5 Fun tricks for a rainy day

Winter's coming, the day gets shorter and it's long between days that are enjoyable for long walks. Why not fill the day with some fun tricks? Good for your dog and it's bonding. So get out your clicker or voice and some tasty treats or fun toys.

1. Close the door.

In «Close the door» there's 3 elements or 4. Walk up to the door. Step on mark. Push the door. The last one's optional and that's the dog returning to you. This trick require targeting. Most dogs find targeting easy and fun. The target should be removable, like a light glued sticker or a post it note. You can choose between putting it directly on the door or start by putting it on the floor. If you haven't used target with your dog before, that would most likely be the easiest road. After the dog gets confident in the door target, you can gradually remove it, till there's no target left. Beethoven learned this trick after just 2 or 3 minutes, but he's floating with targeting and we have done a lot with it already.

2. Roll up in a blanket.

A little more advanced trick, but it could be practical too in a rainy day if you teach the dog to roll up in a towel. I don't know about you, but my pup find it very fun to play around while I'm trying to dry him off with a towel. Running around with dirty paws and rubbing himself up against everything. After I thought him this, it has been less of a play time and more for bonding. (less washing for me as well...)

There's many elements to this trick, so it may not be suitable as one of the first. The dog needs to walk up to the blanket/towel. Lay down on top of it. Bite the blanket. Hold the blanket. Roll over. Roll over while holding the blanket in his mouth. To be able to teach your dog how to do it, you've to be familiar with the backwards chaining method. All 6 steps needs to be floating before putting it together in one trick. Be aware it may take long to teach it. Remember patience are the keyword for all kinds of training.

3. Lick the mouth.
   One silly trick which isn't useful in any other way than charming viewers. But hey, it's important to charming, right? There's many ways to teach this trick. One way could be to put something on the dogs muzzle to make him lick his mouth. Another's to catch him in the act. Dogs lick their mouth a lot, some more than other. Keep your clicker ready to click for any type of tongue or mouth movement. The more you click, the more the dog will try to figure it out. For some dogs, such small things as licking can be ignored as a reward giving behavior, so be patient. When the dog are confident and conscious on the behavior, add the word «Lick» or what ever you want to call it, every time he does the behavior. Soon the dog will do it automatically when you say the command.
   
   
4. Jump up on thigh.
   To teach this trick you could use the shaping method. Start with sitting with your feet underneath you. Click when the dog steps on top of your lap. Gradually increase the requirements and change position till you are sitting like a proposal. If your dog isn't that in favor of walking on top of you, try starting out with some targeting. When your dog are confident in the behavior, you can add a command if you like.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Name the toy(s).
   This is a naming game, sorta. Could be used for further training like put his toys back in the basket after use. Very simple to teach. Every time the pup picks up a toy, say the name you want to call it and click. After some time you'll see that the pup will be able to pick out the toy with only the command. That's simply it, and it could be practical if used correctly.

Do you have any fun tricks to share? Comment if you like and tell us about them. :)

What's a clicker?

Short said, a clicker are a marker for reward. Like a camera, you catch the wanted behavior. The clicker are used for making precise rewarding easy. «That thing you did in that very second was good. Here's your reward, let's see if you figure out what you just did.» A clicker wise dog will try to figure out what made the clicker click to get more rewards. A clicker should never be used for negative punishment, for marking bad behavior.

There's a variety of clickers out there, all from the I-clicker by Karen Pryor to the multiclicker or the simple box clicker. Try out a variety of them to figure out what kind of clickers you prefer. Personally I use a I-clicker outdoors and a multiclicker indoors, since the I-clicker have a clean and high sound and the multiclicker can be turned down in volume. They also are easy to put on for instance a bracelet. There's also some types that's built in on a target stick, making it easier to handle than the clicker, the stick, the leash and reward. For a beginner it's enough to deal with the reward and clicker, and maybe the leash under the foot to make sure the dog doesn't run off.

So where can I get one clicker, you may ask. You should be able to get clickers at your local pet shop or a well-stocked one. Some also make one themselves.

A variety of clickers;