Shippo Gives Paw!

[Cheetah]

YAY! I burned some tiny hot dog pieces in the microwave (I know, not healthy, but it seems to be like doggy crack, and not a regular part of his diet anyway haha), got the clicker out, and waited for Shippo to offer his paw. Usually, he'll paw softly at me if I'm down on the ground and he approaches, so I figured it wouldn't take too long, but of course, the one time I wanted him to do it, he sat there and looked at me lmao... >9.9<

Finally, I just tried my best to get him excited enough that he'd paw in his excitement, and stuck my hand under his raised paw and clicked. Shippo was like "Holy crap, how did I manage THAT?!" and got his hot dog piece. After the first time, he walked circles around me, sitting and lying down to see if that was it. Finally, he walked up to me again and got ready to paw, and I slipped my hand under his paw again and clicked. I think it was at that point he figured out what to do to get those yummy burned hot dogs.

For the next 5-10 minutes, we worked on "paw" and by the end, we had connected the word to it. Hooray! Shippo knows how to give paw! Tomorrow we'll try it again. >^_^<

[Michael Romanos]

The secret of a dog learning new tricks is a little time, persistency and patience on the part of the handler - and it is remarkable how many dog owners just don't bother and yet are envious of those dogs who can do all sorts of things - like shaking hands on command or gesture.

I have got Taylor crouching down on command or gesture and if I go to get a treat from the pantry or tell him I am going to get one for him, he will often now second guess me and crouch in front of the pantry foldaway door whether I want this reaction or not.

[Cheetah]

After I'm sure he knows "paw" all the way (it's possible he might forget after only one session lmao), we'll be learning "take a bow," since he offers the behavior quite often when greeting people (instead of jumping up, he drops to the floor and does this stretch thing, which looks like a bow). I've already taught him to roll over, and I'm also trying to figure out how to excite him enough to where he barks so I can teach him "speak" (Shippo is remarkably quiet for a corgi, apparently). He's also learning "turn," where he turns in a circle. After that, he'll learn "spin," which of course is where he "turns" in the other direction. Also, he knows "touch," where he touches my hand with his nose.

Actually, upon typing this, it seems I've taught him a lot more things than I thought! I just love teaching my dogs new things, and I'm absolutely in love with the clicker after seeing first hand how easy it makes things. >^_^<

[Michael Romanos]

I'm somehow frightened to use a clicker for agility training probably because I feel comfortable it what we achieve without one. Shippo is going to be a hell of a performer. I'd love to see a sequence of what he can do when you have completed at least the first few stages of his education.

Taylor stretches sometimes too - especially when I or my wife arrive home in the car and are parking the vehicle in the garage. Taylor will be near the other end in side the garage by the internal door, and he will stretch out. And he does this on the odd occasion when we go to my son's school and into the school grounds where kids (sometimes in droves) beeline towards him. I think it is a form of winding up or winding down in the expectation of what happens next - meeting and greeting.

Dogs yawn not because of tiredness - but because of the winding up or winding down processes of expectation.

I think you should make a barking sound as part of your training him to speak on request. I taught three of my Corgis to sneeze on request. It got really funny and crazy - I would sneeze, the Corgi would sneeze, I would sneeze and rattle my head at the same time, the Corgi would do the same. On and on it would go until I decided that seven or eiight in a row were enough.

Mind you if Taylor knew the sneezing trick, we wouild have easily won the Best Dog Trick contest at a recent carnival.

At the moment I am suppose to be training Taylor to run fast with me strictly at heel and off-leash in a long line before going into circles of eight. I think we need more concerted efforts than what has transpired thus far.

[ZdogZ]

Way to go, Shippo!

[Fluffypants]

Yay Shippo!

[dcole]

Good job, Shippo!!

[darci]

Wooo Hooo For Shippo.