Our best trick / training result and how I taught it

[JoanneF]

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I thought since it's been quiet around here recently that this might spark a bit of interest.

Timber's best trick is to shake on cue (i.e. outdoors; before he soaks the kitchen). I just taught by using a voice cue - saying 'have a shake' when he was doing it, so now he does it when I say the phrase. It's pretty useful and quite impressive to people who see it!

 

[excuseme]

That's fantastic! What else can you two do?

Do you really think this will get people to reply and show a bit more interest.

I hope they do.

Best we wait and see!

 

[JoanneF]

What else can we do? We can cuddle for Britain ... I don't know if this will stimulate responses but I usually find (with humans) that a question / challenge sparks a reaction! So come on, what's your party piece?

 

[gypsysmum2]

Well done on your trick training. I might give that one a go

I can't match it for tricks but have trained Tigan to fit in a bit better with our lifestyle. He is quite a bouncy boy and gets really excited when he knows a walk is in the offing. He spins, runs around and, worst of all, throws his front legs around so that you get whacked in the face if you are tying your laces!

I have trained him to lie down while we get our outdoor gear on. He already knew the down command. I just extended the time in between him lying down and me producing a treat. He can now lie down for the while procedure of us putting boots, coats etc on. It is surprising how easily they slip back. I never let him move until I release him and then open the door to go out. Recently my husband took him out on his own. He must have let him out after Tigan had broken the down stay because he has gone back to breaking the stay to try to get out of the door. It means I have to go back to basics and build up the time he has to stay before he gets a treat. The door will not open until he has been in a stay for the appropriate time and been rewarded.

 

[excuseme]

)I've been thinking hard as didn't think that we had a party piece, but oh yes we do.

One of our girls gives the most gorgeous hugs "huggies" , partially self taught that I picked up on. If I ask for "huggies" she leaps up on my lap and puts her front feet either side of my neck, she sticks her head and nose tightly downwards under my chin (hardly able to breath) and holds on very tightly until I have had enough. Some days she gets desperate to do this and gives extra BIG huggies.

Ah well, that's our party piece!

 

[JoanneF]

I love that excuseme! And gypsysmum2, maybe we should start a separate thread on training husbands! I spent a lot of time persuading Mr F that recall training should not include the phrase 'come and get a biscuit' even if it did work ...

 

[dogmatize]

We always give a tiny little mixer biscuit as a reward when training our dogs. The most useful thing I've managed to teach is the appropriate response to "HAVE A POO!" I have whippets and they prefer to just nip out to the garden, have a quick pee then straight back in again, especially in the wet or chilly weather!

One thing I have taught my rat mad whippet to do is to follow hand signals to tell him when there is a rat and to point to where it is. He is almost 14 now and getting a bit deaf so I'm glad that I've always used hand signals with our dogs. I can call them to me without shouting as they know the signals.

 

[Cash_Dolly]

Aw! I love reading these! My dogs don't really have tricks as such. they know their commands sit, come etc ( though they simply cannot get their heads around not jumping up!!!) but no special tricks! Other than cuteness!!!....does that count?

 

[JoanneF]

Of course cuteness counts! I'm not into tricks for tricks sake, but I am proud of the shaking on cue. And I believe dogs do enjoy learning stuff, so I like to try and find useful things to train. I have still to master 'bring the slipper here, don't steal it and hide it'

 

[Cash_Dolly]

Heehee!!! The shaking is brilliant! I need to try that with my little whippets who love to get in from a walk and shake all over my pale grey carpet and walls!!!!!

 

[gypsysmum2]

Love the husband training idea! Mine uses every recall command under the sun! Among them are "OI! , Oi Uncle, Smelly come here, Come Here!"

No matter how many times I have told him that Tigan is trained to "Teeegan", he still will make up his own commands.

It won't be long before Tigan is sneezing on command because husband joins in with his sneezing and makes a huge deal over it. Not sure I want a dog that sneezes all the time.

How about untraining a trick? When Tigan came to us it was obvious someone had taught him to give a paw. He would throw his front legs at you all the time. It got to be quite dangerous if you were bending anywhere near him. We had to untrain that trick by totally ignoring him if he did it. Very hard to do because he does love to do it, but after scratching near our eyes a couple of times we decided that trick must go!

 

[JoanneF]

We have a funny little habit that I haven't tried to train out but might need to address at some stage. We are semi retired so the morning pattern is that one of us gets up and makes coffee then back to bed for half an hour. So Timber gets the chance to go out to the garden between 7.30 and 8.00. He usually refuses. then we get up, I have my shower and Mr F goes downstairs - T has a second chance to go out and refuses. He loves his bed. I come down about 30 minutes later and straight away he goes out. Now we know if he needed out earlier, he would go but it's quite clear he is waiting for me! Cute but odd.

 

[excuseme]

Aaah, he loves you!!

 

[JoanneF]

No doubt about that! As I type he is cuddling in. And it works both ways ♡. Fortunately he likes a bit of independence too, in the evening while we are watching tv he usually slopes off to another room. Unless it's his favourite Countryfile of course.

 

[JoanneF]

I was thinking about my last dog today, a super smart collie x gsd rescue. He used to enjoy lying on his side to be groomed so I would do one half then say 'other side'and he would get up, turn over and let me do the other half.

But he hated the vet's table so she would examine him on the floor. We went in with an ear infection and he lay on the floor with the sore ear down. so I told him 'other side' and he did what he always did. I don't think the vet believed it!

 

[excuseme]

One of our girls likes to take my shoes if I leave them around on the floor. When I realise that I want them I just have to ask where are my "slippers" and she goes on a big hunt around the house until she finds them both and brings them back to me. She also likes to play her own game of ball; she brings a ball while I am sitting in the armchair with my legs together but out stretched, she puts the ball just above my knees and then watches it roll down my legs, she picks it up and jumps on the sofa with it, comes back and does it again, a really happy lady!

 

[colliemom]

My boy shakes on cue too.

I've just taught him to "look guilty" - he lowers his head and puts his paw over his nose.

He can take my socks off and put them in the washing machine :- )

 

[Raven oaktree]

We have taught Willow lots of tricks , not so we can show off with silly party tricks but just because she loves to learn and keep busy. Mostly the tricks have been more about spending fun time together bonding, getting her to listen to me , reaching achievable goals and brain training..she is such a busy girl if we didn't keep her entertained she would fond her own entertainment..and I think that would involve remodeling the house lol.. She does all the usual ..sit , down , stay, wait, give paw , touch , high five , fetch it , drop it etc but we have a disabled son and she likes to 'help' with him..so i say lets go wake J and she is off ..she opens the door and runs to his bed and sits and waits , once the bed guard is down she jumps up , pulls back his covers and the kissing commences..she takes his socks shoes and splints off ..she will help to pull his sleeve off his arm she retrieves things off the floor and puts it on his knee. She also used to turn lights on and off for him but then she started turning the light off in the living room last thing at night when we refused to play..almost as if she says stiff you then if you wont play the lights are going off ..she is very clever but still very young ..i have every confidence she will continue to learn..in fact I'm worried about running out of stuff to teach her cos she is really bright and like I say if we don't keep her busy she will fond her own entertainment

 

[sweeteststar]

Great! I'm gonna use it on my labrador

 

[Wing Finger]

We've recently been advised to stop feeding our dog using a bowl and to use her daily kibble to train her, building more of a bond in the process. She knows the following commands:

Drop it

Wait

Sit

Lie down

Wave

Beg

Bed

High 5

Watch

Get it

Podiosis (a silly word we use for a sort of High 10)

Her two latest tricks are rolling over and touching with her nose. I managed to get a video of her doing a roll over the other day.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=sxqp44dwWE8