Trick tricks

[Rockstar]

So I was just reading 'The Paw' and saw a tip on how to teach your dog to cover it's eyes by putting a sticky note on his nose and when they paw it off-give a treat, click, good boy, etc. And soon they will have the trick down. I thought it was a really neat idea and was wondering if anyone else had a creative way to teach any other tricks to their pups? Anybody?

[Kat's Dogs]

Shaping the behavior with a clicker! Dazzle thinks that is a super fun way to learn any trick.

 

Because she likes that better (and so do I) I don't really do creative things to get her to do something. She just has to offer the behavior (or something close to it) on her own. I think it gets her little brain wheels turning more so than if I do the thinking for her and make it easy on her part.

[pammyd]

Oh I look forward to reading some of the replies

 

Woman in the park has a lovely trick "say your prayers" with her lab

She taught it to put both paws on her arm (held horizontal just above the dogs nose) then lures the dogs nose down between his paws so it looks like he is doing his bedtime prayers - can also be done on the back of a kiddies chair or bed

 

I have to work more on the paw thing but I am planning that one for ben for later

[OurBoys]

Woman in the park has a lovely trick "say your prayers" with her lab

 

There's a park a few miles down the road from us that's going to have an "All American Dog Show" in a couple of weeks. One of the contests they are having is who's dog can do the best trick. DH wants to go and sign up JJ and I for the 'say your prayers' trick. Because we live in the 'Bible Belt' he feels everyone will love it.

 

JJ also knows his left from his right. All I did was, while he was laying down, I would sit next to him and kept repeating "right, right, right," while rubbing his right leg. When I had him in a sit, I asked him 'Give me right'. It didn't take him long to catch on. Once he had it down pat, I worked with him on his left.

 

That's another trick that makes DH smile. JJ is a 'right paw' kind of dog. A lot of times when I ask him for his left, he'll offer his right. Without thinking, the first time JJ did that, I said "No, the other left." JJ dropped his right paw and offered me his left. Now that's become part of the 'trick'.

[Nik]

Brenda....I tought Pache something similar. He knows how to shake w/ his left paw and give hi-5 w/ his right. It really wasn't that hard after we got shake down pat and because I only do hi-5 on the opposite paw he caught on pretty fast.

 

Pache also helps me pick up dirty laundry when the human boys feel the need to undress at the front door and drop clothes wherever they land. O what a dog will do to be able to have a little taste of a dirty sock!!

[OurBoys]

Pache also helps me pick up dirty laundry when the human boys feel the need to undress at the front door and drop clothes wherever they land. O what a dog will do to be able to have a little taste of a dirty sock!!

 

 

What is it about socks?!?!?

 

I don't let JJ and Jake help with the laundry. The machines are upstairs and they aren't allowed upstairs. That's the cat's area. When they try to get one of us to play, they'll pick up a toy and bring it to one of us. If we don't feel like playing or if we're busy, we'll tell them to "Go for Daddy" or "Go for Mom" and they'll turn around and take it to the other.

 

Another good trick to teach with the paws is "Thank You" and "Hello". "Hello" is howdy with the left paw and "Thank You" is howdy with the right paw (I want JJ to say thank you more than hello). It makes people smile after they give him a treat and I say "Say Thank You" and he 'waves' at them.

[Root Beer]

If your dog knows "paw" very solidly, then "wave" is a pretty easy one to teach.

 

Ask for paw a few times and click/treat each time. The next time, hold your hand just slightly out of the dog's reach and click when the dog "waves" the paw in the air. The hand held slightly too high can easily be changed to the hand signal of waving at the dog as you say, "wave".

 

I'm starting to work on having Speedy kick high while standing like a "march" step now.

[Lenajo]

Sometimes its a simple trick, with a good name.

 

My Dinah gives a big dramatic paw wave to the command "what do you do when you're famous?"

 

Her brother Taff has BIG SPEAK (bark) and little speak (huff bark).

 

Somebody else's dog sneezes if you say "oooh, bugs!"

 

My friend's dog barks to the word "hate". You can do so much with that. Do you hate cats? Woof! Do you hate my boss? Woof!

[OurBoys]

I've heard of a *mean* trick someone taught their dog. When they taught their dog 'howdy', instead of giving one of their front paws, he would hike up one of his back legs!

[MagicGirl]

I taught Magic how to crawl on her belly. Very easy once they have a good down. Just drag a treat across the floor in front of their nose and say crawl.

[Guest WoobiesMom]

This is such a great thread! Keep 'em coming!!!

[OurBoys]

WM,

 

I don't consider this a trick. It's more of a 'mutual understanding' between JJ and myself.

 

JJ is a very nosy dog. He always wants to know what's going on and who's doing what. One of the things I will not tolerate is counter surfing-anywhere. Be it Petsmart, vets, a home improvement store, he is not allowed to put his paws on anything other than the floor. I didn't want to squash his curiosity so I taught him the 'Look but don't touch' command. If JJ wants to look at something on a counter he's allowed to stand on his back legs but his front paws can't touch anything. You should see some of the looks we get when I tell JJ he can 'look but don't touch' and he stands on his back legs with his front legs tucked under and he's stretching his neck forward as far as he can!

[clara]

"Tricks" is one of Ling's favorite hobbies! Her reward is sometimes food, but more often, she has to do a trick each time I throw her toy (if we're doing "tricks"!). Teaching tricks is a very fun activity and a great way to wear them out mentally, especially during the winter when it's harder for the people to get out as much - like when we go to work in the dark and come home in the dark and it rains constantly! Whenever I ask her "do you want to do tricks?" she grabs a toy and runs to the spot we usually start from, and usually offers one before I even ask! I wish I'd known how to clicker shape before I started teaching her tricks, luring only goes so far, but maybe there are some new ones we can try with clicker training this winter. She does all her tricks without a lure now, but I'd be interested to see how she does with shaping.

 

Here are a few and how I taught them.

 

High five: variation on shaking, which she can do with either paw. Once she had the shaking down pat, I'd put my hand up in front of her like a high five and say shake. She would lift her paw to put on mine and end up hitting the front, like a high five. RIGHT AS SHE MADE CONTACT, I said "high five", then get happy and reward her. She can do both sides now.

 

Spin (right) and twist (left): I just used a piece of food to lure her in a spinning motion while saying spin. Then the other way for twist once she knew spin. It took her about five tries to get it right every time.

 

Crawl: Again, I taught using luring. I put her in a down stay then when a couple of feet in front of her, on the ground, just until she starts to crawl, saying the word crawl, and rewarding as soon as she goes a few inches. She's up to about four or five feet now.

 

Back up: This is a USEFUL trick. On agility start lines if I want her to move back a little, now I just have to say "back up" and she does. It's handy at doors if she's crowding a bit also. I taught it while she's sitting, or you could do a standing back up as well. I put her in a sit, and said "back up" and held her toy so she continued to look forward at me, while I moved toward her, crowding her space. As soon as she took a little scootch back, I praised and rewarded her.

 

Stand: She looks like a Muir Cat when she does this. I just used a food lure, asking her to stand and holding in front of her nose and raising it until she was standing, then rewarding.

 

She knows a few more, but I'm exhausted and my hands hurt from painting all day, so I'll add more when I can think of them.

[sluj]

thanks for all the ideas! I have a specific request - has anyone taught their dog to nod or shake their heads? I can lure Allie into either, but I'm having trouble dropping the lure and getting her to just do it on cue. any suggestions?

[Mudpups]

thanks for all the ideas! I have a specific request - has anyone taught their dog to nod or shake their heads? I can lure Allie into either, but I'm having trouble dropping the lure and getting her to just do it on cue. any suggestions?

 

I have sort of taught my dog to do this - I got my first clicker a week or so ago (so take my experience with a pinch of salt:) and started capturing (click and treat) every behaviour she offered which included a 'nod' head to chest as well as left and right nods. She's caught on to the clicker so well that we have been very busy with other tricks (high five, down, low, gimme ten, bow, spin, back, touch, hit me, leg weave, prayers) that I havn't worked with the nod yet.

 

All this to say, try using a clicker, lure her once or twice, cue and click when her head is in position, then treat. Or better yet, shape the behaviour naturally by click and treat every slight movement in the right direction, then delay subsequent clicks a second or two and she will likely offer a more exagerated movement. Keep repeating the delay until she offers the full movement reliably, then bring in the cue work right before you click.

 

Michelle

[jamesqf]

I don't know if this qualifies as a trick, but it's pretty useful. I hike with Niki on a long retractable lead, since she likes to chase chipmunks, squirrels, and the occasional deer. Naturally, sometimes we wind up on opposite sides of a tree, and the "back around" command comes in handy: follow the leash back to the human, instead of coming straight to him.

[MrSnappy]

Tweed can "sit like a bunny" (like begging, sitting on his haunches) and from that position can then "be a biped" (rise up and stand on his hindlegs).

 

He also knows "spread 'em" and will leap against a wall and put his paws flat against the wall.

 

He also knows "it's making fun of you" which is his cue to bark at and chase his own tail.

 

He spins both directions, goes out a distance and can sometimes do left and right from that distance. He also can do RODEO which is his cue to jump in the air and then spin.

 

If you ask him to "do me a favour" he takes off to find whatever ball another dog failed to retrieve out in the field or the water.

 

If you ask him if his paw is broken, he holds up a very pathetic "broken leg."

 

He puts his head down on command and "bang" makes him fall down in his side.

 

"Behind" means to run around me and stand between my legs, and he can walk forward and backward with me this way. He also knows "swing" and "wrap" (different directions to go around me).

 

Tweed is full of silly nonsense.

 

Mr. Woo knows how to roll over and to jump into my arms and put his chin in my shoulder.

 

Red Dog knows to spin in both directions, and like Tweed can weave through my legs while I walk. He also knows the infamous "silent bark" (Mr. Snappy One). He likes to wave, and he knows "this paw" and "both paws."

 

Piper don't know nuthin.' Except, you know, "Go By" "Away" "Stand" "Lie Down" "Steady" and "There."

 

RDM

[pammyd]

Actually when I write it all down Ben does know a few tricks - he does love learning

The obvious - sit stay and the rest

Circle - I do right hand for clockwise left for anti (thinking about heelwork to music)

Weave tru legs - and starting to do while I am walking (without lure - clever boy)

Formal recal (front and finnish)

Pavement (get all 4 paws off the road) (u call it sidewalk)

Off (get your paws off)

Tug and give

Get toto (go get your toy dog that you took out into the garden)

Tall (standing on back legs - he did this himself and I gave the name - I know he is too young to teach it or really do it much)

Please (paws up but bum on ground)

Paw (left paw - still not 100% on this)

Roll over one way working on the other

 

And there are some that I didnt mean to teach

When he was tiny and going out in the garden to toilet without me he would keep looking back I said "on you go" to encourage him

Then when he sees his palls in the park and goes into the crouch I would say "on you go" just before he ran up to them

yesterday one of his palls was runing towards him - I wasnt paying much attention then I realised that the other dog was nearly on him and he hadnt moved - I looked round he was in crouch, muscles all ready for the off stairing at me - I said "on you go" and off he went

Looks really cool like I ment to teach him that

[Anda]

Tweed is such a smart boy! I love the "spread'em" command!!!

 

Ouzo does a somehow simmilar thing about touching the wall/fence, when I tell him at the dog run to "Go touch the wall/fence" and he goes running across the lil' park and stops from full speed with his front paws on the wall, pushes himself off like an olimpic swimmer and comes back to me running. This is his newest trick that Chris taught him while I was in vacation last month

 

As for more abstract commands: He also knows "Behind you" as a clue to where to look for his ball/frisbee/toy. Very useful at the dog park when searching for missing balls - or in water. He understands the meaning of "the other one" - as in paw, ball, etc. And "Next", when it comes to trees, going to the next tree and looking for squirells. Of course "the other way" for switching directions when walking on the leash or off leash.

 

He understands pointing - going in the direction I am pointing, or looking in the direction of my hand. I can get him to do the same thing my pointing with my eyes which I think it's pretty cool.

[Nik]

What is it about socks?!?!?

 

I don't know to be honest. The funny thing is, I've always heard "Don't give them socks to play w/ because they won't know the difference between the ones they can have and the ones they can't". When the dryer eats one sock I just tie a knot in it and give it to the dogs. They actually do know the difference because I've never really had trouble w/ them taking socks that don't belong to them.

 

RDM, I like the "its making fun of you" trick the best. Poor Tweed...he just can't catch a break!!

[OurBoys]

RDM, I like that 'behind' command! That's a natural for Jake. We think it's cute when he does it. I never thought to put a name to it. Thanks!

[MrSnappy]

RDM, I like that 'behind' command! That's a natural for Jake. We think it's cute when he does it. I never thought to put a name to it. Thanks!

 

I actually taught him that for agility, so I can place him where I need him to be on the start line. Piper knows it too, but she doesn't stay on the start line no matter how you put her there. It drives me nuts that I can down her 150 feet away on stock, but on the agility start line she creeps along with her arse in the air like all those border collies in that video from The Worlds.

 

The "it's making fun of you" trick was actually my ex's invention. He thinks Tweed is the stupidest / most irritating dog on the planet, and was both amused and annoyed that Tweed would get angry at his own tail, so he attached a command to it.

 

RDM

[Root Beer]

One trick I'm planning to train one day is to teach my dog to hit the Easy Button with his paw on the cue, "wasn't that difficult?"

 

Then, I would put it into something inconspicuous (like a "spare" sweatshirt or something) and teach him to hit it in there.

 

Then, when I'm doing clicker demos, I would have my dog do some demo and say to the folks in class, "that is very difficult" and turn to the dog and say, "wasn't that difficult?" The result would be the dog standing up, walking to the shirt (or whatever) on the ground to make it go "That was easy!"

 

It would actually be very easy to train, I just need to trian do it!

[Rockstar]

I can't wait to go home tonight and try to teach Rox some new tricks!!! There are some really clever ones I never would've thought of on here! Thanks you guys.

[donna frankland (uk)]

i taught tikki to 'shake' to get the water off his coat before getting in the car, and also (because i am that horrible) to get payback for the hundreds of times he gets asked to give a paw.

tikki doesnt know paw, i never taught him as for some reason i have a dislike for that trick (i dunno why!)

he can do 'high five' and 'wave' and 'stomp it'.

but people dont think of those commands. so the scene goes;

'oh hello doggie! what are you called?'

'his name is tikki'

'hello tikki gis a paw...'

blank looks from tikki

'give a paw! go on! paw paw paw paw paw!!!'

still nothing from tikki.

'oh ok, how about shake? can you shake hands???'

you can picture the rest, tikki fresh out the river and being asked to shake!

wooooo hoooo we score another point for another soaking wet random stranger!