Our obedience club recently had a “Tricks Title” evening. Hope and another club member, also an AKC evaluator, were the judges for the event. To get a Tricks title, the dog and person have to perform a specified number of tricks, depending on the level.
For the first (Novice) level, the tricks are mostly things that just about any dog already knows. If you aren’t familiar with the AKC Tricks program, it’s fun and you can get the title with a video submission. Getting that title certificate in the mail is special – proof that your dog can do things most don’t.
One of the tricks we saw that evening was “Under” – the person went down on hands and knees and the dog ran under the person’s chest.
Seems simple, but it’s not
We hadn’t thought of doing that with our dogs, so the next morning we tried. Not one of them did it. As a matter of fact, the dogs tried everything they could think of to go around, behind, or even between our arms to figure it out.
You never know what behaviors will stump your dogs. This one didn’t seem confusing, but it was. We just had to find a way to explain it in steps our dogs would understand.
Hitting the Target Game
The Target Game is fun by itself. It’s also the gateway to all kinds of behaviors and tricks for having fun with your dog.
We use it for many behaviors, from teaching dogs to go over jumps, to the “Stay!” and release, to the Obedience “Go Out!”
With our dogs in a “Sit, Stay!” we got down on hands and knees, putting the target on the floor opposite to our dog. We keep it within reach, so we can put a treat on the target when the dog touches it.
For all of our dogs, the Target worked. The first time. They watched the set-up, and dashed “Under!” us to the target.
Did we really mean it?
Just because the dog does it once, doesn’t mean they know it. Once the dogs went “Under!” in one direction didn’t mean they understood it from the other side.
It also took a few tries to convince them we really meant it. Again, they tried to go around our legs to get to the target, or in front of us, or between our arms.
We’ll never know why our dogs were reluctant to go “Under!” us. But a few repetitions, rewards for getting it right, and a little patience has put a new trick in our repertoire.
Just for fun
Adding tricks like “Under!” is just another way to expand your bond with your dog and enrich their life. In just a couple minutes at a time, your dog could be on the way to getting mail!