So, there is this little trick training challenge going on!

What do I love more? A trick training challenge or chocolate? Um.........geez, that's a tough one! We were given a Lizzy's Chocolate Cheesecake for Valentine's Day from one of Rich's radio reps. OH THANK YOU Radio Rep!!!

I feel like we have a head start. The challenge is to teach your dog to "Go Whiz" on command. The trick is not the whizzing part, they all do that, but a leg lift that looks like the dog is whizzing. My dogs all have some sort of hind end awareness. As you saw with Roscoe's videos, he will kick and climb something with his back feet into a hand stand. Spur will limp, a little, still working on getting that better. Colby has some some hand stand back end work, but not much. So, here's how it went last night our first session.......
Colby just surpassed both Spur and Roscoe! I should have figured. She has done SOME hind end up on the couch before, but really not much so she was kind of a clean slate. I am using a jump bar held vertical to try to get really specific targeting. She gets it! If she were a human I think she might have slapped her hands together said....."Got it! Next trick, please!", but it isn't on cue or perfect by any means. Cute, though, that she so quickly figured out to lift her back foot and search to feel for the bar and hold her foot still on it! Miss Colby Carlson is another smaartiepants! Another session and we may have it on cue? She can be SO quick learning tricks, which is kind of silly because I haven't taught her that many.

Spur - he is still thinking. My thinker. And he worries about jump bars, that one. So, this is good work. Him putting his back foot on the bar and holding it is good work! He'll get it pretty quick. He is offering without prompts, some, but at times I have to adjust him and manipulate his body in place so he can hit the bar to get him going again. He already knew leg lift, so it's pretty easy for him once he stops worrying about the blasted jump bar. Worry wart!

Roscoe, good GRIEF, he is SO not getting it. My doer......offering kicks, hand stands (seriously, I had to stop and laugh at him because he was doing a La handstand - back feet thrusted sky-ward, nose on the ground!!), back ups, certainly nothing STILL!!! OI! At lightening speed, so capturing a still foot is near impossible. I ended up actually holding his foot in the air and clicking that. Will that work? Is that just lame? I dunno, but at least I was clicking for stillness, damnit. :O This was session one.