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ОглавлениеTrick training is a great way to have fun with your dogs.
Photo credit: Kathleen Tepperies
Welcome to Tricks in the City! If you’re here, you probably have the best dog in the world and you’re looking for ways to have more fun with your pup, and maybe even teach them an impressive trick or two. Trick training is something that all dogs (and people) can have fun with together, and the best thing is, you don’t need any kind of expensive equipment, and you don’t have to travel anywhere to do it. Trick training can happen in your living room or on your daily walks. All you need is a little bit of time, and some treats!
I used to think that this training was just something fun to do with dogs, and it absolutely is, but I’ve also seen firsthand the way that trick training can literally transform a dog’s life. It also has the capacity to foster a stronger relationship between people and their dogs. Trick training can take you and your dogs in many directions—not only is it fun, it is also the foundation for the work that animal actors are doing when we see them in our favorite movies and on TV. Trick training is a tremendous amount of fun, and it’s something that everyone (even kids) can do with any dog, from the youngest puppy to the oldest senior pooch. Dogs are hardwired to want to work with us and please us, and I’m no biologist, but I believe that we’re pretty hardwired to want to work with dogs; we just don’t always know how to communicate with one another. If you are looking to find ways to spend more time with your dog, or if you and your dog already spend a lot of time training but you’re looking for something low-pressure to enjoy together, trick training is perfect for you!
Training should always be fun for you and, most importantly, for your dog. Dogs learn best when they are getting “paid,” so as we start to teach tricks, we are going to be using lots of treats and/or toys. Basically, whatever is most motivating to your dogs is what we are going to be using. As trick trainers, our goal is to make instructions to our dogs as clear as possible, and make training as fun as possible. Any kind of training that resorts to pain, intimidation, or fear (such as “alpha dynamics”) is not only cruel and inhumane, but has been scientifically proven to be ineffective and damaging to the relationship between dog and guardian. The same is true for prong collars and shock collars (or e-collars, as they are becoming commonly referred to).
Training your dog and spending time with your dog should be fun. We don’t want to do anything that will in any way hurt your relationship with one another, which is what pain-based or punitive training does.
