The performing of dog tricks, while not a necessary part of a
dog’s education, is an accomplishment that offer dog owners and
his friends a great deal of amusement and adds materially to the
value of a dog.
All dogs can be taught tricks, but some breeds have a special
aptitude in that direction. At the head of the list of trick
dogs is the poodle, as he takes to the performance of tricks as
if it was second nature, and he is the main reliance of all
showmen dogs.
Newfoundlands, St. Bernards and Great Danes learn without
difficulty, while the collies and spaniels are very intelligent;
the terriers are quick learners and among the toy dog breed, the
Yorkshire Terrier, Toy Fox Terrier and Toy Poodle are highly
spoken of and can pick up tricks almost effortlessly.
In selecting the tricks that are to be taught a dog, the owner
must show some discretion and no attempt should be made to teach
dogs tricks that are not within their powers. For example, a big
St. Bernard or Great Dane is sadly out of place or rather almost
unachievable attempting to sit up, walk on his hind legs or
dance.
These dog breeds are physically incapable of doing such tricks
and persistent attempts to train them are really toying with
their dignity. They can, however, with appropriate guidance and
training taught to fetch and carry, jump, shake hands or speak.
Talking about specialty, it is interesting to note that dog
breed such as spaniels are particularly apt at fetching and
carrying, collies can learn to count and speak readily, and the
terriers have a wide sphere of possibilities.
Dogs which are to be taught tricks must have their education
begun early in life, so that the playfulness of puppy hood can
be taken advantage of, for as dogs mature they take on a
sedateness and seriousness that increases the difficulty of
teaching them to assume unnatural positions, whereas, with a
puppy a trick can be made more or less a matter of play and he
will enjoy going through with it.
In the general education and training tricks to a puppy, very
little punishment should be given and in trick puppy training no
punishment at all. A dog can be forced to do certain things, but
if forced he generally acts so slow and sulky that it detracts
from his performance, whereas, if he is coaxed into doing them
and performs because he likes to, he will go through with his
act with an enthusiasm and spontaneous that is most attractive
and fun loving.
For these reasons you must not get overly excited while training
your young dog nor speak loud, nor cuff and whip him, but should
by frequent good-natured repetition of the same performance
persuade and coax him to assume certain attitudes or do certain
things, and when he has done so, praise him; he will then know
that you appreciate what he has done. It is also most desirable
to reward him with plentiful of praise and treats.
To end, remember not all dogs can perform every single dog
tricks, as some breeds do have some physical limitations. Even
so, enjoy teaching your dog “achievable” new tricks, and most
importantly have fun along the way!
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