Tag: dog tricks

Show off your dog tricks

There are lots of reasons to train your dog to do tricks (see last week’s tip and our earlier article: Dog trick training – how to & why!), but once your dog knows them – what do you do with dog tricks?

Saved for posterity

Booker knows a lot of dog tricks. He and Fran have earned titles showing them off.
Booker knows a lot of dog tricks. He and Fran have earned titles showing them off.

These days, there are lots of options. Impress your friends, family, and the all those eyes on social media with your videos. Entertain everyone at any in-person gatherings. And maybe best of all – have your partnership with your dog permanently part of history by achieving a title for your dog.

What’s a “title” anyway?

Most people have heard of the American Kennel Club (AKC), maybe having seen a dog show on television. What many don’t realize is that the AKC is a registry – it keeps track of everything dog for all AKC events. And while your dog may not have a fancy pedigree – “all-American” dogs (mixed breeds) are welcome in all the dog events except the “beauty pageants” (conformation).

Those events include something for every dog person – Obedience, Rally, Agility, Tracking, Therapy, Lure Coursing, and more. Most relevant to this column? “Trick Dog.”

Yes, your dog can earn a title for performing tricks on video. And you don’t have to go anywhere! The AKC accepts video submissions. All the details are available on the website: https://www.akc.org/sports/trick-dog/about-trick-dog/

Dog tricks galore

The 10 tricks your dog needs to perform for the Novice Title are probably things they already do – or can easily learn in just a few 2-Minute sessions. Things like spin, or hold something for three seconds, jump through a hoop, kiss, shake hands, etc. Your dog can do any of that!

And aside from the certificate you’ll get to acknowledge your dog’s achievement, there’s an intangible extra that matters.

As long as the AKC exists, your partnership with your dog will be part of history. Anyone ever looking at the history of your breed, or Trick Dogs, will know that you and your dog were part of a team. 

It matters

Forever after, there is a record of what a good dog you have. How you had fun together and respected each other. You learned together and became a team that was able to accomplish more than 99 percent of dog owners. Because you cared about each other, played together, learned to adapt to each other. 

And you had fun doing it. 

Dog trick training – how to & why!

Why do dog trick training?

So many reasons!

  • It’s fun
  • Grows your dog’s understanding and vocabulary
  • Challenges both you and your dog to learn new skills
  • Deepens your bond with your dog
  • Prevents boredom
  • Provides an activity when you can’t get outside
  • Lets you give your dog focused attention in a short amount of time
  • Makes great videos and memories

Dog “tricks” or behaviors can be anything. Many years ago, it was almost a cliche that the dog went out to fetch the paper every morning. Of course most dogs didn’t really do it, but it was a trick that everyone thought their dog could do.

A cute new trick Torque is learning is "hide."

And there’s always something new to try! Hope and Torque just started working on “Hide!” She draped a blanket over a portable folding table, and put a target under the table. Torque started at normal heel position, and when he got his release cue, he charged right under that blanket to find the target. Click and reward! 

The cutest part was when he turned around and was peeking under the blanket. That’s another benefit of dog trick training – they’re so incredibly cute!

Of course we don’t really think that Torque knows “Hide” after only one session. We’ll see what happens when we try it again. We’ll record next time so you can follow along on his progress. Just like we’ve been sharing Tango’s learning to “Go Bowling.” 

You and your dog can do it

When you and your dog are familiar with the fundamentals (see Book 1: Clicker and Place), you can expand your dog’s repertoire to include any trick or behavior that you can imagine and your dog can physically perform. Lately we’ve seen quite a few videos of skate-boarding dogs. If that’s something you’d like your dog to do, go for it. Thousands of YouTube views await your awesome dog!

Going viral might be fun and profitable, but it’s not predictable. What every single dog can achieve, however, is a “Trick Dog” title. From home. Via video. 

It’s true. You don’t have to leave your dog’s comfortable training space. To earn an American Kennel Club Trick dog title, all you have to do is have your dog perform 10 tricks, each one twice, on video. And, since you’re interested in dog trick training, we’d even bet that your dog already knows a few of the Novice Level tricks, which include things like: 

  • Speak
  • Crawl
  • Fetch
  • Get a named object
  • Get in a box
  • Climb onto a platform or step
  • High five
  • Hold it
  • Jump through a hoop or over a bar
  • Kiss
  • Shake
  • Spin
  • Touch

There are more, but that gives you a good idea of the level of difficulty for the first level of dog trick training. As you progress through the five levels, the difficulty increases – but as you progress, so does your ability and your dog’s prowess!

Dog trick training

 
Of course your video does need to be evaluated, and you need to know someone who can do it. Fortunately, you do! Hope is an AKC CGC and Trick Dog Evaluator, as well as a S.T.A.R. Puppy instructor. If you’re interested in pursuing Trick Dog titles for you and your dog, just shoot us an email (trainers@2-Minute-Trainer.com) and we’ll get you started!

Pet tricks aren’t stupid

Stupid pet trick? Booker sits up for his treats!

Pet tricks aren’t stupid. Dog tricks may be just for fun and have no practical value on their own. But they’re the “recess” time of dog training – when you and your dog play together and have fun. 

Some dog behaviors are crucial: Come, Stay. 

Quite a few are important: Sit, Wait, Leave it, Walk Nice, Gentle. 

And then there are “tricks” that are useless in everyday life. And so much fun for both you and your dog.

Anything you want

The nice thing about “trick” training is that you don’t have to have anything special in mind. You don’t need any special equipment, just whatever you have around the house and your dog. And treats. Never forget the treats!

The inspiration can come from anywhere. We saw a video on social media of someone teaching her dog to use a baby’s stacking ring set. It was adorable and fun, so we thought our dogs could do it, too! 

All our dog learned to pick up the rings quickly. Stacking them on the pole? Not so much. For Tango, one of the issues was that the rings were bigger than his mouth – Brussels Griffons are big-mouth-dogs, but that’s volume, not size. So we got dive rings. All the dogs love playing the game now!

Is it useful? Not really. But it’s cute, it stretches their brains, works on their coordination. And all the dogs think it’s fun. And so do we. It was a tiny investment dollar-wise, and it’s been hours of fun, over time. 

And never forget that just a few minutes of brain-training is just as tiring as a half-hour of physical activity. When you have limited time, but you want to spend quality time with your dog, try trick training!

Stuff that’s lying around

Unless you’re completely minimalist, there’s always “stuff” around the house. We have workout “stuff” – so the dogs sometimes see a foam roller and learn to push it across the floor on their hind legs. 

There’s an empty wash basin that the dogs can use like a toy box to “put your toys away.” 

We’re big fans of the aisles at Five Below or a local dollar store. We’ve found “stuff” like a toy bass drum with a pedal that Booker’s become a rock star drummer learning. Kitchen utensils they can carry and put away. A little skateboard they learn to put one or two paws on to “hang eight.” The limit is your imagination.

A stool or little bench that your dog fits under is a good way to teach “crawl.” Spins, roll-over, beg, “say your prayers,” and dance don’t require any equipment at all. 

Play with your dog

Too many times we see people thinking that “play” is limited to just fetch or tug. Those are great games, but shouldn’t be the extent of play. There’s more to a dog’s life than walking, eating, running, and cuddling. They’re thinking, problem-solving, smart companions who deserve to have all kinds of fun with you!