Tricks to Teach After Pet Expo

So I have been thinking about dog tricks I want to teach Gaius after the pet expo, or tricks I want to perfect. But I thought I’d get organized an make a list so I can keep up with my progress. That way whenever I feel like I have nothing to train I can come back to this post.

Bow

Back up

-Heel Backwards

- Do backwards Figures 8s around my legs.

Go around me in a circle

- forwards

- backwards

Jump on Command

-Jump rope

-Hop to the side (into heel position)

Run through a hoop rolled on the ground

Nod Your Head Yes

Limp

Crawl

Object discrimination (Hold up an object and ask your dog to pick the same out of a list of choices)

Two Dog Tricks

- Under

- Over

- Leap frog (Jump several dogs in a row)

-Weave between another dogs legs

- Sit in between another dogs front legs

- Circle another dog

- Ride another dog (Stand on it’s back)

- Kiss (Noses touch other dog) Would need a very tolerant partner

- There is a bunch of other stuff that could be done here.

Hide your head under a pillow

Dig the Ground on Command

Cross your paws while laying down (Legs may be too short for this)

Hold a Cookie on your nose without going for it (HA! I’ve tried to teach this several times and each time I sort of give up. He just doesn’t have that much self control)

Things we have been working on that need to be perfected

How embarrassed (Paw held over nose)

Mark (Lift his leg on something on command)

Skateboarding

Lift and go through a hoop which is stationary on the ground.

Nod your head No

Caught your tail and spin

Blow bubbles in water

Here is a video that shows the object discrimination game I'm dieing to teach.There is a better one that describes the raining process with a standard black poodle I think, but for the life of me I can't find it on you tube. If you have the link PLEASE let me know. I'd really love to watch it again.

Annie

So I thought you all might be interested in a video I made for a friend of mine. This is Annie a standard poodle and her owner Joyce. She's going to be one of the other dogs doing the trick demo in February. Annie is just the sweetest, but highest energy dog I have ever met. She's quite a handful!




After the pet expo Joyce and I are planning on getting together to teach two dog tricks. I have been dieing to try some and I think it would be really cute. :)

Gaius' Rockettes Audition

Stoney Point too was delayed due to a dead battery in my camera, but look for it in the future.
Here's a new trick We're working on.



It's not perfect yet, but certainly coming along. A VERY difficult video to shot though :)
He's licking his lips the whole time (calming signal) because I think that he's nervous that I'll step on him. But Cindy says he'll gain more confidence the more we do it. It also might come from a puppyhood filled with "DAMN IT GAUIS, DON'T GET UNDER FOOT. I'M GOING TO SQUISH YOU LIKE A BUG ONE DAY" Again, the more cookies he gets for it, the more comfortable he will get.

This is one in a long line of tricks that Cindy wants me to teach so we can do a "freestyle-esq" routine at the Richmond Pet Expo this year. I'll keep you all updated on what he's learning :)

If you don't know what free style is, here's a video of a woman (and her dachshund of course) doing a routine. Gauis' and I are no where near that, but we'll come up with something fun!

Whicked Shredding Skills Man (In Progress)

So here's a peek at what we've been working on.



First off I'm not kicking him to get that third foot off (I know it looks like I am). I'm just putting my foot on the board and invading his space (without touching him) enough that he chooses to take his foot off. Also I inadvertently feed him a lot when all four feet are on the board don't I? Hmmm, well this is why we record things! I'll work on not doing that as much next session.

Also Guest appearance by Snickers! Who by the way is currently available for adoption HERE

Tricks: Not Just For Hookers!

How long do I have to hold this down stay......? I think she's going to eat me....


My dachshund knows a lot of tricks... The following is a quick video of Gaius' tricks from almost a year ago (so he's only one year old in this video). Since then he's learned MANY more. I might make a new one at some point. Excuse my ridiculously high pitched voice while training. If you follow this blog you'll just have to get used to it :)



I love training tricks! Its probably my favorite thing to do in the dog training world. Mostly because shaping is just fascinating (I almost ALWAYS use shaping to teach tricks). I love watching my dog's brain work. Letting him figure things out on his own. Its like actively watching his brain grow (But shaping and clicker training is a whole post in and of itself). Another great thing about using shaping to teach tricks is that you never know what kind of trick you're going to end up with. You let the animal lead the way to a certain extent (For example I clicker trained a cat to give me a high five earlier today... but more on that later). Lastly tricks are just freakin adorable. And isn't that what having a dog is all about?

There are other reasons to teach your dog tricks. Its a great way to build a relationship with your dog. I remember when I first started dog training someone said that to me. I have to admit my first reaction was "What the heck does 'build a relationship' with my dog mean". It sounded like some artsy, spiritual crap to me. I was expecting her to pull out crystals and make me hum, but now I think I understand. It means it's a way of making the dog like you more, making you an interesting and fun person to be around. Dogs that are taught tricks have fun, you have fun and they love you more for it.

Another reason to teach tricks is for the ups and the downs. Let me explain... Tricks are a great way to psych your dog up! I use this a lot on hot days when Gaius is dragging on the agility field (Ok, ok I just started doing this, but come on, I'm new here! ). I'll call him out of his crate and ask him to do four or five tricks which he knows like the back of his hand (paw). Then I reward each one. This way he gets excited. He thinks "Oh! these are easy, I can do this, and look at all the treats I'm getting!" Then when I ask him to do the more difficult behavior (running an agility sequence) he is more excited.

The next reason to teach tricks, I think is by far the MOST IMPORTANT REASON is to keep your dog under threshold (the downs). Not all of us have perfectly well adjusted, well socialized dogs (ahem... more on this later). In fact since I've started in dog training (I'd say, for real about 1.5 years ago. I don't think Petsmart counts.) I'd say a HUGE number of dogs have issues with socialization. Tricks are an amazing distractions.

Do you have a pomeranian that hates other dogs? You're out on a walk and the worst thing in the world happens. Suddenly you turn a corner and there is a Saint Bernard pulling its owner down the street! OH NO!! If your pompom knows a few tricks you can turn to them and say. "Cujo shake! (All pom poms should be named Cujo) Cujo dance! Cujo spin!" and before you know it the slobbery lug has gone along his way and Cujo barley even noticed! Its magic!

Now a lot of "serious" dog trainers don't like to teach their dogs tricks (I put serious in quotations because if you are serious when you dog train you are totally doing it wrong). They think that it isn't important or is somehow demeaning to their champion agility border collie or disciplined Doberman Schutzhund. Well let me tell you something, my dachshund doesn't mind being demeaned if cookies are involved! And regardless, even if trick training isn't necessarily what the cool kids do, I think it's awesome! And I was on the chess team in high school, so obviously I'm an expert on cool. (insert picture of me doing a Fonz impression here)

Anyhow I leave you with one last video. This is a video of me in the process of teaching the command IN. We had practiced this several times before but this is the first time I used the wine glass (a much smaller target). Here he isn't yet to the point were I can add the command (Maybe I'll talk to you about the steps of shaping a little later). I make a few mistakes in this training session. The first of which is it went on WAY too long. His best repetitions are at the beginning of the training session (I went on long mostly because this was how he was getting dinner and I wanted to finish feeding him, but still no excuses). I also could have fed him over the wine glass which may have help him understand where his head needed to be. Look at me, record keeping. That is what the blog is here for right? I'm sure there will be many more videos like this to come. Enjoy :)

Introductions

Before getting a dachshund I was told a lot of things about them. They were nippy, loud, overly attached to their owners, prissy, and impossible to house break. Now that I own one, I have found that some of these things are true some of them aren't. But the one thing I was told above all others was that dachshunds were untrainable...

Wow what a challenge!

My name is Elizabeth and I'm a first time dog owner (sounds like I'm in AA). That's right, I grew up in a house full of cats (the injustice!) and two and a half years ago, after much soul searching, I decided to get my first dog... alright not that much soul searching. I finally moved into an apartment that allowed dogs. I'd been biting at the bit to own since I was about four.

Everyone thought this was a terrible idea. My parents, most of my friends, my ex-roommates. In fact the only person on my side was my boyfriend Sean. But he had one condition. It had to be a dachshund. UGH!

I warned him, citing all the reasons above as to why a dachshund was not the right fit for us. (I wanted a caviler king charles spaniel, well maybe next time) But he was insistent so we got a little long haired dapple dachshund in the summer of 2008. We named him Gaius Baltar after the womanizing, egotistical, scaredy cat character from Battelstar Galactica. Did I mention we were geeks?

But this little pup had a lot to live up to! Remember everyone thought he was a bad idea. So as soon as I was able I enrolled him in obedience classes. And after few classes I realized he was good at this.... I mean really good! Untrainable my butt! I mean he was the star pupil of his petsmart training class! Well, except for the lab that was training to be a service dog but that doesn't count right?

I was hooked, the classes were the highlight of my week. He made it through all three levels at breakneck speed. Except for one small issue (Well not so small but I'll leave that for another post). After graduation (see picture below) I was sad to see the training go. My petsmart instructor had a solution. He pointed me in the direction of a local dog training school were I could start taking other classes.

Its an addiction really, an unstoppable illness that becomes life consuming. Well Gaius is now two years old and currently enrolled in a Competition Obedience Class and a Level Seven Agility Class.

But now down to business. What is the purpose of this blog?

First things First, to keep track of my training and record keep. This will allow me to become a better trainer and see more clearly what I need to work on and where I've made mistakes.

Secondly, it is a place to put all of my trailing information now that Gaius' skills are getting to the point where he can soon enter competitions (Nerve wracking, I know!). He has yet to enter either an obedience or agility competition yet because there are some rough edges that need to be ironed out. (Aka being slow as dirt in agility when its hot outside, and lagging durning his offleash heeling) But the time will swiftly be upon us. He has been to two earth dog trails but they don't really count as all the training they involve is "Look tunnel, go bark at the rat" Your dog is either into rats or isn't. Gaius is into rats... and anything that involves barking. But I'll talk about earth dog here too.

Lastly this blog is a place to discuss dog training/dogs in general. To get advice from those more experienced in the dog training world then I am and to maybe help those with suggestions who might want them. So please feel free to comment!! Everyone is welcome here.

It also may be a place to coo over adorable dachshunds.... :)

It's the money shoot!