Tricks?

[Puppy]

i knew a dog once that balanced a treat on his nose, and when commanded nocked back his head, making the treat go into the air and then catch it in mid-air and eat it. he was a lab,very clever.

[Gempress]

Look into the training for service dogs. They teach dogs to do fairly complicated behaviors that are used on a daily basis, and that might be the ticket. It would be great if your dog could turn off the light for you, etc.

A nifty trick I taught my golden was how to unlock the sliding glass patio door with her nose. I always kept forgetting my house key, so it was a necessity.

My neighbor taught her dog how to find her car keys. She was always losing them, so she taught her dog how to find them by scent.

My husband's rott/shepherd mix taught himself how to work doorknobs with his mouth, so he could let himself in and out of the house as he pleased. That might be a good trick. On the other hand, that might also open a big can of worms...

[gaddylovesdogs]

What about teaching her to back up on command? I think I know of a site that some bunch of ideas, too...just a second....http://www.loveyourdog.com/tricks.html

[Muttlies3]

They know to jump over things, back up, and flip treats off their nose. Thank you though!!

I may try the turning on the light suggestion, however I don't know if my family members would appreciate the dogs jumping on the walls to get to the switches. I have a feeling the whole door thing could bring us into trouble. :P

[yoko]

i have this thing with yoshi where i'll make her sit and then throw a treat on the ground. then i'll say check it out and she'll circle it and sit down. and i can say taste it and she'll lick it and then if i say back up you're too close she'lll jump backwards. i can get her to lay down and scoot toward it on her stomach and she won't eat it until i tell her too. not very useful... but it's fun to watch

[GlassOnion]

One trick I've seen that greatly impressed me was the owner doing a shootout with the dog.

She'd stand with her hands in her pockets and go "Draw!" the dog would then bark and she'd pull out her hands in the shape of guns. She'd then go "Too slow" and the dog would sit back on her haunches and put her front paws in the air. She'd then go "Bang!" and the dog layed down on her side and lolled her tongue out as if she'd been shot.

It was very awesome.
The dog was a sheltie by the way.

[SiberianMaster]

So far my guy only nows how to shake hands But eventually want to teach him to jump over my arm extended out, jump over my other dogs which are at a sit and stay command. There is a really cool book that has tons of dog tricks in it. I'll have to get the title of it...