Mango
you want me to- fetch it? | 
 | | Barked: Mon Jul 16, '07 12:15pm PST |  | |  | | I got this from Angel at Bully Ed 101 and well she did a better job describing the steps so I thought I would share with everyone. Enjoy and good luck. Lets get some video clips of pups doing some of these tricks.
Dog Trick 1. "Hello"
Really impress your guests when your dog presents his paw to greet them
This is the first trick most dogs learn and it is very easy:
* Kneel down and ask your dog to sit in front of you.
* Gently lift his pause off the ground, shake it warmly, then treat and praise him.
* After doing this a couple of times, instead of lifting his paw, just touch his leg.
* If he does not get it, help him by lifting his paw a small amount. Praise him regardless of whether he needed assistance or not.
* Once he has the hang of it, start signal the command with the word "Hello".
* You can progress to using an outstretched arm, but build up gradually.
* You should then encourage your guest to greet your dog in this way, thereby further reinforcing the command and creating a positive experience out of meeting new people.
Dog Trick 2. "Close the door"
Teach your dog to close the door behind you.
This is one of my favourite dog tricks and I was amazed how easy it is to teach! This was the first trick Dexter learnt using a clicker, but you need to build this one up in steps:
* For this trick, you will need to sit on a chair next to the door and sit your dog in front of you so he is also next to the door.
* First you need to teach him to touch the door with his nose. Do this by rubbing (lightly) a treat on the edge of the door at his nose height. When he goes to smell the door, click the clicker and treat him.
* Repeat this a few times, then start to delay using the clicker and you will find he will try harder and start to touch the door harder. You need to build this up slowly and at the same time start to introduce the command word, which could be "Close the Door."
* Keep delaying the treat to encourage him to push the door harder and eventually he will learn to fully close the door.
Dog Trick 3. "Carry"
Make your dog useful, teach him to carry the groceries from your car
Dexter loves this one and he does this with such enthusiasm. Again, this trick is done in a number of small steps and he will learn other very useful commands whilst learning the overall trick:
* STEP 1 - teach him to hold objects. This is best done using one of his toys, but not his favourite ones, as these might be to distracting. Gently present his toy to him, when he takes it off you, praise and treat him. Repeat this and gradually delay the praise and treat so that he needs to hold the object longer before getting a treat. After he has grasped this, gradually start to introduce the command "Carry" or "Hold" just as you offer the toy. When, on command, he can hold the toy for 10 seconds, you may start to experiment with holding other objects, then move onto the second step.
* STEP 2 - teach him to release objects. To do this, sit your dog in front of you and ask him to hold an object. After a short delay, present the palm of your hand to him and ask him to "Leave" or "Release". With the prospect of a treat, he may do this too willingly. Still praise and treat this initially, but gradually work up to only treating him when he releases the object into your hand.
* STEP 3 - teach him to carry the objects. Now that your dog can hold and release objects on command, you can now work on the final step. Again ask your dog to hold the object, then make one step back and summon him towards you, but reinforcing the "Carry" command at the same time. Keep working on this and gradually increased the distance him needs to cover to reach you. Your target should be that he is able to follow you around with the object in his mouth.
Dogs love carrying things, so this trick is not as difficult as it sounds. Vary the objects you ask him to carry and give him loads of praise when he completes a task correctly. Take care not to give him objects that can break or that might be dangerous to him. Carrying light weight grocery bags is a great variation of this, but really, it can be applied to many different objects such as car keys, laundry etc.
Dog Trick 4. "Sad"
This is really cute, teach your dog to look sad.
This one is also surprisingly easy to teach, although it always takes a few sessions before dogs fully grasp it:
* Lie your dog down in front of you.
* You first get your dog to touch the area in front of him with his nose. As with the "close the door" trick, you do this by lightly rubbing a treat on the ground in front of him. When your dog goes to smell the ground, praise and treat him (better still, press your clicker and treat him).
* Repeat this a few times then introduce the command word "SAD".
* After he gets the hang of this, start to delay giving the treat for a short period, thus extending the time he needs to hold the position. He will gradually be able to do this with the command alone.
Dog Trick 5. "Shy"
I promise your eyes will glaze when your dog has mastered this one.
This trick takes quite a lot of practice to get right, but you will love the result when your dog endearingly hides his eyes behind his paw.
* First lie your dog down in front of you.
* The first step for this trick is to teach your dog to touch his nose with his paw. You start this by asking him to give you his paw. As he does so, hold a treat low down on the opposite side of the paw he is raising. This encourages his head to drop as his paw rises. When his paw and nose touch, praise and treat.
* Stop for a break after he has made 3-4 paw/nose contacts.
* Over a number of sessions your can gradually delay giving the treat, so that he is encouraged to try harder and hold the touching nose position.
You will have to persevere with this one over a number of sessions. If you find you are not making progress, you can resort to 'induced training'. This involves using a small piece of cloth sticky taped- and lightly attached- to his nose. When he uses his paw to remove the object, praise and treat him. Personally, this is the only way Dexter would learn this trick.
Dog Trick 6. "Clean Paws"
Ask your dog if his paws are clean !!
It's hilarious seeing a huge Great Dane doing this trick, as it takes them a fair bit of practice to get their balance right. Other than that, this is a pretty easy trick to teach most dogs :
* Ask your dog to sit squarely in front of you.
* Hold a treat just above his nose. As he reaches to smell it, slowly move it over his head. Your dog will rise and lean back to follow the path of the treat. If he raises even a small amount, praise and treat him.
* Slowly increase the distance he has to rise before he gets the treat and eventually he will need to lift his paws off the ground. Now start to introduce the command word "Clean Paws", "hands-up" or "Ask".
* Keep practicing this and over time lengthen the period he must hold this position before getting the treat.
Dog Trick 7. "Bow"
After his trick routine, teach him or her to bow to the audience
A number of approaches are required to teach your dog this trick:
* The first involves praising your dog when he naturally exhibits the behaviour, for example when he stretches or crouches when playing. You have to be pretty alert to spot when he does this, so it can take some time before he fully grasps this.
* You can speed up the training process:
o Knee down and get your dog to stand in front of you.
o Hold a treat near the ground in between his front legs. As he bends down (even just a small amount) to reach it, praise and treat him.
o Repeat this and gradually increase the amount he has to bend down before he is allowed to have the treat. As he gets the hang of it, start to introduce the command word "BOW".
* If, after a few training sessions your dog is not grasping this trick, you can also try this:
o Ask your dog to stand at your side. Please a treat on the floor just in front of him.
o Ask your dog to lie down using whatever command he understands this with.
o As he lies down, hold his tummy up. Treat and praise whenever he displays even a small amount of movement in the right direction. |  |  | |  |
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The Dog Show: Who's Your Mama?
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