I pose this question because tricks might seem trivial when you are trying to teach your dog manners or sports or change undesirable behaviors like reactivity. I totally get it. Tricks can seem like fluff. Like, who cares if your dog can spin in a circle or ring a bell?! I’m here to provide clarity on why I believe tricks matter when it comes to our dog’s overall training.
Tricks can be adorable! They can be cute to show your friends at parties, too. But they also can play a bigger role in your dog’s training because doing anything fun and positive with your dog can improve your relationship, improve their responsiveness to other cues, boost their confidence, and ward off boredom.
With the heat being a limitation to outdoor exercise for our dogs, we can incorporate some tricks to give them an outlet for their mind and body. They need to use their body and mind most days to reduce undesirable behaviors and give them something to do with excess energy. When I’ve met with dog parents about undesirable behaviors, I often discover they are only giving them physical exercise and almost zero mental stimulation. By incorporating mental games, they immediately notice improvement in the behaviors they were trying to curb.
You might be reading this thinking, “I don’t have time for a lot of training, Paula.” Me either! Running a business is like two full-time jobs. Having multiple dogs can make it extra challenging to juggle it all.
What I know to be true is that we all have 5 minutes a day to spend one-on-one time with our dogs. If you can set aside 5-minutes at the same time each day like a regular appointment, you will be surprised how much you can accomplish and how much your dog can learn in short training sessions. This is true for trick training, but can absolutely be applied to all kinds of training goals. It’s more about the quality and then quantity.
I’m committed to training Hondo, my Mini Dachshund, a little each day to accomplish his Intermediate Trick Dog Title through the AKC. To hold me accountable, I’m posting on YouTube each day so you can watch the progress. Once he completes a trick, I’ll create a longer video to show you step-by-step how to teach your own dog the same trick. Cool, right?!
The first one we are working on is “pout,” where he puts his head down when in a down position. This will be so cute for photos! Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel to see all of the progress.
https://www.youtube.com/caninecountryacademy
Here are the possible trick options for an Intermediate Trick Dog Title. Stay tuned to see which ones Hondo will be learning.
Would you like to teach your dog some tricks? We offer private 30-minute lessons to focus on trick training. It’s great enrichment and fun!