101 Dog Tricks Read online




  101 Dog Tricks

  Step-by-Step Activities

  to Engage, Challenge, and

  Bond with Your Dog

  Kyra Sundance and Chalcy

  Photography by Nick Saglimbeni

  He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.

  —Anonymous

  CONTENTS

  Foreword

  Authors’ Note

  Introduction

  1 GROUNDWORK

  sit

  down

  stay

  come

  2 TRADITIONAL FAVORITES

  shake hands—left and right

  fetch/take it

  drop it/give

  balance and catch

  sit pretty/beg

  speak

  roll over

  play dead

  3 TIME FOR CHORES

  fetch my slippers

  get your leash

  walk the dog

  newspaper delivery

  say your prayers

  kennel up

  carry my purse

  tidy up your toys

  roll yourself in a blanket

  4 FUNNY DOG

  honk a bike horn

  peekaboo!

  doggy push-ups

  act ashamed

  limp

  pickpocket pooch

  play the piano

  world’s dumbest dog

  5 MODERN CONVENIENCES

  get the phone when it rings

  turn off the light

  open/close a door

  ring a bell to come inside

  pull on a rope

  bring me a beer from the fridge

  mail carrier

  find the car keys/remote

  push a shopping cart

  bring me a tissue

  6 LET’S PLAY A GAME!

  soccer

  football

  basketball

  hockey goalie

  hide-and-seek

  go hide

  which hand holds the treat?

  easter egg hunt

  ring toss

  shell game

  dog on point

  3-2-1 let’s go!

  7 JUMPING AND CATCHING

  jump over a bar

  jump over my knee

  jump over my back

  jump into my arms

  summersault/handstand vault

  baton jumping

  jump rope

  beginning disc dog

  disc vault off my leg

  8 JUMPING THROUGH HOOPS

  hoop jump

  jump through my arms

  double hoop sequence

  hoop jump over my back

  disobedient dog—under the hoop

  rolling hoop dive

  through a hoop lying on the ground

  paper-covered hoop

  9 OBSTACLE COURSE

  tunnel

  crawl

  touch a target

  under/over

  teeter-totter

  weave poles

  climb a ladder

  roll a barrel

  10 THAT DOG CAN DANCE!

  heel forward and backward

  back up

  spin circles

  take a bow

  place (circle to my left side)

  side (swing to my left side)

  leg weave

  figure 8’s

  moonwalk

  jump for joy

  chorus line kicks

  11 THE THINKING MAN’S DOG

  my dog can count

  discern objects names

  directed retrieve

  directed jumping

  pick a card from a deck

  food refusal

  find the object with my scent

  contraband search

  track a person’s scent trail

  12 LOVE ME, LOVE MY DOG

  kisses

  paws on my arm

  head down

  cover your eyes

  wave good-bye

  Appendix A: Tricks by Skill Level

  Appendix B: Tricks by Sport

  About the Authors

  About the Photographer

  Acknowledgments

  What’s Next?

  FOREWORD

  By Bill Langworthy

  I first met Kyra and Chalcy while I was producing an animal talent show for television. One of the bookers announced she had found a dog who could read! In all my years of working with pet tricks, first as David Letterman’s Stupid Pet Tricks Coordinator then as a producer on Animal Planet’s Pet Star, I’d heard of some clever animals, but I had a feeling this one was special. Sure enough, Kyra and Chalcy promptly won the show, then came back and won in the championships!

  Two things about Kyra and Chalcy stand out in my memory: first, their big smiles; and second, they did everything together. The camera can make people focus on themselves, forgetting they’re only half of a team, but from the first rehearsal to the final championship round, Kyra and Chalcy did everything together. When Kyra phoned me and said, “Chalcy and I are writing a book,” I wasn’t surprised—my only question was, “Who typed?”

  101 Dog Tricks is all about doing things as a team. Kyra and Chalcy use only positive training and motivational techniques to reinforce trick training as a fun way to play rather than a chore. The tricks are all designed to develop a particular aspect of your dog’s abilities, from the mental to the physical, while also developing trust and friendship between you and your companion.

  Kyra and Chalcy know every trick in the book; that is, they have practiced and performed all 101 routines, so 101 Dog Tricks is filled with firsthand advice. Kyra and Chalcy are equally adept in both mental and physical tricks, so you’ll find instruction on everything from teaching your dog to count to teaching your dog to play basketball. The instructions are clearly illustrated and easy to follow, but no detail has been spared. This is the one and only book every trick trainer needs, whether you plan to entertain yourself, your friends, or huge crowds and national television audiences like Kyra and Chalcy.

  Kyra Sundance and Chalcy are uniquely qualified to write the definitive trick training book. It’s every trick trainer’s privilege that Kyra and Chalcy took time from their performing schedule to share their secrets. So enjoy this book, then get outside and play. As Kyra and Chalcy always say: “Do More With Your Dog!®”

  Bill Langworthy spent many years as a pet trick coordinator for Late Show with David Letterman and a writer and coproducer of Animal Planet’s “Pet Star” talent competition. He’s auditioned thousands of animal acts across the country.

  AUTHORS’ NOTE

  “See?” I said, “Chalcy keeps missing the weave pole entrance.”

  “You should have taught her initially using the two-pole method” advised the nationally ranked agility coach. “Dogs who start with the two-pole method never miss an entrance.”

  “Well, we didn’t.” I admitted, “We trained a different method. So this is where we’re at now. How do we fix it?” I asked. She shook her head.

  “Oh, it’s too late now,” said the coach as she walked off.

  This coach was of the opinion that since I’d screwed up my dog by using the wrong training method, I should cut my losses and make a fresh start with a new agility dog. In other words, don’t waste your time fixing something when you can buy a newer, shinier one for cheaper!

  Needless to say, I didn’t give up on Chalcy. I can’t begin to list all the training mistakes I’ve made with her over the years. I’ve taught her wrong things, using wrong methods, while giving wrong feedback. Su
re, I’d messed up in our training, but we fixed it! We went back and retaught skills and relearned rules. It’s a little harder this way, granted, but certainly possible. I don’t expect my dog to be a machine, and I’m not one either. We try, we learn, we fail, we succeed. We work together and afford each other endless second chances. We still miss the occasional weave pole entrance, but we never miss the opportunity to give it one more go!

  Whether your dog is young or old, athletic or lazy, quick-witted or dumb as a rock, he’s your dog and his success need only be measured in your eyes.

  I hope this book inspires you to not only teach tricks, but to “Do More With Your Dog!®”

  —Kyra Sundance and Chalcy

  INTRODUCTION

  Rover knows when you are preparing for a trip. Fido hears the word “bath” or “vet” and takes cover under the bed. Spot senses when you’ve had a bad day and lays his head in your lap, and Buster nudges your arm as you sit on the couch trying to find the motivation to go for a walk. These examples of human/dog communication illustrate the familial relationship dogs play in our lives. And this relationship, as with any positive relationship in our lives, requires nurturing to keep it alive and flourishing.

  Trick training is a way to build upon this relationship, establishing communication methods, trust, and mutual respect. It offers a way to bond with your dog as you strive toward common goals and delight in your successes. It deepens paths of communication, built through repetition and effort.

  If you’ve ever tried to communicate a message to a person who speaks a foreign language, you’ve probably tried a combination of pantomime, pictographs, sound mimicry, and other tactics quite hilarious to onlookers. But when that message finally gets communicated… “Ahhh! The goat cheese pizza!”… there is a feeling of mutual success and bonding. That same joy and bond can be achieved by you and your dog as you work together on dog tricks!

  Trick training does more than teach cute party tricks to entertain your friends. Trick training offers an opportunity to better understand how your dog thinks and have him better understand your cues. The trust and cooperative spirit developed through this process will last a lifetime.

  HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

  Start anywhere! Each trick displays a difficulty rating and prerequisite skills. You can work on several new tricks within the same training session, and you may wish to keep a list of all your dog’s tricks to train each session. Reinforcement is a constant process and just because your dog has mastered a trick doesn’t mean you should stop practicing!

  CAN ANY DOG LEARN TRICKS?

  Sure! You’ll find that the more tricks your dog knows, the quicker he’ll pick up new ones. In a sense, you’ve taught him how to learn.

  CUE, ACTION, REWARD

  Teaching a trick comprises three parts, the first being a verbal or physical cue to your dog, signaling the desired behavior. The second part is the action performed by your dog, and the third is the reward. Do not attempt to bribe your dog by offering the reward before he has done the action, and do not expect your dog to perform an action before you have given the cue.

  YOUR JOB AS A TRAINER

  Your job as a trainer is to guide your dog in a consistent and motivating environment.

  Guidance

  Guide your dog through the process of executing a new behavior, rewarding baby steps along the way. The goal of each training session is to get better results than the last time.

  Consistency

  Know the behavior you are looking for, and don’t be wishy-washy. Use the same voice and intonation each time you give a verbal cue and enunciate clearly.

  Motivation

  Think about an athletic coach. Is his job merely to plan the training schedule and tape it to the locker room door? No! He inspires, motivates, and encourages! He is upbeat when you are discouraged and slaps your shoulder with a “good job!” when you need it. You serve the same purpose for your dog. Every bit of enthusiasm you inject into your dog training will speed up his learning. And when your dog does something right use your high-pitched “happy voice” (yes, men, you have one too) to exude your delight!

  TIMING

  Imagine you are searching for something and are being guided by feedback of “hot” or “cold.” But now imagine this feedback is being delayed before you hear it. You may actually be receiving “cold” feedback as you approach the object or vise versa. Not only is the object not being found, but you are getting frustrated at the inconsistency of the feedback. Imagine how much easier this task would be if the feedback were given with correct timing.

  In trick training, it is imperative that you mark (with a word, treat, or clicker) the exact moment that your dog performed correctly. Don’t reward 10 seconds later, as you may be rewarding a completely different behavior.

  A common timing mistake is in rewarding too late. For example, you tell your dog to sit, and he does. You fish for a treat in your pocket, and he stands up to receive it. What did you just reward? You rewarded him for standing up! The treat should have been given while the dog was in the proper position—sitting. Always reward your dog while he is in the desired position.

  MOTIVATORS/REWARDS

  “Shouldn’t my dog want to learn tricks merely to please me?” Dogs do, in general, want to please their owners—but learning is hard! Would you expect your child to do his homework every night merely to please you? Maybe, but a reward sure makes work more enticing … whether it be a half hour of TV, or a nice liver treat!

  A motivator, or reward, can come in different forms—a food morsel, favorite toy, clicker signal, or praise. In this book, the steps rely mostly on food treats. Food is enjoyed by all dogs, is quick to dispense and be swallowed, and is a clear way to signal a correct response. Keep your dog extra motivated when learning a new trick by using “people food” treats such as hot dogs, cheese, pizza crusts, noodles, meatballs, or whatever gets his mouth watering! During the beginning stages of learning, a toy can be a distraction, as it takes a while for you to take it back and get your dog to regain focus. Praise is great, but can be arbitrary and unclear … “Good! No, wait, you moved, sort of….” Use a small but tasty food treat to reward the desired behavior.

  New dog trainers are always stingy with rewards. They attempt to reward with praise or regular dog kibble. Trick training, however, is dependent upon the dog’s motivation and you want to make this activity the most fun thing he does all day! Go ahead, give ’em the good stuff!

  For those experienced in the technique of clicker training, a clicker signal may be used to mark the correct behavior, followed by the treat.

  Do I have to carry around treats for the rest of my life?

  Before worrying about emptying our pockets of treats, we need to make the behavior an automatic response. No matter how it is achieved, if you tell your dog to “sit” 500 times, and he sits, it becomes an automatic response. For the first 500 times, he was sitting because you were tempting him with a treat. Later, however, his muscle memory just hears the word “sit” and does it! It is at this point that you can start weaning your dog off his expectation of a reward. Rather than weaning completely off treats, however, use them as sporadic rewards.

  Upping the Ante

  The purpose of a treat is to reward a good effort. In kindergarten, a child gets a gold star for printing her name. In first grade, she only gets a gold star if she prints it neatly, and in second grade cursive is required for that same reward. What may have earned your dog a treat in the past, may no longer be enough to earn that treat today. We call this “upping the ante.”

  When first learning to shake a paw, reward your dog for barely lifting his paw, or for batting your hand. Once he has the hang of this, withhold the treat until he lifts his paw higher, or holds it longer. Every time your dog is achieving a step with about 75 percent success, up the ante and demand a higher skill to earn the treat.

  Jackpot

  We all know the lure of a jackpot. Having achieved it once, we will sit a
t the slot machine all night in hopes of being rewarded with that elusive prize. The jackpot theory, when applied to dog training, can be a more effective motivator than consistent rewards. Here’s how to use it: ask your dog to perform some behaviors he is working on. If he does them fairly well, give him no reward or a small reward. When he performs a behavior very well or better than he has in the past, jackpot! Give him a whole handful of treats! Wow, will that make an impression on him! He will continue trying extra hard in hopes of hitting that jackpot again.

  Along the same lines, using several different types of treats during a training session can keep your dog motivated—“maybe I’ll get the hot dog this time!”

  HELP YOUR DOG BE SUCCESSFUL

  The key to keeping your dog motivated is to keep him challenged, achieving regular successes. Try not to let your dog be wrong more than two or three times in a row, or he could become discouraged and not wish to perform. Instead, go back to an easier step for a while.

  PUT IN THE TIME

  When teaching a new trick, it often appears that your dog is not getting the concept and has no idea what the desired behavior is. He’ll be squirming and pawing and obsessing over the treat in your hand. You might feel as if he will never understand. Don’t stress it. Go through the same motions day after day, and one day you’ll see a lightbulb go off in his head. That’s the moment that truly bonds you with your dog.

  WHY PEOPLE FAIL