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Useful but stupid dog trick ideas needed

dogmelissa
August 17th, 2006, 12:57 PM
My homework for agility class is to teach my dog a "stupid pet trick" (that he doesn't already know). I've got 2 limitations (well 3, as I only have until next Wednesday to perfect it); his physical abilities and my imagination. As he's a Maltese, he's got a few limitations (ie, he can't open the fridge, he can't reach door knobs, and he can't lift many objects), but my imagination is completely stuck. Need help!! I also want something that's not just a "party trick" but that actually has some use to it, like perhaps fetching slippers or something.

Here's what he already knows:
Sit, down, wait, stay, rollover, jump (straight up), shake (a paw), other (the other paw), leave it, crawl (sort of), come. (There's probably more, but I can't think of them right now.)

So, anyone have any ideas what kind of not-too-complicated, useful (or semi-useful) "stupid dog trick" I can teach a small dog?

Melissa

Puppyluv
August 17th, 2006, 01:01 PM
what about "sit pretty"?

Prin
August 17th, 2006, 01:06 PM
ooo sit pretty... Or Wave? Or whisper? Or gimme a hug? My doggies put their arms around my waist and that's a hug. They even do it to strangers now, which is a little awkward. :D

My doggies are the masters of messed up tricks...

you could just teach them a sentence or two, like this: (btw- I've already posted these, so if you saw them already, don't bother ;))
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8623000020805746965

Boo whispering, waving, putting his head down and being dead:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2181394642260733069

More Boo whispering: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4015951834551657504

Jemma sitting pretty and shuffling:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8485213164873973970

jessi76
August 17th, 2006, 01:09 PM
my friend's maltese can "play dead" and hop around on his hind legs.

play dead: she points her finger at him, like a gun, and says "BANG". he flops over on his side.

I taught my own dog "take a bow" quickly. just the front end of him down - toosh up in the air.

and "cover" is easy too. Cover his eyes w/ paw. I used scotch tape. put scotch tape on the nose - when dog tries to get it off, repeat COVER, and reward.

dogmelissa
August 17th, 2006, 01:47 PM
Awesome, keep 'em coming!!

I like "sit pretty" (even though he's a boy and shouldn't really be doing anything "pretty"!), but it's not useful. I do like the idea of take a bow, though, even though that's not really useful either. It is awful cute, though. Cover would be cute, though Cube only has one eye, and I think the scotch tape might be too much of a distraction for him. He'd be so intent on getting the tape off that he wouldn't notice me praising him for putting his foot on his nose!

Can't do gimme a hug, cause he's a little dog... he can't even get his feet around my neck, let alone my waist! But that would be so cute to see a dog do that to a stranger.

Prin: How in the world did you teach the shuffling?

Oooooh, what about a side-step (like walking sideways)? Wonder if I could teach him that?
Oh look, my imagination is starting to wake up! Keep the suggestions coming, I need lots of options (so I can teach him lotsa things over time, not just this week).

Melissa

Skryker
August 17th, 2006, 02:05 PM
How about "Back up"? You tell him to, and he walks backwards away from you? Mine have semi-learned that one from me walking towards them and saying back up (to get them out of my way in the kitchen :D ). It's a stupid trick, but very useful. Or "Nose"? He would touch your hand with his nose instead of his paw.

My dobbie actually hated to shake a paw, and would put her nose in my hand instead, so "Shake a nose" came out of that. People were very surprised when they said shake and got a muzzle instead of a paw! I could also put a treat on her nose and she would wait until I said OK before she would flip it in the air and eat it.

Oh, or a saw a shih tzu on Pet Stars once that could play the shell game-he would watch his owner put a treat under one of three cups, mix them up and then pick the right one! It was very cute!

jessi76
August 17th, 2006, 02:27 PM
I could also put a treat on her nose and she would wait until I said OK before she would flip it in the air and eat it.

We've been working on that one.... tucker has a good leave it, when "it" isn't ON him. otherwise, it's a free for all. any tips for that one?

Prin
August 17th, 2006, 02:27 PM
Honestly, to teach the shuffling, I just stood there and said, "Do something new..." :D

The whispering is handy, especially if you live in an apartment.

I like the back up idea too. All you have to do is create a narrow path where they can't turn around and then make them go through it backwards. Boo learned it in our old bathroom where the tub was a foot from the wall. It was so useful for him though- my dad had a solarium on his balcony of his old condo and they left a tiny walk space around it, and Boo, the twit, went all away around it and got stuck. To get out, he had to back up the side, then the front of the solarium until he was on the open side of the balcony (about 30 feet of backing up). :thumbs up

ooo another one I taught Boo was to be moldy.. I mean, to stay rigid and I'd move his head around and he'd just hold it in that position. Like a mannequin.:D

Prin
August 17th, 2006, 02:28 PM
We've been working on that one.... tucker has a good leave it, when "it" isn't ON him. otherwise, it's a free for all. any tips for that one?
I hold the muzzle shut and say "wait"... I also have to hold the chin up because they just stare at the cookie and gradually end up looking down and the cookie just falls off.:rolleyes:

jessi76
August 17th, 2006, 02:48 PM
ooo another one I taught Boo was to be moldy..

I was envisioning Boo pretending to be month old bread.... eeeewwww....

hold the muzzle shut and say "wait"... I also have to hold the chin up because they just stare at the cookie and gradually end up looking down and the cookie just falls off.

yup cookie falls off, and he simply can't "wait", especially when it's an OMH cookie on his snout. maybe I should use a moldy boo? ;)

Prin
August 17th, 2006, 03:05 PM
Use a wellness kibble.. A lot of dogs can stand having that on their noses without even imagining eating it.:D

dogmelissa
August 17th, 2006, 03:13 PM
I was envisioning Boo pretending to be month old bread.... eeeewwww....



yup cookie falls off, and he simply can't "wait", especially when it's an OMH cookie on his snout. maybe I should use a moldy boo? ;)

That was my first thought on "moldy boo" too.... like, um, he went out of the room, got a green cloth and laid it on his head? LOL Mannequin Cube.... that'd be cute, but pretty much impossible to teach him. He isn't very good at stay (or wait) cause he seems to always be in motion (when awake).

Jessi; perhaps you can use something other than a treat to start with, just as a baby step, like an eraser or something, and then praise him for the "balancing" part of it. I dunno. My trainer is huge on rewarding (click-treat) for baby steps. She says that you should break an action into a list of what baby steps you're going to run your dog through (and then you have a game plan), and reward for each baby step they take.

I'm glad to see so many choices, but I'm still not sure what to teach Cube. I'm leaning toward "bow", but that doesn't seem very useful or unique, either. Trainers dog knows how to point out North... I'd *love* to teach Cube that, I think it's very useful! But I have no idea how I'd even begin to mark out baby steps for that and get it trained.

Edited to add: I found a couple others here: http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Loge/4844/TRICKS.HTML (the book balancing sounds cool, but Cube is so little I think all books would be too big for him)

Melissa

jiorji
August 17th, 2006, 03:23 PM
well I don't have a dog but I teach all my pets to speak when I make kissy noises. My guinea pig does it , she squeaks really loud when she hears me do kissy noises, and my cat meows at me.

And I taught one of my cats to come when I call her, and most cats don't do that :rolleyes: so I think i'm ready for my dog now :D

AND...i taught them WITHOUT any treats. So how do you like that doggie trainers?? hehe :cool:

jessi76
August 17th, 2006, 03:28 PM
Jessi; perhaps you can use something other than a treat to start with, just as a baby step, like an eraser or something, and then praise him for the "balancing" part of it. I dunno. My trainer is huge on rewarding (click-treat) for baby steps. She says that you should break an action into a list of what baby steps you're going to run your dog through (and then you have a game plan), and reward for each baby step they take.

yes, we do baby steps. we're getting there slowly but surely. this time next year I'll have him be able to watch the cookie lower to his nose... it's ok if he can't or won't do it. we'll still have fun trying. (I doubt tucker will object w/ all the cookies)

I'm leaning toward "bow", but that doesn't seem very useful or unique, either. Trainers dog knows how to point out North... I'd *love* to teach Cube that, I think it's very useful! But I have no idea how I'd even begin to mark out baby steps for that and get it trained.

we use bow alot actually... at the end of an agility fun-run, when we meet pretty girl dogs and Tucker wants to impress them, etc.. oh! another one I thought of, teach Cube his left & right. start by teaching "touch". then teach directions. my trainer did this w/ his dog, and it was COOL. and it's VERY usefull...

jessi76
August 17th, 2006, 03:31 PM
And I taught one of my cats to come when I call her, and most cats don't do that :rolleyes: so I think i'm ready for my dog now :D

you are ready! I actually clicker-trained one of my old cats. it was EASY. (easier than the dog) and he (my old cat) played fetch too. cats are fun to train.

dogmelissa
August 17th, 2006, 03:43 PM
you are ready! I actually clicker-trained one of my old cats. it was EASY. (easier than the dog) and he (my old cat) played fetch too. cats are fun to train.

My cats all know how to sit before they get fed (with the exception of Aubrie who was always sitting and I couldn't get her out of it, and she is free-fed anyhow). Taz comes when he's called, Rusty sometimes does, and Aubrie will if she's in the mood.

Taz is extremely food motivated (I can even use his kibble as a lure) so I've been trying to think of what I could teach him to do. I didn't think of clicker training him until last night, but I know I could. Taz is very smart. Rusty is one of those cats that's too smart for her own good (the things she's learned to do by herself!!!) but isn't really motivated by treats or pets or praise, so I'm not sure how I'd train her to do things. I think I will work on it. She likes catnip & cheesewhiz, so maybe I can use those.

All that stuff that you can't teach a cat things is baloney... most ppl don't bother cause they don't see the purpose. I think I should teach Taz to jump through a hoop. That'd be great!

Melissa

alanbl
August 17th, 2006, 05:21 PM
How about dealing with telemarketers? When I get a telemarketing call, I tell the caller to "please hold while I get the lady of the house." I then hold the cordless phone down to eye level of Idgie, my Border Collie Mix and say: "Phone call, Idgie." She then starts barking ferociously into the receiver!

I know. It's cruel to the person on the other end who's just doing their job. But these intrusive calls are so aggravating.

---------------------------
Dogs can fly.
http://www.flyingmutts.com

Skryker
August 17th, 2006, 06:29 PM
You'll notice that the treat on the nose was not one of my current babies, right?:D No way I'd even get the treat close to the labbie noses yet! That's a future plan.

I can't remember how I ended up training Rusty to do it. She was (supposedly) my sister's dog when I was about 11 or so. I think we started with wait for it and progressed from there. I could put a line of treats on the floor, too, and she would take them one by one as I told her OK. If I tried that with my puppies, I'd get run over as I put the first treat on the floor! We're working on it.:angel:

technodoll
August 17th, 2006, 06:45 PM
ah yes the famous cookie trick :D

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j129/technodoll/perfectcookie_2.jpg

a fun one (ok not useful, just fun!) we taught dakotah is "go touch"... that means go find one of those little door stopper springy things that go booooiinnng boooiiinnng when you paw at them, and make some noise! he used to love playing with those as a puppy so we turned it into a trick :crazy: we touched it with our hands to make the noise he loved, encouraged him to paw at it with the command "go touch", and when we got the booooiinnnnng sound he got a treat and lots of happy praise. easy peasy!

Melei'sMom
August 18th, 2006, 05:19 AM
:D Don't know about useful...but the 'unusual' trick I have taught Melei is 'model walk' ( on her hind legs and will walk around...a variation on the simpler dance one) she can also play 'which one' with a treat hidden in one of my hands and she has to guess which one and tap my hand with her paw. She can also 'shake' and 'high five' and my favorite is 'reach for the sky'(imagine Woody):rolleyes:

She does the standard sit, stay, down, speak. Instead of whisper, my hubby asks her 'so what do ya figure?' and she does a cute growlly voice.

We have hit a brick wall with the 'roll-over' though and I don't want to add anymore until we get this one figured out.

Hope 1 or more of these tricks help Good Luck:thumbs up

Sam I Am
August 18th, 2006, 09:45 AM
I taught my dog to wave goodbye when someone is leaving the house. He just picks up his front foot and paws the airs in front of him.

Lissa
August 18th, 2006, 02:52 PM
Even though your dog is small, he can still open cupboards or turn on/-off lights or even open doors (all things that my cat does:p) - just tie a rag or rope at his level and teach him to pull.

Aside from opening doors, cupboards and turning on/off light, Dodger's useful tricks all centre around retrieving objects I ask for - phone, bottle, can, keys, remote, money (bills or coins) and even food (so long as it is not too small:rolleyes: !!)


Good luck with agility!

Prin
August 18th, 2006, 02:58 PM
ooo Lissa! Post the pic of Dodger with the dime again! There's a useful trick- he'll make ya rich! :)

Lissa
August 18th, 2006, 03:29 PM
I wish I could say it has made me rich :D he seems to prefer bringing home rocks!!

http://img10.picsplace.to/15/dime.jpg (http://picsplace.to/)

dogmelissa
August 18th, 2006, 03:32 PM
Even though your dog is small, he can still open cupboards or turn on/-off lights or even open doors (all things that my cat does:p) - just tie a rag or rope at his level and teach him to pull.

Aside from opening doors, cupboards and turning on/off light, Dodger's useful tricks all centre around retrieving objects I ask for - phone, bottle, can, keys, remote, money (bills or coins) and even food (so long as it is not too small:rolleyes: !!)


Good luck with agility!

Can't teach him to open cupboards, they are all baby-gated to keep the cat out. ha ha ha ha
Lights.... way too high.
Retrieving things is a nice idea, but he's just not the kind of dog who normally retrieves things, so not sure if it would work.

I have to decide by tomorrow morning, so I can start working on it. It's driving me crazy cause there's lots of things I think he can learn, but not in a week! Guess I will settle for something like bow or see if I can get him to sneeze on command.

Thanks all.
Melissa

Prin
August 18th, 2006, 04:58 PM
There he is! That's still an awesome trick though.:)

Lissa
August 19th, 2006, 07:07 AM
Can't teach him to open cupboards, they are all baby-gated to keep the cat out. ha ha ha ha
Lights.... way too high.
Retrieving things is a nice idea, but he's just not the kind of dog who normally retrieves things, so not sure if it would work.

For training sessions you just take the baby-gates off - it is a really fun! I taught Dodger to get me a drink from the fridge and people always like seeing that kind of trick.

For the lights, just attach a string and tie a ball (I use abouncy ball) or other easily grabbed object to the end. It doesn't have to be permanent - just something to train with. I can't have Dodger scratching walls so this is what I do! This trick is fun and easy too!

What about ringing a bell before he goes outside?

Good luck with your trick training! For Dodger's OB class, I had Dodger get a kleenex for me (my "sneeze" was the command).

Thanks Prin:D - just like Jemma's shuffling, picking up coins is something Dodger did by himself. I never would have asked him to do that because I would think he would swallow it but he has mastered it on his own!

ETA: Bow is actually a very useful trick - particularly in agility, not only is it a great stretch but it is necessary when teaching to hit contacts properly! It can also be used as a calming signal around other dogs.

dogmelissa
August 19th, 2006, 05:11 PM
I've decided to teach Cube to "dance" for class next week. It doesn't serve a lot of purpose but I've decided the tricks that are useful will take longer to teach.

After he's mastered this one, I'm going to get started on teaching him to "be a compass" though I have to think about how the heck to do that. I'm then going to work on play dead, bow, circle me, "get dizzy" (he always spins when excited so I just need to put a word to this), wave, hide your eye (he only has one eye), sneeze, and depending on him, I'd love to teach him how to do a back flip. Not sure if he'll be able to do that, though. I'm sure there's lots more things that I'll think of to teach him in the next XX years (he's 2.5 now), so I'm looking forward to lots of fun!

I'm also going to work with my kitty and see what I can teach him--he's very food motivated and doesn't chew anything so I'm sure I can do this with his dinner! I'd like to see if I can teach him how to jump through a hoop, possibly play fetch, and cute things like shake-a-paw (which will be nice when I want to trim his claws!).

Melissa

PetFriendly
August 20th, 2006, 07:44 AM
I'm also going to work with my kitty and see what I can teach him--he's very food motivated and doesn't chew anything so I'm sure I can do this with his dinner! I'd like to see if I can teach him how to jump through a hoop, possibly play fetch, and cute things like shake-a-paw (which will be nice when I want to trim his claws!).

Melissa

You should be able to teach the cat all those things on top of sit and stay. They catch on really quick once you find something the like. I had better success with a clicker.

chico2
August 20th, 2006, 03:54 PM
Melissa,my cats will shake a paw,usually because I have a treat in my hand:cat: they will also ever so carefully take a treat from between my lips(don't taste good),they also know the"sit" command,if they feel like it:D

TMac
August 20th, 2006, 06:26 PM
More Boo whispering: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4015951834551657504


Oh my gosh, Prin! That is FANTASTIC!!!

Do you have to teach "speak" before you can teach whisper?

:thumbs up

Prin
August 20th, 2006, 06:33 PM
No, Boo doesn't know speak at all. :D He actually used to whisper when he was angry or frustrated with us and we stole the trick from it. The only way we can get him to speak is by asking "Who's there?" at which point he runs to the window and barks at potential robbers. Like in this one:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6307505897261482139

Skryker
August 20th, 2006, 06:36 PM
My guys learned it that way-I finally got them to bark on command after 3 months, and then they got whisper the very next day! (It's still a little hit and miss for Fingal, though. If he really wants something, "Whisper" is a relative term-I guess it's a little quieter than Speak!).

Angies Man
August 22nd, 2006, 04:57 PM
On the word "Kitty" (not loud) my Dane would let out a single woof!

On "kitty, kitty, kitty" he'd bark a sentence of Woofs! About five woofs.

On the command of "GET THE KITTY!" He'd go into full blown "I'm gonna tear ya apart! Woofing!" Great when the Jehovah Witness ladies would come through a latched front gate, onto HIS front porch, and dare to open the front screen door.

This was the same dog that would lick the hot dogs out of toddler's fingers. Really all bluster. And it was one of those tricks he taught himself.

dogmelissa
August 23rd, 2006, 10:37 PM
Update:

Cube learned to "dance", though it wasn't spectacular at the class (whole different thing when 3 other dogs, their people and the trainer are watching him).
We've lost 2 dogs from last week; the Mini American Eskimo & the scared border collie are no longer there. Not sure why.
The other dogs learned "turn around" (border collie; she turned in a circle), the wheaten learned something similar but without a command, and the weimeraner learned how to weave under her guardian's leg. As I figured, they all pretty much put Cube's "dance" to shame.

It also turns out that the "show me north" command the trainer gave to her dog wasn't as spectacular as it seemed. While she did look north, that was simply because she was positioned such that her response to the command resulted in her looking north. What she is actually trained to do is look one way and the other (on the command "show me south"). She doesn't actually know where north and south are. *sigh* I still want to teach Cube to "be a compass" but now what I thought was my source for training ideas has evaporated. So, does anyone have any suggestions on how I'd teach my dog to show me where north is? If you were to teach your dog to identify "where is north", how would *you* do it?

My homework for the week is to get Cube to touch his nose to the target (piece of plexiglass). So far, he's afraid of it, so we have a lot of work to do. I have suggestions on how to do that, though, so I just need time.

Melissa

Prin
August 23rd, 2006, 10:40 PM
I don't know if dogs feel north or not... The only way, IMO would be to go to a gazillion different locations, point his head north and say it and hope that he feels something particular about the direction being the same in every place.:shrug:

dogmelissa
August 24th, 2006, 12:47 PM
Well, dogs can find their way home from hundreds of miles away, so they must have *some* sort of directional sense. It's obviously better than ours, since I'm pretty sure most humans have no idea how to get out of a mall in a certain direction, let alone find their way home across mountains and fields and places they've never been. Most of us can't even navigate *with* a map!
I know this "north" thing is going to take about forever to teach, especially since I'm not sure how I'm going to get him to indicate it. *sigh* Well.... keep thinking and if you have any more ideas, let me know. In the meantime, guess I'll have to rely on my compass.

Melissa

Buddy's Heart
August 30th, 2006, 07:30 PM
I read this thread 3 times, and i am totally surprised that you think YOUR Maltese can not do things!! Buddy is a Maltese/Poodle, and surprises everyone with his ability to learn within a few hours.

I believe all you need is Patience. I will list just a few things he does :

tells you how old he is
tells you how old he was when a baby
tells you how old he is on his next birthday
counts
tells you what a bear says
puts his foot down
shows teeth
answers questions

.:crazy: .......these are NOT stupid dog tricks.....:crazy: .

Why would you want your doggie to learn STUPID tricks...why not something that would make doggie PROUD, and yourself..........:candle:

canning4aliving
August 30th, 2006, 08:07 PM
My Cocker Spaniel mix will bark if anyone touches a child in any way that resembles a grab. (evena hug and she goes nuts!) U can't even change a baby's diaper....she will try to stop you. She really hates a cry and a fake one will work just as well. Useful, except when you want to roughhouse with the kids:sad: !

Byrd
August 30th, 2006, 10:04 PM
Ideas that we already do:

sit pretty
high five/high ten
shake paw/other
wave
whisper
speak
come around
pass through (half a come around, passes through legs)
beside
front
crawl
bow
kiss
hug
spin

Ideas that we want to learn:

backup
zig zag (through legs)
salute
play dead


What about instead of a hug teaching the pup to jump into your arms.

jesse's mommy
August 31st, 2006, 06:09 AM
My Cocker Spaniel mix will bark if anyone touches a child in any way that resembles a grab. (evena hug and she goes nuts!) U can't even change a baby's diaper....she will try to stop you. She really hates a cry and a fake one will work just as well. Useful, except when you want to roughhouse with the kids:sad: !

Seriously, that's not very good.

Prin
August 31st, 2006, 12:54 PM
I agree. I think you need to take the dog to obedience school. Somebody could get bitten.

Puppyluv
August 31st, 2006, 01:02 PM
Phew, I thought I was the only one who thought that... That is in no way a "useful trick". It's a dangerous behaviour issue.

Prin
August 31st, 2006, 01:11 PM
No, a trick is something you can turn on and off whenever you please. A behavior problem is something you don't have any control over.:shrug:

dogmelissa
August 31st, 2006, 02:16 PM
I read this thread 3 times, and i am totally surprised that you think YOUR Maltese can not do things!! Buddy is a Maltese/Poodle, and surprises everyone with his ability to learn within a few hours.

I believe all you need is Patience. I will list just a few things he does :

tells you how old he is
tells you how old he was when a baby
tells you how old he is on his next birthday
counts
tells you what a bear says
puts his foot down
shows teeth
answers questions

.:crazy: .......these are NOT stupid dog tricks.....:crazy: .

Why would you want your doggie to learn STUPID tricks...why not something that would make doggie PROUD, and yourself..........:candle:

The reason I started this thread was so that I could find "useful" tricks, not stupid (useless) tricks. There are some things that Cube just can't do, and I know it--he just *can't* reach a door knob or a light switch. As for things that he can do that I haven't taught him yet, some things he's slow about learning partially because I don't know how to teach him, partially because he did have a head injury and I've seen enough of his "weird" behaviours to be pretty sure that his brain was injured as well. He's not dumb by any stretch of the imagination, but he's also not as smart as say, a border collie (one of which puts him to shame every week in agility). Most of the things that I ruled out teaching him were simply due to time constraints; he had to learn something for the following week's class. Honestly, I *really* want to teach him to be a compass, but I have no idea where to start.

We did learn on the weekend that Cube will howl when the doorbell mechanism is held in a lap (bf was trying to make it stop singing a tune and simply go ding-dong). It was the funniest thing I've ever seen/heard and though I was trying not to laugh at him, I did manage to do a bit of training on it (I will take a video ASAP). However, he doesn't seem to want to howl on any other cue, not even when the doorbell is back on the wall--so I will have to take it down again to try to get him to howl. He doesn't bark while playing, and when he's super excited about strangers walking down the street, he does bark, but I'm afraid that if I reward him for that, he'll do it more, and I'm trying to keep him from barking when people just walk by--barking when someone rings the bell or knocks on the door is fine.

Unless I'm misinterpreting your list of tricks, I'm not sure that telling you how old he was when he was a baby is a useful trick, but I'm happy to hear that your little guy learned it. It does sound fun, and that's almost as good as useful. Did you watch Jemma's "shuffle" video?? *That* was totally a useless trick, but *so* cute!

As for the suggestion to have him jump into my arms... I'm short, but I'm not that short. Cube often has trouble jumping onto the bed, which isn't much higher than my knees, so unless he grows a spring out his bum (he doesn't have a tigger-tail), I don't think he'll be able to jump to my arms, even if I bend over some. Worth a try, perhaps, but not sure he'll be able to do it.

Any suggestions on teaching him to do a backflip? :crazy:

Melissa

Prin
August 31st, 2006, 02:23 PM
What's a back flip useful for?

dogmelissa
August 31st, 2006, 02:35 PM
What's a back flip useful for?

For being *very* cute! :p
Ok, you got me. I didn't say every trick I wanted to teach him had to be useful, just that I didn't want him to just be like a circus dog, performing without actually *doing* anything. C'mon, a dog should be allowed to do a backflip after he helps me find my way out of a forest by being a compass, shouldn't he?
Melissa

dogmelissa
October 2nd, 2006, 06:49 PM
Agility Videos from Cube's "Graduation" day from Beginner Agility (yes, we have lots of work to do still).

He was going to start in Intermediate Agility tomorrow, but there's not enough dogs signed up, so the class is being cancelled. The next one starts after Xmas, so I guess we have to wait for that.

Enjoy the videos... and laughing at me. :P I don't mind, I can't hear you! :thumbs up:

(Video server needs to process my videos, this can apparently take up to 2 days. Sorry for the delay!!)

Melissa

Lissa
October 2nd, 2006, 09:48 PM
Aww I was so excited to see the videos! I hope to watch them soon!

I am sorry your agility class was canceled - that must have been disappointing!!!

You shouldn't place limits on yourself or your dog just because he is small;)! Opening/closing doors and switching on/off light switches just need to have ropes/tugs at his level - or you get those touch lamps! If my cat can do it (not trained that way:o ) I have no doubts that any sized dog can learn too! I believe that the only limits are your imagination - the best example I can give you is teaching Dodger to jump through or into me arms - he is just too big...or so I thought. Its taken over a year but he now jumps through my arms and is jumping into my arms from elevated positions. That's something I gave up on for a long time because of his size - something that clearly just needed some work (lots of trust and confidence building exercises)!

dogmelissa
October 3rd, 2006, 05:27 PM
Videos are ready!!

Here is one of them:
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-2294184106283759898
If you click on the "From user" part on the right hand side of the screen, you can then open the rest of them that I've posted. They're not great quality, and not great subject material, but they're still cute...

I'm only bragging a little... mostly at how fast Cube puts his belly on the table at the end of his sequence. He's extremely reliable with the "Table" part of agility. The rest... he's learning.

So there's my little brag fest. :) Enjoy the movies! :)

Melissa

Prin
October 3rd, 2006, 05:29 PM
that's a really funny video. Cube + agility + ADD.:D

dogmelissa
October 3rd, 2006, 05:33 PM
that's a really funny video. Cube + agility + ADD.:D

omg... he's relatively good, which is the funniest part about it. The border collie (you can see him in the teeter totter video) is so focused on trying to herd Cube (which I wanted a video of!) that I literally have to leave the building before he focuses on what he's doing. Thankfully, he is going to try herding rather than continue on with agility.

But yeah... Cube = ADD. :P

Melissa

~michelle~
October 3rd, 2006, 05:39 PM
very cute..... im still getting the pups to work on basic commands :rolleyes: