Tricks Class Week 1

Jackie and I added Tricks Class to our roster at Cowtown Dog Sports this week. Our coach Robin likes to use the Do More With Your Dog program for titling. Each team can join the Wags to Wishes Sparks Team moderated by Karen McClean who can approve your tricks via video posted to her facebook group to earn DMWYD titles.  

As Robin pointed out, titles are a nice way to follow an outline of teaching tricks, and teaching tricks is great for building a strong relationship with your dog and increasing your dog's body awareness and fitness, and allows your bond with your dog to deepen.  Plus, it's great big fun!

Jackie recently earned her Novice Trick Dog title through DMWYD, so our next step will be to earn her Intermediate Trick Dog title.  The four trick dog title levels are Novice (15 novice tricks, 30 for Masters Novice), Intermediate (12 intermediate tricks, 20 for Masters Intermediate), Advanced (5 advanced tricks, 10 for Masters Advanced), and Expert (5 expert tricks, 10 for Masters Expert).  Additionally you can earn Master's titles at each level, as well as several other titles like stunt dog titles and specialty titles.

The comprehensive DMWYD tricks list is a great resource complete with descriptions and videos from each title level, and is searchable. Our wishlist of intermediate tricks to learn next includes:

• Shake hands
• High five
• Rollover
• Selfie (where the dog poses with the handler for a photo)
• 2 on/2 off peanut
• Balance on top of a ball or peanut
• Barrel racing (go out and around a cone or object)
• Baton jump (jump a handheld bar)
• Directional casting (send to specifically 1 or several platforms)
• Figure 8s through my legs
• Hand signals (6 behaviors)
• Jump through my circled arms
• Jumping figure 8s (over bar jump)
• Leg weave
• Peekaboo (remain between my legs while I walk)
• Platform jump with hoop between platforms
• Sit pretty (the Lassie pose)
• Soccer (push a ball)
• Stay out of sight 20 seconds
• Sustained nose touch (4 seconds)
• Target mark (go to flat/low mark)
• Emergency stop
• Hoop jump over another dog's back
• Jump wraps
• Paw wrap around object
• Tell me a secret

Advanced tricks we want to learn include:

• Back up (5 feet)
• Bow
• Broad jump
• Distance work (3 behaviors 10 feet away)
• Double hoop circle (2 hoops at my sides, dog circles me)
• Footsies (peekaboo, dog places paws on my feet)
• Head down (chin rest)
• Heel at left side, automatic sit
• Hug (hug a pole with front arms)
• Jump over my back
• Play dead
• Say your prayers
• Side (swing to finish to sit at my left)
• Sidestep drill (front feet on object, rotate around)
• Spin a tight circle on a small pedestal
• Tap light/desk bell/easy button
• Teeter-totter
• Wave bye

We haven't identified many expert tricks to gun for just yet, but on the list is "play chess." A Border collie should be able to do that, right?

Jackie earned her Novice Trick Dog title:

Pearls:

• When teaching rollover, from a prone position, lure the dog all the way over to her other side, then have her stand up again then deliver the food treat
• If you get "stuck" during teaching a particular trick, go back to something easy the dog already knows so she can get rewarded and stay motivated
• When teaching bow, with the dog in standing position, stand directly in front of the dog and lure her with a cookie held upright in your hand and lure backward between her front legs; mark and treat even for just a dip of her elbows to begin
• Jackie learned shake hands easily: by petting her and pausing, engaging her "puppy milk let down" instinct to press her paw forward to ask for more, then I simply capture that natural behavior and put it on the cue of offering my hand in handshake position; in my experience most dogs come with this trick even more pre-wired than sit or recall, and you can use shake to easily build into high five and wave