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Auntie Al’s Dog Training Services A Gentle Touch - Outstanding Results 604-868-0341 Alix Balfour - Trainer
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What is Cute and Clever to Some… Do you like teaching your dog tricks? Good for you if you do. Dogs are clever, thoughtful creatures with instinctual behaviors linked to breed type. Dogs also possess lovely senses of humor; they appreciate a good joke as much as you and I and like you and I, will use humor to try to deflect a tense moment. But I’ll save that discussion for another time. For now, let’s talk about the tricks we teach. When I first adopted Chico, he had not been taught anything special nor could he master simple commands. I used a ball that holds treats to teach him to fetch and the game itself required that he also learn to sit and stay. He scored high both in aptitude and willingness, he loves to learn new things; Chico loves figuring things out. Once he could fetch, I then taught him to find. Using Chico’s favorite stuffed frog, I would have him sit, stay while I wandered down the halls of my building, leaning frog up against any given wall. Initially, frog was placed just outside the door but as time went on the distance and direction became more challenging. Chico adores this game and carries frog with head held high with the pride that achievement brings. It is a game that satisfies his mental acuity as well as his desire for interaction with me. Games or tricks that I avoid are games that ultimately allow Chico to act in a more dominant manner toward me. For instance, I once knew someone who taught her dog to remove the covered elastic that tied back her boyfriend’s long hair. She thought this trick to be highly amusing and praised her dog every time she did it. Unfortunately, the dog saw it as a trick to be performed regardless of whose hair was tied back and when I would visit, the dog, who had also been allowed up on all of the furniture, would immediately attack the back of my head, trying to remove my hair ties. I was not amused. Nor am I amused when dogs place their paws on my knees or jump on me, whether in an attempt to attract attention or with hopes of a cookie. I have no interest in being pawed or jumped on. As dogs have no concept of clean paw, dirty paw, my interest wanes further when I find my clothing stained with muddy paw prints. When you choose the tricks and games to teach your dog, make them interactive and challenging but be mindful of the consequences. Teaching a dog to remove hair ties can be a positive thing if taught gently with the idea that the dog is assisting someone in need. Teaching a dog to ravage the back of someone's head is not. Teaching your dog to find a toy can be the start of training a dog for search and rescue. “Good sit, Chico, good stay.” “Good find, Chico, good boy.” |
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