Arden Moore - Tricks & Games

Copyright 2004, 2009 by I-5 Press

Illustrations copyright 2004 by Buck Jones

The dogs in this book are referred to as he and she in alternating chapters.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of I-5 Press, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

The Library of Congress has cataloged an earlier printing as follows

Moore, Arden.

Tricks & games / by Arden Moore ; illustrations by Buck Jones.

p. cm. (Simple solutions)

ISBN 1-931993-43-2 (soft cover : alk. paper)

ISBN-13:978-1-931993-43-2 (soft cover : alk. paper)

eISBN-13:978-1-620080-79-5

1. DogsTraining. I. Jones, Buck, ill. II. Title. III. Simple solutions (Irvine, Calif.) IV. Title. V. Series.

SF431.M822 2004

636.7'0887dc22

2004003347

I-5 Press

A Division of I-5 Publishing, LLC

3 Burroughs

Irvine, California 92618

Printed and Bound in Singapore

10 9 8 7 6 5

Contents

Give Me a P for Play!

Dogs didnt invent fun, but they definitely put the P in play! The beauty of playing with your canine pal is that you can do it anytime, anywhere. Your dog doesnt require an appointment or that your people contact her people so the two of you can have some good, old-fashioned fun.

By channeling your dogs innate desire to play, you can take the boredom out of basic obedience. Even the best canine pupil cant avoid stifling a yawn after being asked to sit for the umpteenth time in a row. However, if that sit command is part of a more playful game like Doggy Push-ups or Sit, Drop, and Roll, your dog will be begging to comply because youve just made the sit command fun.

While were at it, lets assess those walks you take with your dog. Do you catch yourself dreading these daily outings? Maybe its because youre both in a rut, always taking the same route at the same pace at the same time of day. Even though your dog craves routine, she also detests repetition. Dogs live by the motto: So Many Smells, So Little Time. This attitude may conflict with your hurry-upand-potty mindset. Therefore, your quickie, abbreviated walk shortchanges your dogs desire to cover a lot of ground and leave his business card on as many trees and fire hydrants as he can.

This book contains creative but easy-to-learn tricks and games designed to spice up the time you and your dog share together. Consider them boredom busters. Show pleasers. Most of these tricks can be performed indoors or outdoors, rain or shine. For the most part, you wont need any special equipment, either. And heres the best news: youll discover that your dog will be ready and raring to go at the drop of a leash.

Why Tricks and Games?

Trick training offers many perks for both you and your dog. First of all, you will discover that youll create a stronger bond with your dog. In his mind, you will be elevated from simply the person who fills his food bowl and gives him safe shelter to the ultimate one worthy of top dog status. If he could spell, youd earn his R-E-S-P-E-C-T in capital letters. As you continue to introduce more stimulating playtimes, your dog will look to you in anticipation of what new trick youre ready to teach him.

As an added bonus to introducing games and tricks, your dog should commit fewer misdeeds. When youve given him a fun energy outlet, youll have his brain neurons firing, and hell no longer be bored. Your dog may think, Why chew on that leather shoe in the closet when I can perform the latest mastered trick before an audience of joggers at the local park? Success in trick training enables you to say good-bye to Canine the Obnoxious and hello to Canine the Mannered.

Achieving success depends on first establishing a good foundation of learning. When teaching your dog the tricks in this book, keep the following tips in mind:

Be in the right mood. Never try to teach your dog a new trick if you are not in the mood to do so. Dogs are adept at reading stress levels and signs of impatience. So, be upbeat, encouraging, and patient.

Pick the right time. Many dogs are more willing to learn a new trick when they are hungry and anticipate a delicious payoff in exchange for a good performance or when they are in a please play with me mood. Resist trying to teach your dog how to jump through your arms after hes gobbled down a full bowl of kibble or when hes in the middle of his afternoon snooze.

Select the right place. For any new trick, you need to limit as many outside distractions as possible so that your dog can focus more fully on you. If you choose the living room, turn off the television set, and shoo others from the room. If you opt for the backyard, make sure you pick a time when your spouse or partner is not mowing the lawn or planting a flower garden and your children are not outside playing.

Communicate the correct way. Dogs dont speak in words, but they are savvy interpreters of body postures, voice tones, and hand signals. Therefore, you should work consistently by using specific word cues and hand gestures for each trick. That way, your dog wont become confused and think your signal for roll over is the same for sit up and beg.

Praise the correct moves and ignore the mistakes. Were you able to master algebra the first day of math class? Of course not. Step-by-step, you learned by building on your small successes. The same concept applies to your dog. Heap on the praise and treats when your canine trainee performs correctly; on the other hand, resist saying, no, thats not it when he fumbles. This is what psychologists refer to as operant conditioning. Dogs learn by association and are apt to repeat an action when it is reinforced with treats and praise.

Choose tricks that are appropriate for your dogs abilities. Not every dog will be able to learn every trick. Like people, dogs display a variety of attitudes, aptitudes, and levels of athleticism. So, be realistic about what you want your dog to learn. A short-legged, long-backed dachshund may struggle to take a bow but shine when you ask him to leap up and give you a high 10 with his front paws.

End on the correct note. Always finish with success. If your dog performs a new trick a few times, dont become a drill sergeant. Stop the lesson and move on to something else so your dog can end the session with a sense of accomplishment.

Walk This Way

A daily walk provides the perfect opportunity to introduce new tricks to your dog. However, before you begin with the tricks, you first must increase your own curb appeal so that your dog pays attention to you rather than to that squirrel scampering up the oak tree, that stray soccer ball kicked in your path, or that beckoning smell of a deposit left on your route by the beagle who lives up the street.

How do you do this? Its easy: before you head out the door, bring a bag of treats cut into itty-bitty bite-and- swallow pieces. Then, make sure your dog knows the watch