois]

So MM and akita, what's the order of the command - show the food first, say the command word (whatever it is) then give the treat? So "ok" wouldn't be a very clever release word then too, eh?

We would have the dog sit, show the treat, say the word and then give the treat. You jackpot them for a while to associate the word with the treat and then slowly taper off to waiting for a few seconds. You can then increase the time and also put the tidbits on the ground near the dog, but the dog cannot get them until the word is given.

My Rottweiler Gunther (died in 1998) was very good with this exercise. I would put him in a down stay, put two treats on both paws and then say words that were close to his release word. He knew the difference and would not take the treats until his word was said.

"Ok" is a word that most people would use, even a person wanting to steal or poison a dog. A unique word is the best...kind of like a password on the computer.

Hope this helps!

Susie

[rosie]

I'm teaching mine "where's the ball" and "where's the keys" cause I am always running around looking for them before going on walkies. Doing this by putting a bit of treat with the ball and told him "where's ball?" slowly increasing how hard it is for him to find it. Then no treat, but when he finds the ball he gets one from my hand.

Have no idea if this is the best method though, but he got the idea in about five tries (of course now he's doing the 'I have no idea what you are trying to get me do, better use more treats huh mum?')

[SpikesPuppy]

Caber goes and finds/gets his fave tennis ball whenever I say "where's your ball?". he will do this from the other end of the house and wont stop sniffing around until he finds it! Last night I hid it and it took him almost half an hour to find it. But he didn't give up! Poor little bugger lol.

He knows his 'special' tennis ball in amongst his other toys and even other tennis balls!

Also does 'Roll Over', learning 'Bang' (my Dobe does this so well- even stays perfectly still), learning beg, learning to walk on his hind legs on command (not really good for puppies but he constantly does this naturally), learning 'crawl', goes to his crate on command, knows 'wait' for his food, learning 'speak', also 'shake hands' and 'high 5'. Leanring 'give ten'.

He also has a toy box, which he will go to on command and get certain toys out. He also taught himself to put his toys back when he's finished with them lol (he does this approx. 80% of the time after playing with toys).

Have a motorbike tyre which is on thground and he walks through it on command (will raise it higher when he's older), and am buying a tunnel soon.

Teaching 'spin' & 'bow' also.