![A woman leans on a brown dog with a black muzzle and tail. They were in the back yard, standing in front of the trunk of a large tree. They hold a braided, multi-colored string together.](https://i0.wp.com/eileenanddogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Clara-holds-leash-with-Eileen-1024x610.jpeg?resize=1024%2C610&ssl=1)
![A woman leans on a brown dog with a black muzzle and tail. They were in the back yard, standing in front of the trunk of a large tree. They hold a braided, multi-colored string together.](https://i0.wp.com/eileenanddogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Clara-holds-leash-with-Eileen-1024x610.jpeg?resize=1024%2C610&ssl=1)
Two years ago, I was working on Do More with Your Dog tricks with Clara. We earned three titles: Novice Trick Dog, Novice Masters Trick Dog, and Intermediate Trick Dog. We both enjoyed it very much. I have no plans to stop.
Then I took Lewis home.
I’m still ashamed, and yes, ashamed, that I stopped doing tricks with Clara for about a year. (Yes, it’s been almost two years now; I’ll explain.)
![Two dogs are lying on the red couch. Clara, a brown dog with a black nose, is closer to the camera, with her head resting on the arm of the couch. Lewis, a white dog with brown ears, lay across from her, his head resting on Clara's back. He has a toy gorilla.](https://i0.wp.com/eileenanddogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Clara-and-Lewis-on-couch-801x1024.jpeg?resize=634%2C811&ssl=1)
![Two dogs are lying on the red couch. Clara, a brown dog with a black nose, is closer to the camera, with her head resting on the arm of the couch. Lewis, a white dog with brown ears, lay across from her, his head resting on Clara's back. He has a toy gorilla.](https://i0.wp.com/eileenanddogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Clara-and-Lewis-on-couch-801x1024.jpeg?resize=634%2C811&ssl=1)
To say that Lewis is a mixed blessing is putting it kindly. Yes, Clara benefits from having another one in particular. They are comfortable with each other, except when he is hassling her. I interfere. But in my first year he took up most of my time. I still had a hard time keeping up with my work schedule. Lewis is difficult!
That’s where the trick training is, until August of 2022. At that time, I start again, and score four of Clara’s five required tricks for her advanced title.
Then I stuck to a hard, directed take. Clara and I have worked on it on and off for years, and she can do it the way we’re used to: indoors, over relatively short distances. But the setup for the title trick requires the items to be at specific distances from each other. We had to do it outside because of the space, and we struggled. I’m sure the biggest problem is visual: his ability to see the dumbbells on the grass. I faced him again.
A few days ago I saw his trick video—80% done. And I thought, carpe diem, let’s get this thing over with.
Clara is 12 years old this year. He has a serious illness (Cushing’s Disease), although it is mild and has remained mild since diagnosis. But he is slowing down a bit and losing his hearing.
He lived longer than Summer and Zani, after all, considering his rough start in life, born and raised by a wild or wild mother. And I have a strange concern and gratitude that comes with having an old dog. He is at a time in his life where I want to give him everything.
We’re doing some other fun and enriching things (stay tuned for future posts), but we’ll be back to tricks, too!
Do the Work or Check the Boxes?
I’ve written about this before. There is a decision point with trick titles, or most performance titles, really. Do we train it thoroughly and get clean cues and a solid performance? Or do we just want the title and are only willing to get the behaviors? There are different levels of shortcuts. Of the video submissions, they are up to and include enough footage that one of them meets the criteria.
No, I have never done that. But my dogs usually have enough of a general foundation that I can teach a trick in a session or two, then move on. And in a way, that foundation is “putting to work.” But relying on it to create a behavioral shortcut doesn’t necessarily result in clean, perfect tricks.
I oscillate between these two methods, but lean heavily towards which one prefers to get the job done. My main goal is to do fun things with my dog. I know what my weaknesses are as a trainer (duration, cues, and stimulus control) and this is also where I get the chance to improve my skills. Better skills on my part mean clarity for the dog. That adds up to less stress and more fun.
That’s one of the reasons why I went for the Novice “Masters” title, with double the number of tricks.
But this time I went to check the boxes. We now have four tricks: put your toys away, hit a button, off-leash heel with auto sit, and grab the leash. I shopped through the list of tricks and found one he could do for the latter: pick up and take out a credit card. We have to do some work, though. They didn’t mention it in the directions, but the demo video showed the dog waiting to be cued. Ah yes, stimulus control, my old friend. So I made Clara lie down while I put down the card, then brought it to me when cued.
In the last outtake, you can see how much stimulus control I actually got. Oops. He always liked to bring me things.
But when I got this title (hey, he’s 12!), I’m swinging back the other way, now. We’re going for Advanced Masters and we’re going to do five more advanced tricks. We will do real work. I didn’t give up on direct retrieve.
Enjoy the movie!
A special thanks to Gabi Vannini for reviewing our tricks!
![Advanced Trick Dog Certificate for Clara and Eileen Anderson](https://i0.wp.com/eileenanddogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Anderson-Clara-Advanced-1024x792.jpeg?resize=1024%2C792&ssl=1)
![Advanced Trick Dog Certificate for Clara and Eileen Anderson](https://i0.wp.com/eileenanddogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Anderson-Clara-Advanced-1024x792.jpeg?resize=1024%2C792&ssl=1)
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