Zelda's Tricks!

These are the tricks Zelda Knows. I will make sure to put a description of each trick, and some tips so you guys can teach your dogs too!

Sit: This one's pretty straight forward. I say sit, and she sits on the floor. To teach your dog this, you're going to need a lure, such as a favorite toy or a dog treat. Ok, now get down on the floor at the dogs level. Put the lure in front of the dog's nose, just close enough for t hem to try to get it. Slowly sort of move the lure up, and past their nose, above their heads. Hopefully the dog will sit, and right as it does, say sit. Then give them lots of love.

Lay down: This one is straight forward too. I do a hand motion and say Lay down, and zelda lays on the floor. Personally, I didn't really teach zelda this. She just exausted every possibility of what I could be asking her, till she laid down, at which point I gave her the treat. I would, erm, actually find a better way to do this.

Shake:  I personally like this one. I hold out my hand and say shake, and zelda puts her paw onto my hand. To teach this, I said shake, and then gently picked up her paw and shaked it. Eventually she was so eager to get the treat/lure that she put her paw up into my had before I could pick it up.

High Five: One of my favorites! I put up my hand and say high-five, and zelda highfives me. This isn't an easy one to explain for me. Zelda just started doing it on her own, after she knew shake. Just, keep some patience and you'll get it eventually.

Dance: This one is pretty funny, actually. I stand up, make a hand signal, and say dance, and zelda stands on two legs and spins around in circles. Actually, right now on the videos page you can see her dancing. This isn't something that all dogs can do, so if it's not happening, don't push it. To teach it, first encourage the dog to stand on it's hind legs. Then spin the treat above their head, and just be patient. It's not an easy trick to grasp.

Jump: Be considerate teaching this one, because it's about asking your dog to run over hurdles. Anyway, the idea is, I call zelda, and she runs over a series of hurdles (see the first page) Basically, I just started with a small pole, and kept asking her to go a little bit higher each time. And remember, like I said, be carefull. Don't yet teach young puppies to jump, and don't go to high, as it's very stressful on the joints.