I’m reposting “Take the bow to teach you the play bow.” From September 2019 (well, see “One” below). But I’m glad I found it. Because, “If you can only teach your dog the ‘trick’, what would it be? Of course, what is the difference between “trick” and other behaviors we want to elicit?
This is from 9/2019: Our best friend Debbie g I recently visited with a report on how her dog Monty is doing. Monty was found on his porch a year ago in the spring, and was starving and approaching death. Here is a picture of what is poor right after he was discovered.
It’s not surprising, Although physically healthy now, Monty has many fears, including the sights of other dogs. The good news is that Debbie is a dedicated dog owner and she has an incredible team of trainers helping her. Her main goal is to walk down the street without him getting mad every time he sees another dog. They have made good progress, walking alongside one of his worthy and valuable gold in gold ing gold endowed woods, unstable, perhaps storing dog food to save rescue groups if they can get the car keys. I had only a few ideas to add to my treatment plan, and one of them taught the theatrical bow. As I said in my 3/19 post Working with a scary dog:
It’s hard to fear when you’re playing, and that applies to both people and dogs. One of my favorite clues for teaching nervous dogs is taking a bow. . . “Bow” is a gesture of encouraging dogs to play, and it’s difficult to be nervous and playful at the same time.
Monty reminded me of my absolute, greatest trick ever Teaching a dog is a play. I don’t know why we call it a trick. Because it’s the same as sitting or down. We simply put what the dogs are cueing anyway, right? What makes sitting and yourself interesting is in a way that asks the dog to suppress forward movements, pause and contain himself. They are a great way to get the attention of a dog, and to be honest, to take control of him.
But a play ball? Ah, hello! The dog moves downwards, but the movement is friendly and relaxed, and an invitation to many actions in the near future. There are so many benefits to putting a playbow in a cue, so if I were the Queen it would be part of all dog training classes in the universe. (Is that yours?)
There are many benefits to putting a playbow in a cue:
They relax nervous dogs As mentioned earlier, asking your dog to play a play bow automatically leads to relaxation. I taught Willie to play the bow on the cue and used it when we were working on his reaction to an unfamiliar dog. Not only did he succeed in that context, but after a while, when he began to feel stress, he started doing it himself. At least that was a strong impression of me. In addition to being an action that is integrated into play, Playbow asks the dog to stretch his muscles and relax.
It’s good for your dog’s body Dr. Chris Zink (Doctors, DVM, Goddess of Dog Sports Medicine) frequently writes and talks about the importance of stretching your dog’s muscles before exercise. Playbow is the perfect way to do that. in “The power of tricksShe explains the various exercises she can do to keep her dog healthy before physical activity. Dr. Zinke knows more about dog physiology, structure and health than I know. Her amazing seminar at APDT In October 2017, she explained that the majority of sports injuries were soft tissue injuries due to overuse, rather than specific incidents, often undetected by both the owner and the GP veterinarian. Stretching can do a lot to prevent such progressive injuries.
That perfect “incompatible behavior” Does your dog do things you don’t want to do? Does another dog walk out the window when he passes? Scratch the door to get outside? One of the best ways to deal with unwelcome behaviors is to teach your dog different responses to trigger stimuli. Do you see another dog through the window? Then, if you play bow, something good happens. Do you want to say you need to go to the bathroom? Instead of etching into the door frame, how about play bows? Be careful not to “say” too much. Think about how your dog can use it to communicate with you.
It makes us happy Don’t you smile when your dog is playing the play bow, even if it’s in your mind? Well, that’s enough, isn’t it?
If you’re busy training Maggie Running open, taking care of my constantly expanding garden and cooking things that I probably shouldn’t (I’m talking to you, Apple Garrett), I made a great video for you. Ah, but I’m not. This is from Kikopup, my favorite source of training videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt7-cham2hu
And if you have a dog Who insists on lying down – here about teaching the bow from the down:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6fghh7tuh0
By the way, this is Monty right now…Lucky Boy, hey?
Meanwhile, the return to the farm, Spring 2025 edition: COVID + COPD + Asthma + POTS + CFS. What’s not going well? The time has come. The great news is that I’m here. I’m breathing and I only cough when I talk.
Jim also got Covid. But it recovered quickly. In addition to his loving care and some great medical help, I almost always had a dedicated nurse by my side.
I’m fine, I’m going to take just a while. But Maggie May continues to please me. Here is a photo from one of our great farm sitters, Dani P.
You can see it along the path towards acupuncture treatment. Adorable.
My Asparagus Planting Winning: Six Plants Planted 2 Years ago. 5/6 Plants are dead, this is the best thing to do.
I’m glad that strawberries are getting much better!
I like the colour of this…
That’s it, Pop-up Columbines that could never have been created in such a highly active area. It is slipped onto a hose, stepped on, abused daily, but still thriving. A good reminder for all of us.
I love diving into your favorite dog training tricks and listening to what you have to say.
thank you.
