I teach the "down" more as a trick than for something useful. I never use it, except as another behaviour I can ask for when I'm doing focus exercises. They think it's fun as I've never used it seriously. ETA - it actually comes in very useful, now I've said that, for getting them to roll onto their backs, which I use a lot for checking for ticks!
Yes it is a good one for rolling over to check for ticks or injuries, also for any occasion at the vet or on public transport. I think we can forget how these cues can come in handy sometimes! x
I like teaching tricks it was great with Moo and I just starting to teach Rory a few dance moves hes a lefty. I just find it a bit unfair of total strangers to come up to my dog a go paw paw and expecting the dog to deliver and the let themselves be touched by a stranger. I wouldn't like it and I've seen dogs obviously not enjoying it much. We expect a lot from our dogs I just like to think they do have some physical choices.
It drives me mad when strangers as my dogs to sitsitsitsitsit. Why do people think that's appropriate? I think I might train Shadow that it's a cue to cock his leg on them...
My one failure is definitely proofing loose leash walking other than in our boring neighbourhood. She's a nightmare on trails and near water. However, she knows paw, other paw, high five, down, touch, up, dropping her ball into our hands and allll sorts of useless tricks
Never knew to teach shake. Think it could come in handy - towel wouldn't get so wet when drying him off. Taught "good day" for give paw. Fabulous party trick, kids love it. He'll do paw for any "good ...": good evening, good morning, good holidays, good whatever you want. He must be set up for it though: sitting, know what's coming, hand moves in with"good" as the cue. Snowie never paws otherwise, thankfully, so no probs there. Never taught settle. Not sure telling a dog to relax is that relaxing? Well, the way they taught it at (horrible) dog school was to shout it and stand on the leash. Altho we do say "go sleepy" to tell him enough begging, go to your bed and relax. Works! Down and Roll Over is great for the vet. I hated when the vet manually tipped him over! Now I insist we use a treat and ask Snowie to roll over if they need to see his tummy.
Even I've taught that! Although I say that in the loosest sense.. he knows what it means. Whether he chooses to listen is another matter altogether..
I feel a bit the same @Joy about tricks. Didn't like the idea and when the trainer in class asked us all to come prepared with a trick I was a bit sniffy about it. But he explained it's good for them to work their brains and it tires them out etc so I have entered into the spirit of it. A bit . Plum does seem to enjoy it too.
They all seem to like really silly things the worst Doug did stuff the more I laughed and the more he loved it you should have seen him doing doggy dancing. The grace the beauty but we had fun
I think the thing about tricks is that they don't really matter, so you can be lighthearted about their training -and of course then they become easy.
ONe I did try to teach was Salute. Or Wave, however it turns out with your dog. Our trainer put a piece of sticky note paper above each dog's right eyebrow. The dogs put their paw up to wipe it off and turned it into a salute or wave. Every dog in our class did, till she got to Oban. He just sat there, not minding the paper stuck to his head, looking at us quizzically with a big, "What?" in his expression. So he doesn't do those either.
