Greyt Tricks Anyone?!

[Guest Rubysmama]

Hey everyone!

I'm currently taking my pup Ruby to a Beginner Obedience class, and our homework is to teach your dog a trick (using positive reenforcement) to present to the class on the last day- three weeks from now! I'm mostly in the class to bond with her and practice general manners and it is going well, she's a smart little lady. Ruby so far knows how to sit, lay down, and stay but I've never really bothered with tricks with any of my dogs- any ideas for easy tricks that a motivated greyhound could do?

 

 

Pics of your dogs doing tricks are always welcome 😃

[NeylasMom]

Spin is a fun one that's easy to teach. Make it more advanced by teaching 2 cues, one for each direction. Playbow on cue. Zuri does the army crawl. I taught Neyla to "blow bubbles". I would say blow bubbles and she would stick her nose in a bowl of water and make bubbles. Teach her to do her own nails by scratching a piece of wood with sandpaper on it. That's what I've got at the moment.

[3greytjoys]

Spin is a fun one that's easy to teach. Make it more advanced by teaching 2 cues, one for each direction.

This is a great one. Teaching two directions can also be used as a shaping behavior for other cues later.

 

Our hounds respond with such delight and heads held high when responding to "heel left" vs. "heel right" during leashed walks.

(In our case of walking multiple hounds, it provides the entire group a useful clear indication whenever making a turn.)

[macoduck]

Neylasmom, how do you teach "blow bubbles"? Mazy will probably think I'm trying to drown her.

[FiveRoooooers]

"CATCH" is a fun trick - we use Pepperidge Farm goldfish or mooshies or mini milkbones. Also, putting a treat on the end of the hounds' nose and telling them to "WAIT" until you release them, "ALL DONE".

 

Aiden is a therapy dog and I want him to have some water before he gets out of the car but he is often of the opinion that he does not need/want any water. I have tiny kibble treats just for this purpose: Toss a few into a dish of water and he's "DIVING" for treats and getting his drink. (Ducky, "Diving" also induces bubbles )

Edited October 15, 2015 by FiveRoooooers

[AnneGTS]

Spriet loves the "push" command (she learned this during a Treibball class).

There are lots of fun things you can do when she knows "push". Here's a video of Spriet closing the kitchen drawers or rolling dice

[beledi]

Ring a desk bell. I used peanut butter on it. When he licked or pawed it it rang. Now he just uses his paw.

[Guest Rubysmama]

Good ideas everyone, thank you for your replies! I think I'll try the spin both ways and I'll see if we can learn to finish with a bow too

 

 

Spriet loves the "push" command (she learned this during a Treibball class).

There are lots of fun things you can do when she knows "push". Here's a video of Spriet closing the kitchen drawers or rolling dice

That's such a good idea! I can't get the videos to work on my phone but I'll try from the computer at work.

[GreytXpctations]

Carlos has perfected "lay down", "stay" and "play dead". He is also good at "don't get up", "go to bed", and "come and eat". He learned "don't fetch" almost by instinct, he was so quick to catch on. I suspect he may have trained us to some extent.

 

His only real "trick" is when we point a finger gun at him and say "bang!". The he drops and plays dead. It's easier if you go with what they know

[NeylasMom]

Neylasmom, how do you teach "blow bubbles"? Mazy will probably think I'm trying to drown her.

It's a shaping exercise (I used a clicker). The blowing bubbles happens automatically when the dog puts his or her nose in the water so you only have to teach the dog to put their nose in and hold it a bit. You could also use a luring method and just drop a treat in the bowl, but there's the potential for the dog to find it aversive and then that's the end of that. Go here, scroll down to the watch section and click on the third video link for a demo of Karen Pryor doing it with her dog (which is where I got the idea):

http://reachingtheanimalmind.com/chapter_02.html

 

 

It's actually a fairly easy behavior to teach if your dog doesn't find putting his or her nose in the water aversive and it's a real crowd pleaser. I did this with Neyla to use in the best trick contest at our annual picnic and everyone loved it. Just pay attention to your dog - if she starts to lose interest or speed when you get to where she's actually putting her nose in, she may not be enjoying it and it's probably a good idea to abandon it. Neyla didn't mind it at all, Zuri didn't seem to really love it so I only finished teaching it to her.

 

Sadly I don't think I got her doing it on video, which I really regret.

Edited October 15, 2015 by NeylasMom

[Guest Rubysmama]

Carlos has perfected "lay down", "stay" and "play dead". He is also good at "don't get up", "go to bed", and "come and eat". He learned "don't fetch" almost by instinct, he was so quick to catch on. I suspect he may have trained us to some extent.

 

His only real "trick" is when we point a finger gun at him and say "bang!". The he drops and plays dead. It's easier if you go with what they know

 

Haha sounds like you've been trained well! Ruby is also a master of "Don't Get Up" also she's good at "Do Opposite of What I Say" and "Steal food off the counter"

[sobesmom]

I'm not a good trainer. I only teach what is practical in our house. But one thing I teach that is practical, that may qualify as a "trick" is "wipe your feet". Basically, it means, when a dog comes in from my fenced yard, walk around in a small circle to wipe their feet on the mat.

 

Basically to teach it, you catch the dog coming in the door, and hold a treat over their head, and move it around in a circle which they follow with their nose, and of course their feet. And say "wipe your feet". (or whatever - go in a circle). It gets them to walk around in a small circle a couple times on the floormat to clean off their feet! I now leave the door ajar and when DIana comes in from the yard say "wipe your feet!" and she does a couple circles on the door-rug then comes for a treat.

 

I'm all about practical training. But this could actually qualify as a trick.

Oh - have you tried STOP? Just hold a hand up and the dog stops moving? This is another one I taught out of necessity in my house, but it works fabulous when getting a dog on the scales at the vet's office. They walk on the scales, I lift up my hand and say "Stop" and the dog stops. Very useful.

 

The vet techs are always very impressed by that one.

[GreytXpctations]

I'm not a good trainer. I only teach what is practical in our house. But one thing I teach that is practical, that may qualify as a "trick" is "wipe your feet". Basically, it means, when a dog comes in from my fenced yard, walk around in a small circle to wipe their feet on the mat.

 

One of the women that used to volunteer with us had taught her dogs to do that. That was the first time I ever heard of it. Her old dog had done it for years (a BC, I think), so when she started with greys, it was the first thing she taught him. Very handy for the morning when the grass is dewey.

Edited November 5, 2015 by GreytXpctations

[Guest chickenpotpie]

Lucky knows "give me 5" "bang" "sing" "sit" "go find mommy/ daddy "(we taught her that after I fell down some stairs)

 

Though we had to stop using the word "yogurt" in front of her (its all his fault, just sayin...lol)

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

What we have taught a few hounds was "leave it". But the real trick was to put the hound into the sphinx position, then when "down" put a piece of hot dog on the paw. Say "leave it" and after 5 seconds, "release". It is an excellent way to teach a hound self-restraint which will show itself in many ways during the hound's regular daily activities.

[Guest Lupin290]

I taught my dog to "play dead" so he goes from "sphinx" position to laying on his side. This behavior is really easy to create by shaping, and is nice for vet visits and nail trims. Plus it is adorable.

[XTRAWLD]

I too had to show a "trick" for obedience with Ryder, and actually I'm still working on perfecting it. It's called "back" or "back-up". Essentially if he's too close to me and I need room, I tell him to "back"...and he should just move his body a step or two backward away from me to give me space. The result is 2 things....I get more room, but more importantly many greys dislike backing up, and forces their limbs to move in a direction they don't really normally would. Kasey would always prefer to turn and reposition, but he learned "back" really well and the "trick" made my life easier.

 

I can now make Ryder "back up" all the way across the room now....but some days are better than others

[RedHead]

I just taught my 4 rabbits to "spin" using a target stick and clicker. Very easy to teach (okay the rabbits learned it faster than the greyhound...lol).

 

"Kiss" is always easy too...not a lick kiss, but when they gently bump your face with their nose.

 

 

How did the trick class go??

[krissy]

Hand touches, perching on objects, leg weaves, backward leg weaves, bow, sit pretty, walk on hind legs, spin, wave, cross paws, walk between your legs, backward circles around you, arm hoops, crawl... and all sorts of other fun ones if you want to get ambitious.

[Samwise]

Sam knows "Jump" via command, and will get up on his hind legs with his paws on my chest via hand signal (treat held between index finger and thumb on my right hand, with the back of my hand against my forehead). We are trying to teach him more!