Saturday, January 2, 2010

Just For Fun

So I uploaded last month's Just For Fun item last night. Curious?  Click here.

As all work and no play makes dogs just as dull as people, these are included in my Canine Curriculum to bring zest amidst a sea of boring sits and stays.

There are two lists. One is for "pure" tricks:



... and the other for more useful things:



(clicking on either shows a larger image)

I have intentionally picked things I think my Golden Retrievers would enjoy learning, and would actually be good at (hence the high number of "horse" items at the bottom of the first list. For some reason, Zachary always seems very pony like to me.)

By all means, feel free to offer further suggestions!

From a canine point of view, is there really a difference between learning to balance a cookie on your nose vs. doing a perfect Front? In theory, there shouldn't be, but I bet there is. My mood is much lighter and the atmosphere much less tense when we are working on the "fun stuff" and the dogs do seem to really enjoy it.

I think there is a lesson in there (for me!) that in the end, everything I teach my dogs could probably be considered either work or a trick. It all depends on how I teach it.

No comments: