Can you tell me a trick?

[jas'smom]

I have this nasty feeling that before Jas and I can graduate from Basic OB we are going to have to learn a trick I was hoping to get a jump start on one. Does anyone have a dog trick that is easy for a beginner to train? :) I know I might be jumping the gun a bit, we have had only one class so far, but I like to be prepared. As you might see I am a weeeee bit obsessive about class :( :(

[Patty1231]

Before you sweat it, check with your trainer to see if you have to teach a trick. We don't have to do that in my OB classes. I'm sure there are plenty of tricks to teach if you just want to for fun, tho. The only real trick Rocco knows is how to catch food when you toss it to him and his sister, Perle, taught him that. ;)

[Wookie'sMom]

I know we didn't have to have a trick for my OB class. But we did play tic-tac-toe on the last day with a task for each square and wins could be challanged by the other team by preforming the same task better, longer, faster, whatever as the original winner. The middle one was a trick not taught in class, so if anyone had a really unique trick they could do it and not be challanged.

I tried for it with Wookie. At home she'll "toss" a ball back at me. We sit on the ground and I roll it to her and she tosses it back to me on command. We found out that when there's an audiance she wouldn't do it. Oh well.

[zeus vonkircher]

Originally Posted by jas'smom

I have this nasty feeling that before Jas and I can graduate from Basic OB we are going to have to learn a trick I was hoping to get a jump start on one. Does anyone have a dog trick that is easy for a beginner to train? :) I know I might be jumping the gun a bit, we have had only one class so far, but I like to be prepared. As you might see I am a weeeee bit obsessive about class :( :(

we taught zeus a cool trick! have your dog lay down and put a treat on his or her paw and make your dog wait to get the treat until you have told them to take it. Zeus loves to show this trick off!

[spidey]

(Wookie'sMom - tricks are like anything else, you have to proof them)

"Shake" is easy to train, since most dogs will paw at a hand hiding a treat, and then you just praise them and give them the treat enough times that they do it predictably, then give it a name (it's even easier to clicker train), "wave" follows naturally from "shake", as does "gimme five". "Speak" is easy as well (get the dog to bark, praise and treat when it does).

[Wookie'sMom]

Oh I know. We were still in the working process at home on that trick, but I thought it would be worth a try for the middle square, don-cha-know. ;)

[spidey]

Heh...I hear you. I HATE it when I've got a cool trick that my dog does completely reliably at home and in places with distractions, but the one time I brag about it or really need him to do it (like in class), he looks at me like I'm a vaguely interesting science experiment when I ask him for it and then ignores me...argh!

[seldown]

Hi Jas'mom, we just graduated and needed to do a trick. My girl learned roll over at home and I really didn't think I could pull it off. She loves belly rubs, for a short time when she plunked down for one I said, "Yes!." gave her a treat. Then I would have her take a down, lure her with a treat until she was on her back, or wait until she willingly belly-upped, "yes!" treat. When that got reliable I would use a lure until she rolled onto her side and then over and say "Yes", Then I added the word "over" She got it in one training session and now does it just for fun and when trying to beg a treat. She's a comic to begin with so I figured "over" would be easier for her then say balancing a treat on her nose or something real challenging.

[jas'smom]

Originally Posted by seldown

Hi Jas'mom, we just graduated and needed to do a trick. My girl learned roll over at home and I really didn't think I could pull it off. She loves belly rubs, for a short time when she plunked down for one I said, "Yes!." gave her a treat. Then I would have her take a down, lure her with a treat until she was on her back, or wait until she willingly belly-upped, "yes!" treat. When that got reliable I would use a lure until she rolled onto her side and then over and say "Yes", Then I added the word "over" She got it in one training session and now does it just for fun and when trying to beg a treat. She's a comic to begin with so I figured "over" would be easier for her then say balancing a treat on her nose or something real challenging.

mmmmmm Jas loves belly rubs too :D

[jas'smom]

Originally Posted by spidey

(Wookie'sMom - tricks are like anything else, you have to proof them)

"Shake" is easy to train, since most dogs will paw at a hand hiding a treat, and then you just praise them and give them the treat enough times that they do it predictably, then give it a name (it's even easier to clicker train), "wave" follows naturally from "shake", as does "gimme five". "Speak" is easy as well (get the dog to bark, praise and treat when it does).

shake might be a good one too. A nice ice breaker with people leary of approaching her.

[Luvs]

One of our favorite tricks is bowing. Akasha loves to bow :D

To teach them to bow I would take a cookie, put it near the floor in front of the dog and tell her to "Bow", she usually started to lay down, (since this is how I originally taughter the down command) as soon as her front was on the ground, (her paws to her elbows) I would say YES and treat. In the beginning I had to put a hand under her belly to stop her from going all the way down. Now I just point at the floor and tell her "bow". Every now and then she gets too excited and goes all the way down. I make her stand and we do it again ;)


Akasha and Keil LOVE learning new tricks. They are a great way to break the ice when meeting new people.

[brianbat420]

Originally Posted by jas'smom

I have this nasty feeling that before Jas and I can graduate from Basic OB we are going to have to learn a trick I was hoping to get a jump start on one. Does anyone have a dog trick that is easy for a beginner to train? :) I know I might be jumping the gun a bit, we have had only one class so far, but I like to be prepared. As you might see I am a weeeee bit obsessive about class :( :(

I Learned a good on on the forum. It's call'd Bang.

You just use your fingers or a cap gun and point it at them and say BANG and try to get them to lay on the floor on there side. It is kinda like play dead. It looks cute as heck.

[flyballmom]

This is the trick Charleigh learned to graduate from Intermediate OB class...only I first taught bang bang, then morphed it into "would you rather be a cat or a dead dog."

Originally Posted by brianbat420

I Learned a good on on the forum. It's call'd Bang.

You just use your fingers or a cap gun and point it at them and say BANG and try to get them to lay on the floor on there side. It is kinda like play dead. It looks cute as heck.

[jas'smom]

Originally Posted by flyballmom

This is the trick Charleigh learned to graduate from Intermediate OB class...only I first taught bang bang, then morphed it into "would you rather be a cat or a dead dog."

he, he :D that's a good one!

[k&s]

This one was fairly easy and is a crowd pleaser:

While dog is in a down, train your dog to put his head on the ground between his paws. Use treat, gently pushing head down, clicker, whatever approach you have learned in class. When he does this reliably, say "Are you saaaad?" when he has chin on ground.

Once he is trained for this trick, when he is laying down, say "are you saaad", and he will put his head on the ground in a way that looks as if he is sad. folks seem to really like this one.