Does Everyone Train Their Dogs To Do Tricks?

[Guest Doggone]

I adopted Autumn a little over two weeks ago, and so far, it's as if she came with manners to fit into my life very well. She's seven, and was a brood mama (16 pups in 3 litters). She's very settled and cooperative (probably so glad to leave that life and retire ). She just seems happy to finally relax and enjoy our shared retirement.

I can't think of any trick that's really important to me for her to do. She does "good pet" well enough for me, and doesn't seem bored at all.

I've had other dogs; some loved learning tricks (and needed "jobs", especially an Australian Shepard mix, and a rat terrier). The other two didn't care to exert themselves any more than to learn house rules. Autumn seems to fall in that category.

Would I be remiss in just enjoying her behaving the way she does and not demand more of her?

[Yamaha_gurl]

Recall is top. It's a "trick" that can save their lives if they are ever loose. Knowing to shake a paw will never help them in life lol.

[Hubcitypam]

Recall and wait which aren't really tricks.

[SilversMom]

Other than the typical commands, my guy will do a play bow on command. He will "go out for a pass" so I can throw him a treat. If he is too close he will "go long" which means go farther away. Val

[OwnedBySummer]

We have come, sit, lie down, get in, up and off (also with hand commands). She will also naturally stand on her hind legs, sort of a jump, for a toy held high, so I'm working on having her do that on command. Not exactly useful but since she does it anyway, what the heck.

 

I would like her to "shake a paw" as it would amuse the seniors when we do our therapy dog visits but she hasn't caught on to that one yet.

[Guest Doggone]

Oh, I agree that those aren't tricks.

I was thinking more of things like "sit", "give paw", etc. As it is, how she gets down from standing, through sort of sitting, to getting onto her belly, is an exercise in gawkiness. If by accident she stops in a "sit" position, it looks unbelievably awkward and uncomfortable; not a picture I need to see more of .

I guess I'll just see how it goes.

[Feisty49]

My Annie has no interest in tricks and honestly I have no interest in teaching her tricks. She knows wait, stay, come, lay down (but will only do it on her bed), get it and leave it, but still has no recall if she's loose in an enclosed area and sniffing or running around. I don't know if she'll ever have good recall. She'll come to me in the house or when she's on a leash and plants herself, but that's different than being loose somewhere.

 

Thankfully tricks aren't needed to be a good Greyhound, and without being certified, Annie and I visit a nursing home every Wednesday afternoon and she does her therapy for the folks there just by being her calm, quiet, loving self.

[JJNg]

I think it just comes down to personal preference. I don't find it necessary to teach my dogs all kinds of commands. They know sit and come, and respond to their names. Other than that, they are well-behaved in the house, know their routine, walk nicely on leash, and we enjoy just hanging out together. I know there are many people who enjoy teaching tricks, and dogs who enjoy the mental stimulation it provides, but there's nothing wrong with not doing it either if it's not your thing.

[Guest Doggone]

My Annie has no interest in tricks and honestly I have no interest in teaching her tricks. She knows wait, stay, come, lay down (but will only do it on her bed), get it and leave it, but still has no recall if she's loose in an enclosed area and sniffing or running around. I don't know if she'll ever have good recall. She'll come to me in the house or when she's on a leash and plants herself, but that's different than being loose somewhere.

 

Thankfully tricks aren't needed to be a good Greyhound, and without being certified, Annie and I visit a nursing home every Wednesday afternoon and she does her therapy for the folks there just by being her calm, quiet, loving self.

Annie sounds a lot like Autumn. Just calm and sedate.

I'm thinking that maybe wherever she was kept as a brood mama, there was someone who may have taught her things like come, wait, stay, etc. She pretty much leaves things alone, other than her toys, raw hides, etc. that I give her. If not, an "uh-uh" will deter her. The more I think about it, the more I think that someone, somewhere, worked with her, because she seems to know most commands, just no tricks .

(I know it wasn't her fosters, since she was only there about two weeks, some of that time recovering from spaying and a few tooth extractions.)

[vjgrey]

My three all do sit, lay and "foot," (shake). The "foot" comes in handy when I need to towel off their wet feet, but I don't think any of it is necessary - just fun.

[Sambuca]

Some basic stuff is probably a good idea, but otherwise its personal preference. I'm coming to realize that Bu knows a ton of stuff because hes really smart and I'm consistent with what I say to him. For example, when I go upstairs I'll say "Bu, upstairs". Bu would naturally follow do he eventually learned it as a command just by hearing it constantly. Now if hes annoying me I tell him to go upstairs and he'll go up without me. He also knows u-turn because whenever we turn around on a walk I say it. One day at an off leash park he decided to go home with someone else and wouldn't listen to "come". For some reason I yelled "u-turn" and he immediately turned around and came to me. Sailor, on the other hand, its very pretty.

[jetcitywoman]

The only trick for us is that I taught Capri how to catch a treat. It was an accidental thing, though. I lobbed a treat at her head and she snapped at it, which then turned into a fun game. She's pretty good and has caught stuff that I threw at her when she wasn't expecting it.

 

Contrast that with Ajax.... I've beaned him in the face with about 1000 treats by now and he never, ever even tries to snap at them. Now he just gets a slightly annoyed look on his face, so I don't do it anymore. ...much...

[Feisty49]

The only trick for us is that I taught Capri how to catch a treat. It was an accidental thing, though. I lobbed a treat at her head and she snapped at it, which then turned into a fun game. She's pretty good and has caught stuff that I threw at her when she wasn't expecting it.

 

Contrast that with Ajax.... I've beaned him in the face with about 1000 treats by now and he never, ever even tries to snap at them. Now he just gets a slightly annoyed look on his face, so I don't do it anymore. ...much...

 

 

much This made me seriously laugh loudly. Sometimes we just gotta do a little extra something for our enjoyment.

[DesiRayMom]

Desi has instructed me to inform all that he is R-E-T-I-R-E-D. Which in his definition means "not required to work."

His sole purpose in life is to provide love & handsomeness.

[krissy]

Summit knows all his basic and not so basic commands which I don't consider tricks: Sit, down, wait, come, back up, down in the middle of a run, heel, automatic sit at the side, touch hand or target.

 

Then we ran out of purely obedience stuff so we started into "tricks" (some of which are not exclusively tricks): shake a paw, other paw (useful for putting on sweaters or wiping feet), spin, bow, "be stealthy" (belly crawl), roll (roll flat on his side from a down, useful for nail trims and exams).

 

I think that is it right now. I ran out of "tricks" I cared to teach.

[Guest june]

I have three girls. Each one is different. One needs and loves to learn and the list of things she does is astounding. The second one does a few things that she enjoys and the third does very little. This is based on what they need or want to learn. They, all three, do have a good recall and understand the "wait" command which I believe are essential for their safety. So I guess I'd say it is up to you and Autumn what you work on. I would recommend teaching some safety commands like recall and wait.

[Laur]

My greys learned 'wait', learned to get their feet wiped off and shift their weight when I said 'next'.

They learned 'shake paw' because they were doing it for attention and so we gave it a name..

Only one of my 3 would sit occassionally...when she felt like it.

I did not insist they learn' sit' on command because if it were comfortable for them I'm sure they would have been doing it on their own so I figured it would be like someone wanting to teach me to bungie jump ...sure, I may be capable..but NO WAY !

[RedHead]

Teague knows the basic "come" and "stay" I haven't bothered with sit because he won't do it.

 

He does know some tricks like spin around, shake a paw, bow, and he will bump your face with his nose for "kiss." I just do it because I think it is fun to work with him with the clicker and he is the type of dog who gets really antsy without exercise and stimulation. He didn't get it at all at first, but now he is much more engaged. It isn't work for him, it's just something we do for fun!

[GeorgeofNE]

Basic obedience commands (sit, stay, come, heel, down) are not tricks, in my opinion. Shake, roll over, play dead--those are tricks.

 

I can barely get George to do the basic commands. Life is too short to spend it teaching a dog who has ZERO interest in tricks to do them!

 

Now, my last dog? He was a sponge! He knew all kinds of stuff, and he really enjoyed learning. George enjoys eating, sleeping, and going on walks.

[Guest shanesmom]

I taught some tricks to Elton. Like taking a bow, catching and whispering and the basic commands like sit, lay down and stay. He enjoyed learning and was highly treat motivated.

 

Ace has been here a year and a half and has only learned sit and stay. He is not at all treat motivated which made it harder for me to train him. He is scared to try new things too so I just let it go. He doesn't have to do tricks. The basic behaviors are all that matters and he's such a good boy.

[OwnedBySummer]

Oooo, I forgot that I also taught Summer "nails". So she'll jump up on the couch and lie on her left side, all four feet stuck out. And then we dremel. She also knows to hang around standing and wait for her "jammies". And "bedtime".

[maggiespet]

WOW - I've really gotten this messed up. Maggie has trained me to open the back door when she stands in front of me and tilts her head, give her the screaming monkey when she barks at me and give her hugs and kisses when she flips her long nose under my elbow. I, on the other hand, have trained her to look pretty and lounge about smartly. Oh wait - she already knew how o do that stuff. I gave up on most commands. She's just not treat motivated or inclined to work. That's OK with me!

[Guest Doggone]

WOW - I've really gotten this messed up. Maggie has trained me to open the back door when she stands in front of me and tilts her head, give her the screaming monkey when she barks at me and give her hugs and kisses when she flips her long nose under my elbow. I, on the other hand, have trained her to look pretty and lounge about smartly. Oh wait - she already knew how o do that stuff. I gave up on most commands. She's just not treat motivated or inclined to work. That's OK with me!

Hmmmmmm.......I prefer to explain it as I'VE trained Autumn to do precisely what Maggie does!

[Guest gurehaundo]

Ace and Jac are perfect(ly lazy) so no tricks or commands are asked of them.

 

Tenn knows sit and hi-five. Ha! Obviously, we're not a trick-oriented family.

 

What is the purpose of teaching "touch" for those of you who've taught it? I'm just curious.

[kamsmom]

I adopted Autumn a little over two weeks ago, and so far, it's as if she came with manners to fit into my life very well. She's seven, and was a brood mama (16 pups in 3 litters). She's very settled and cooperative (probably so glad to leave that life and retire ). She just seems happy to finally relax and enjoy our shared retirement.

I can't think of any trick that's really important to me for her to do. She does "good pet" well enough for me, and doesn't seem bored at all.

I've had other dogs; some loved learning tricks (and needed "jobs", especially an Australian Shepard mix, and a rat terrier). The other two didn't care to exert themselves any more than to learn house rules. Autumn seems to fall in that category.

Would I be remiss in just enjoying her behaving the way she does and not demand more of her?

 

 

My parents were AKC obedience judges and we grew up training and boarding dogs. None of my dogs are obedience trained ... well, the lab does a few things just so that we can live in peace but for the most part my dogs are just dogs. I haven't done any formal obedience or tricks with any of them.