Friday, November 14, 2008

teaching Sizzle to SHY

This has been a very WET autumn so far. I can't do much training in the garden as it is very wet and soggy most of the time, so I have to think of some new tricks to teach the dogs to keep their mind occupy.
This week's trick is SHY, Saturn and Sing have both master this trick; Skye and Titan are doing alright; so I am focusing on Sizzle. Normally to begin with, I will either try to blow into their face or put a sticky tape on their nose. Saturn, Titan and Skye are the blow type, so that made it easy to teach them. Sing and Sizzle needed a lot more hardwork. The sticky tape didn't work on Sing but last year I discovered a new way of teaching him, to put a piece of willow tree leaf on his nose, that works for him.
I have tried sticky tape, leaf, a piece of string and other stuff to put on Sizzle's nose but he just shocked it off instead of using his paw. He really is a little crazy monster, I have to keep laughing while teaching him this trick (he is fun to teach! a real character!). I guess he was frustrated that I tried to put all sort of things on his nose and he bark and bark and bark and bark and bark (at me)! It did take us a while to get him to use his paw and to understand the paw movement is what I am asking for.
I am pretty sure he understands SHY now:
Look! I know how to SHY

... roll over and SHY on my right ...

... and roll over to the other side and SHY on my left!
and mummy said I am a clever little monkey!!

here is the little video:





4 comments:

Sara said...

Awwww, Sizzle continues to amaze me and makes me smile.

That's a cute trick. Good one for us to work on this winter when the weather gets bad and we're stuck inside too!

GeeRome said...

Very cute! I taught Gio that one with a piece of tape on his nose. He picked it up really quickly and it's now one of his favorite tricks. We call it "Are you sad?" because when he does it while sitting, it looks he is wiping tears off his face. Romeo has yet to learn this one, I'm convinced that his legs won't reach his nose as I've never seen him touch his face with his paws. Rather, he will rub his face on the floor or furniture if there is something on it!

Chris and Ricky said...

Sizzle is so cute!!! Mom has tried to teach me this one with tape on my nose - I hated the tape. Now when she says "shy" I don't lift my paw at all but turn my head to the side as fast as I possibly can. It's pretty funny but doesn't look like shy to anyone except mom and me. Sizzle does it really well!

Paula said...

Ogh Lian he has the cutest face in the world abd having an exceptionally cute dog myself I know what I'm talking about. Can't wait to see him tomorrow.