Our weather has been pretty nasty lately, with lots of ice, a little snow, and absurdly cold temps for our area. As a consequence, we haven't been getting out for as many walks and outdoor adventures as normal. Something we have been doing to try to make up for it is doing tricks for dinner. I sit on the floor with a bowl of Ptera's kibble for the day, and we run through her tricks. Well, we've been doing this so much that she has most of her tricks down pat, at least here at home. So I decided to add a new trick.
I call this trick "tuck" and the point is for her to tuck her front leg in under her. She started offering it occasionally when we were working on her "chin" cue (to drop her chin to the ground or an object in front of her), so I mostly just waited for her to offer it and rewarded. I don't use a clicker, but I do use the marker word "yes" along with verbal encouragement such as talking to her when she is doing it right.
This video is from about 5 minutes after first starting to capture the behavior.
What have you been doing to save your sanity in crazy winter weather?
What a smartypants! Thanks for the new trick idea! We're working on two new tricks: uncued picking up and bringing my hat and/or mittens if I drop them while hiking (started indoors, now practicing on the trail), and refreshing "Go say hi". We realized in a reactive dog class that our socially inept Habi had no idea how rude it was to run up to another dog's face. So we ask Obi to downstay, and are re-shaping Habi to sniff his butt (we started this a year ago, but forgot to keep up with it). The cue will be "Go say hi". We LOVE shaping!
ReplyDeleteShe is sooo cute! I love the excitement and how fast she does the move!
ReplyDeleteAlso, great new photo at the top of your page!
She is so cute! This is a great trick for her. I would love to see the videos of the other tricks she does.
ReplyDelete