DOG TRAINING EXCELLANCE:
Another nice little site, that gives explanations of commands and how to train them.
A blog about Dog Trick Training, and Various Trick Titles. Our Motto "No two dogs are the same." You will find information on Australian Shepherds, also other breeds. You will also find humor, fun things, serious things, and hopefully many guest posts.
The Ultimate List of Dog Trick Ideas
I always find these ultimate lists, or the best 10 lists a little preturbing. Usually they have alot of good ideas on them, but they are in no way the Ultimate or Best 10. There is always another trick that can be added to the list.
This is a good list, but its not the ultimate list. Each trick is headed by a link that will take you to another page that will explain how to teach the trick, remember this is not set in stone but use as a guideline to get you started.
Remember "NOT ALL DOGS ARE THE SAME."
25 Most Difficult Tricks and Commands to Train Dogs
This is an interesting article and it does have videos explaining and showing how some of these tricks can be taught. I don't agree that these are the 25 most difficult tricks, because every dog is different. Some of these one dog will pick up quickly and another will struggle with. That is the way it is with trick training.
I am sharing for the simple fact, it does contain videos to give insight as to how one may go about training said tricks. Have fun.
THE EVER POPULAR HAIR PROBLEM
Reading several social media posts about hair and aussies. I have to honestly laugh. The comments of "the hair is getting to me", "how to do you stay on top of the shed?" , and a lot more similiar questions. It cracks me up.
One its a dog, its going to shed, two its an Aussie, its going to shed, three, its an Aussie and a dog and its going to shed.
Brush weekly or maybe twice weekly, fish oil works wonders, it comes in tabs, or oil to put on food. It helps with shedding. You also have to vaccum more than once a week. Its all part of owning the ever popular breed of Australian Shepherd. They shed year long, sometimes less sometimes more. They will shed at least twice a year badly when they burn their coats. This is the time when they are loosing the undercoat. Clumps of fur will be found in your home.
There is no sure fire way of stopping the shed on any dog, but a few breeds can be worse than others. The Aussie is one of those. So brush your dog twice weekly, and buy a good vaccum.
Yesterday I posted a book review, so I thought I'd list a few of the books I own now, and give a semi review of each.
These are all books that I own and are in my personal library. Now books cost a lot of money when buying new, and everyone knows I am the queen of thrift. So here a link to a cool site that offers books for free, you might have to wait a while for the book to become available, but hey when trying to save a buck you do what you got to do. I do get the majority of my books through this site, but every once in a while a new book comes out that I just cannot wait for and I will buy it new.
So on to the list.
1. The Intelligence of Dogs- Stanley Coren: released 1994
"Everyone thinks that their own dog is brilliant. Coren has written an intriguing study that will help dog owners to gauge realistically their own dog's intelligence." Kirkus Reviews
My personal opinion. Its a good book, semi hard to read, unless your really into dogs. It offers various tests to test the IQ of your dog, and for that alone it is worth the read.
2. Canine Terminology- Harold R. Spira -Released 2001
This is an invaluable reference book for anyone involved in the sports of any dog at any level. Think of it as the Grey's anatomy for dogs.
3. Lend Me an Ear; Martha Hoffman- Released 2013. This comes from Dogwise Publishing, and is a speciality book. It is geared toward training the hearing dog, for deaf people. I am a deaf person.
It explains in detail how to choose a hearing dog, which also leads itself into choosing a service dog prospect of any kind. It also explains some of the training methods to train your dog to be a hearing service dog.
I give it 5 stars.
More reviews to come later.
BOOK REVIEW
A while back, I purchased a book, that has by far became my absolute favorite of all my library.
THE CULTURE CLASH- A revolutionary new way of understanding the relationship between humans and domestic dogs. By Jean Donaldson.
This book is amazing and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in dogs, trains dogs, or just wishes to learn more about dogs.
Here is my favorite of all time quotes from this book.
"So what is the fallout for dogs of the Walt Disney myth? As soon as you bestow intelligence and morality, you bestow the responsibility that goes along with them. In other words, if the dog knows it wrong to destroy furniture yet deliberately and maliciously does it, remembers the wrong he did and feels guilt, it feels like he merits a punishment, doesn't it? Well, that's just what dogs have been getting- a lot of punishment. We set them up for all kinds of punishment by overestimating their ability to think. Increasingly, it's the so-called "cold" behaviorist model that ends up giving dogs a much better crack at meeting the demands we make of them. The fuzzy wuzzy model, gives dogs problems that they cannot solve and then punishes them for failing."
In other words stop treating a dog as if it were human, they are not. They are a completely different species, and we should treat them as such.
This book goes into a lot psychology of dogs, but it also has a lot of interesting training methods.
Again it is the book I recommend first and foremost to anyone who owns a dog, who is thinking of getting a dog, and anyone who trains dogs.
Learning the Signs of Potty Behavior
Teaching your dog the basics is sometimes a bit frustrating. Sometime it takes longer for a dog to figure out what your wanting, and sometimes you get lucky and have a dog that just automatically knows.
House training is a big issue on several groups I belong to. People get new puppies and seem to expect that it should only take a week or so to potty train. It doesn't always work like that. The main problem that I see happening is not the dog, but the owner has failed.
Some first time dog owners think that a dog should automatically know what is expected of them. I want to remind everyone, not just first time owners, but everyone, a puppy is a puppy. They are learning. A 15 week old puppy is comparable to a 2 year old toddler. When potty training a child you have to be consistent and watchful, the same applies to a 15 week old puppy.
I know a lot of times we as owners just don't pay attention. I have been guilty of that myself. But after raising 4 kids and numerous dogs and puppies, I can honestly say, there isn't much difference when it comes to house breaking or potty training between the two. The one difference is a diaper.
You must pay attention, and watch your puppy, learn its mannerism. If you actually pay attention for the first few days, you will be able to spot the signs. Your pup may begin to sniff a certain spot, or maybe he starts to circle, he may also disappear into another room (to stop this from happening, tether your pup to you.) There are all different kinds of signs, but they are there. Just watch and pay attention. As soon as you see him doing one of his signs, grab him up and out the door you go. Don't be lazy either, once you are outside, stay outside until the pup has done his duty. He is going to push you and sometimes when you put him outside, he will wander around for several minutes, or try to play, remember he is still a kid. When he finally does what he is supposed to do, take that squat, or poop. Be sure to praise him just like you would a child. Do the potty dance with him. Sing song at him, Good potty, good poop. The more excited you are the more the dog knows "Hey I did good, I need to do this again."
There are sites to learn about teaching a dog to ring a bell to go outside. Its not really hard to teach.
Hang the bells on the door handle and every time you go out ring them. Ring the bell the door opens, good things happen outside. The dog will generally link the two together and low and behold your dog is trained to ring the bell to go outside.
I've gotten rid of the bells because, after a certain amount of time, my dogs rang and rang and rang, just because they wanted to go outside. Now they sit by the door, and that's my clue, "Hey man, I got to pee. Come on open the door."
My advice to new puppy owners, is patience. The pup is not going to learn over night, Be consistent, take them out every 20 minutes or so for the first few days. Don't give them a chance to fail, and by this I mean pay attention to them, learn their signs.
The first few weeks of owning a puppy can be frustrating, but if you take the time, and pay attention to them, those weeks will fly by, and the pup will have pretty much trained themselves and you as to when they need to use the restroom.
NATIONAL TRICK DOG
DO MORE WITH YOUR DOG
Most dog owners sooner or later will hear of Kyra Sundance. She's the one with the Weimaraner Dogs. This is her site.
("Do More With Your Dog!" is the motto of founder Kyra Sundance. Whether through sport, tricks or companionship, she encourages the integration of your dog into more areas of your life. Dogs have a way of making the activities we share with them more fun, and by giving them training, we allow them to participate in more areas of our life. Earn your Trick Dog title or your Instructor certification; do live shows as a member of the All-Star Performance Dog Team; or attend a Dogs Sports Camp. Come join the fun!)
They offer three ways to Learn and get your Trick Dog Titles.
1. Self guided learning- with books and online courses.
2. Free Facebook groups- Join a Spark team on facebook. (There are several of them, I belong to a couple)
3. Pay for Conveniece-You pay a certain amount and get online courses and a personal trainer.
They also offer Canine Conditioning Fitness Courses, same general layout at above.
What is Canine fitness. Improving your dog's fitness and health can increase their lifespan and limit vet visits as they get older. It reduces their risk of sports related injury, joint problems and arthritis.
Another program they have is Stunt Dog, with the same layout of three ways to learn and title
Stunt dog ring trials are live trick dog performances.
Then of course your can get the triple crown, which is titling in all three of the above programs, Trick Dog, Canine Fitness and Stunt Dog.
You can take classes online, You can become an instructor, or you can just title your dog.
Its a nice site, and I own a few of her books, which are well written with lots of photos to help explain the tricks.
Check it out. NTD-National Trick Dog-Do More With Your Dog
UNITED KENNEL CLUB
UKC
The UKC focuses more along the lines of Hunting dogs, but they do offer various sports.
Agility, Conformation, Dock Jumping, Drag Racing, Junior Programs, Lure Coursing, Nosework, Obedience, Precision Coursing, Rally Obedience, Weigh Pull, SPOT, Total dog.
There is a lot interesting reading to be done at this site.
C-WAGS
CANINE WORK AND GAMES
I don't know much about these folks, as I just came across them the other day. I have checked out their site and they look fairly interesting. I will give the link below. They claim A new appoach to Obedience, Rally, Games and Scent. It was founded in 2007, so it is a relatively new group. The following is an explanation from their site.
- We are different from “traditional” Obedience in that the handler may interact more naturally with their teammate (dog).
- Handlers may give reinforcement to their dog at the end of the exercises.
- Handlers may talk to their dog during the performance.
- We have some fun, new exercises in the Obedience, Rally and Games programs.
- In Obedience the order of the exercises will vary.
- Low jump heights.
- People who just want to go out and have fun with their dog can be successful in a less stressful environment.
- The only limits in this venue are set by the individual. A team can go as far as they want, or just go out and have fun! There is something for everyone here.
- Master Team Award once a team earns an ACE in 3 different programs (Obedience, Rally, Games, or Scent) at the same level.
Here is the link to the site, check them out, they may be just what your looking for.
DOG TALENT ASSOCIATION
ELITE DOG TALENT SHOW TITLE
The Elite Talent Show Dog is the highest of the Talent Show Dog titles. It is a fantastic achievement for both you and your dog to get this far.
You need to have the Expert Talent Show Dog title to be able to submit for the Elite Talent Show Dog title.
Part 1: Come up the story or a theme that will form the basis of your performance
Briefly tell or read out the story you are trying to tell with your performance.
You can do it in many ways:
Read it out or tell it to the audience before the start of the performance as a part of your performance. The story is not included into the 4 minutes of the performance time, so the time starts after you complete telling the story to your audience;
You can record yourself reading or telling the story separately before you start your performance, rather than doing it in front of the audience;
You can e-mail the brief summary of the story together with the rest of the Elite Dog Talent Show checklist to DogTalentAssociation@gmail.com
What you can choose as a story?
This is really entirely up to you. It could be a little story or a theme. The Elite Dog Talent Show is designed to be performed in front of an audience. So it needs not to be just sequences of tricks, but the tricks need to be logically connected or fit to your selected theme.
Examples of potential stories or themes to give you some inspiration:
Pirates
In the school
Helper
Chaos in the hotel
Naughty dog
We are in the army
Travelling
Holidays
Catch the thief
Shopping
Any story usually has an opening or a “problem” followed by the main part where the story is developing and closing part or conclusion.
Instead of a story, you could use general themes to link up your props and tricks, for example:
Circus
Arabia
Sport
Party time
Halloween
Yoga, etc
Think of a theme that would help you to show off your dog and it’s talents and be entertaining or humorous to watch.
Part 2: Perform your story or the theme described in Part 1 in front of the live audience of at least 5 people, or virtually.
The performance should last for around 3 minutes. Your dog needs to demonstrate at least 12 different tricks in the performance
There are no restrictions on the types of tricks you can use. Any tricks from any level, any talent pathway are allowed. You can also use your own tricks.
You need to include at least one prop into your performance but ideally aim to have several as they usually make the show more interesting and help to build the theme.
Your dog needs to demonstrate at least 12 different tricks during the performance. The tricks can be repeated as many times as needed throughout the performance — to help to tell the story.
The guide time for performance is around 3 minutes, but you are welcome to make it a bit shorter or longer.
You are very welcome to use music and wear some costumes if you’d like, but this is optional. You can perform inside or outside. You can reward your dog a couple of times during the performance, but it needs to be done in an unobtrusive way, so it does not draw the attention of your audience or distract them in any way from the performance.
If anyone makes it this far, please contact me and let me see the video. To make it this far is impressive and a lot of hard work for both you and your dog.
DOG TALENT ASSOCIATION
PART SEVEN
TALENT SHOW TITLE
While working on the Novice dog title you’ll introduce props to your dog and start working on putting together sequences of tricks. Props are great and we totally love them because they make your performance more varied, engaging and impressive.
Working with different props and sequences also increases your dog’s confidence and teachers to be more in tune with your body language and listen better to your commands.
NOVICE TALENT SHOW
Part 1: Five sequences of 2 Novice level tricks in each of the sequences
Each of the sequences needs to include 2 Novice level tricks from any of the talent pathways (Thinker, Performer, Athlete, Helper). Instead of the suggested tricks, you can use your own tricks, but they need to be on the same level of complexity or higher. If in any doubt please contact us first.
You can combine tricks from different talent pathways in the same sequence.
Please do not use exactly the same trick more than once, but it is OK if it is performed in a different way. For example, you can use jumping through a hoop and jumping through the handler’s arms. Though both of the tricks involve jumping through a circle, they are different tricks as each requires some specific training.
The transition from one trick to another in the sequence should be fluid and without undue delay or hesitation.
Please only give food or another reward after the completion of the sequence.
Part 2: Perform 5 tricks with props
Choose any Novice level tricks from any of the talent pathways or your own.
If using your own tricks please make sure they are on the Novice level of difficulty or above. If in any doubt please contact us first.
For props, you can use any household objects, tools, musical instruments, clothes, sports equipment, re-cycled or re-purposed objects etc. Please do not use dog agility or obedience equipment. You can also use the handler or involve your audience as props or obstacles.
You can re-use the props.
Part 3: Perform 2 sequences of 5 different tricks each. One of the tricks in each sequence needs to include a prop
Choose any Novice level tricks from any of the talent pathways or your own. If using your own tricks please make sure they are on the Novice level of difficulty or above. If in any doubt please contact us first.
Only one trick in the sequence needs to include a prop. You can have a prop for other tricks in the same sequence or they can be performed without a prop. You can re-use the props, but please use different tricks from those in Part 2 of this submission, or perform them differently.
The transition from one trick to another in the sequence should be fluid and without undue delay or hesitation. You do not need to perform the sequences one straight after the other. Each can be recorded separately and does not need to be recorded on the same day or even the same place.
ADVANCED TALENT SHOW
Part 1: Five sequences of 2 Advanced level tricks in each of the sequences
Each of the sequences needs to include 2 Advanced level tricks from any of the talent pathways (Thinker, Performer, Athlete, Helper). Instead of the suggested tricks, you can use your own tricks, but they need to be on the same level of complexity or higher. If in any doubt please contact us first.
You can combine tricks from different talent pathways in the same sequence. You can re-use the tricks from your Thinker, Performer, Athlete or Helper titles submissions but they need to be in a different environment.
You can’t use exactly the same trick more than once in Part 1, but it is OK if it is performed in a different way. For example, you can use jumping through a hoop and jumping through the handler’s arms. Though both of the tricks involve jumping through a circle, they are different tricks as each requires some specific training.
The transition from one trick to another in the sequence should be fluid and without undue delay or hesitation.
Please only give food or another reward after the completion of the sequence.
Part 2: Perform 5 tricks with props
Choose any Advanced or Novice level tricks from any of the talent pathways or your own.
If using your own tricks please make sure they are on the Advanced or Novice level of difficulty or above. If in any doubt please contact us first. Please do not re-use the tricks submitted for your Novice Dog Talent Show title- we want you to learn and to be able to perform a wider range of tricks.
For props, you can use any household objects, tools, musical instruments, clothes, sports equipment, recycled or re-purposed objects etc. Please do not use dog agility or obedience equipment, but you can use the handler and where appropriate and fully safe the members of your audience.
You can re-use the props.
Part 3: Perform 2 sequences of 5 different tricks each. One of the tricks in each sequence needs to include a prop
Choose any Advanced or Novice level tricks from any of the talent pathways or your own. If using your own tricks please make sure they are on the Advanced or Novice level of difficulty or above. If in any doubt please contact us first. Please use different tricks from your Novice Dog Talent Show title submission.
Only one trick in each sequence needs to include a prop. You can have a prop for other tricks in the same sequence or they can be performed without a prop. You can re-use the props, but please do not repeat the exactly the same tricks as in Part 2 of this submission.
EXPERT TALENT SHOW
Part 1: Five sequences of 2 Expert or Advanced level tricks in each of the sequences
Each of the sequences needs to include 2 Expert or Advanced level tricks from any of the talent pathways (Thinker, Performer, Athlete, Helper). Instead of the suggested tricks, you can use your own tricks, but please make sure they are at the same level of difficulty or above. If in any doubt please contact us first.
You can combine tricks from different talent pathways in the same sequence. You can re-use the tricks from your Thinker, Performer, Athlete or Helper titles submissions but they need to be in a different environment.
You can’t use exactly the same trick more than once in Part 1, but it is OK if it is performed in a different way. Please use sequences that you have not used in your Advanced Dog Talent Show title submission and different tricks.
The transition from one trick to another in the sequence should be fluid and without undue delay or hesitation.
Please only give food or another reward after the completion of the sequence.
Part 2: Perform 5 tricks with props
Choose any Expert or Advanced level tricks from any of the talent pathways or your own.
If using your own tricks please make sure they are on the Expert or Advanced level of difficulty or above. If in any doubt please contact us first. Please use different tricks from your Advanced Dog Talent Show title.
For props, you can use any household objects, tools, musical instruments, clothes, sports equipment, recycled boxes, re-purposed items etc. Please do not use dog agility or obedience equipment. You can re-use the props. Handler and the members of the audience can also be used as props (safely).
Part 3: Perform 2 Creative sequences of 7 different tricks with props and themes. One or more of the tricks in each sequence needs to include a prop
Each of the sequences should have a theme, a mini-story or be logically connected. For example a football match, shopping, helper, trip to Paris, getting late to work, pirates, school etc.
Choose any level tricks from any of the talent pathways or your own. Include at least two Advanced or Expert level tricks into each of the sequences. You can re-use tricks submitted for Advanced or Novice titles.
Only one trick in each sequence needs to include a prop. You can have a prop for other tricks in the same sequence, or they can be performed without a prop. You can re-use the props, but please use different tricks from those in Part 2 of this submission.
Each of the sequences needs to include 2 Novice level tricks from any of the talent pathways (Thinker, Performer, Athlete, Helper). Instead of the suggested tricks, you can use your own tricks, but they need to be on the same level of complexity or higher. If in any doubt please contact us first.
You can combine tricks from different talent pathways in the same sequence.
Please do not use exactly the same trick more than once, but it is OK if it is performed in a different way. For example, you can use jumping through a hoop and jumping through the handler’s arms. Though both of the tricks involve jumping through a circle, they are different tricks as each requires some specific training.
The transition from one trick to another in the sequence should be fluid and without undue delay or hesitation.
Please only give food or another reward after the completion of the sequence.
Part 2: Perform 5 tricks with props
Choose any Novice level tricks from any of the talent pathways or your own.
If using your own tricks please make sure they are on the Novice level of difficulty or above. If in any doubt please contact us first.
For props, you can use any household objects, tools, musical instruments, clothes, sports equipment, re-cycled or re-purposed objects etc. Please do not use dog agility or obedience equipment. You can also use the handler or involve your audience as props or obstacles.
You can re-use the props.
Part 3: Perform 2 sequences of 5 different tricks each. One of the tricks in each sequence needs to include a prop
Choose any Novice level tricks from any of the talent pathways or your own. If using your own tricks please make sure they are on the Novice level of difficulty or above. If in any doubt please contact us first.
Only one trick in the sequence needs to include a prop. You can have a prop for other tricks in the same sequence or they can be performed without a prop. You can re-use the props, but please use different tricks from those in Part 2 of this submission, or perform them differently.
The transition from one trick to another in the sequence should be fluid and without undue delay or hesitation. You do not need to perform the sequences one straight after the other. Each can be recorded separately and does not need to be recorded on the same day or even the same place.
ADVANCED TALENT SHOW
Part 1: Five sequences of 2 Advanced level tricks in each of the sequences
Each of the sequences needs to include 2 Advanced level tricks from any of the talent pathways (Thinker, Performer, Athlete, Helper). Instead of the suggested tricks, you can use your own tricks, but they need to be on the same level of complexity or higher. If in any doubt please contact us first.
You can combine tricks from different talent pathways in the same sequence. You can re-use the tricks from your Thinker, Performer, Athlete or Helper titles submissions but they need to be in a different environment.
You can’t use exactly the same trick more than once in Part 1, but it is OK if it is performed in a different way. For example, you can use jumping through a hoop and jumping through the handler’s arms. Though both of the tricks involve jumping through a circle, they are different tricks as each requires some specific training.
The transition from one trick to another in the sequence should be fluid and without undue delay or hesitation.
Please only give food or another reward after the completion of the sequence.
Part 2: Perform 5 tricks with props
Choose any Advanced or Novice level tricks from any of the talent pathways or your own.
If using your own tricks please make sure they are on the Advanced or Novice level of difficulty or above. If in any doubt please contact us first. Please do not re-use the tricks submitted for your Novice Dog Talent Show title- we want you to learn and to be able to perform a wider range of tricks.
For props, you can use any household objects, tools, musical instruments, clothes, sports equipment, recycled or re-purposed objects etc. Please do not use dog agility or obedience equipment, but you can use the handler and where appropriate and fully safe the members of your audience.
You can re-use the props.
Part 3: Perform 2 sequences of 5 different tricks each. One of the tricks in each sequence needs to include a prop
Choose any Advanced or Novice level tricks from any of the talent pathways or your own. If using your own tricks please make sure they are on the Advanced or Novice level of difficulty or above. If in any doubt please contact us first. Please use different tricks from your Novice Dog Talent Show title submission.
Only one trick in each sequence needs to include a prop. You can have a prop for other tricks in the same sequence or they can be performed without a prop. You can re-use the props, but please do not repeat the exactly the same tricks as in Part 2 of this submission.
EXPERT TALENT SHOW
Part 1: Five sequences of 2 Expert or Advanced level tricks in each of the sequences
Each of the sequences needs to include 2 Expert or Advanced level tricks from any of the talent pathways (Thinker, Performer, Athlete, Helper). Instead of the suggested tricks, you can use your own tricks, but please make sure they are at the same level of difficulty or above. If in any doubt please contact us first.
You can combine tricks from different talent pathways in the same sequence. You can re-use the tricks from your Thinker, Performer, Athlete or Helper titles submissions but they need to be in a different environment.
You can’t use exactly the same trick more than once in Part 1, but it is OK if it is performed in a different way. Please use sequences that you have not used in your Advanced Dog Talent Show title submission and different tricks.
The transition from one trick to another in the sequence should be fluid and without undue delay or hesitation.
Please only give food or another reward after the completion of the sequence.
Part 2: Perform 5 tricks with props
Choose any Expert or Advanced level tricks from any of the talent pathways or your own.
If using your own tricks please make sure they are on the Expert or Advanced level of difficulty or above. If in any doubt please contact us first. Please use different tricks from your Advanced Dog Talent Show title.
For props, you can use any household objects, tools, musical instruments, clothes, sports equipment, recycled boxes, re-purposed items etc. Please do not use dog agility or obedience equipment. You can re-use the props. Handler and the members of the audience can also be used as props (safely).
Part 3: Perform 2 Creative sequences of 7 different tricks with props and themes. One or more of the tricks in each sequence needs to include a prop
Each of the sequences should have a theme, a mini-story or be logically connected. For example a football match, shopping, helper, trip to Paris, getting late to work, pirates, school etc.
Choose any level tricks from any of the talent pathways or your own. Include at least two Advanced or Expert level tricks into each of the sequences. You can re-use tricks submitted for Advanced or Novice titles.
Only one trick in each sequence needs to include a prop. You can have a prop for other tricks in the same sequence, or they can be performed without a prop. You can re-use the props, but please use different tricks from those in Part 2 of this submission.
Refer to Dog Talent Association for further rules and regulations.
Next post ELITE WORK from Dog Talent Association.
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