using to your advantage

I've been teaching harvey to close the door lol because im such a lazy sod i cant be bothered getting up sometimes so harvey has been closing the door for me, so just wondering if any of you dogs have been taught things to help you or just for fun and if there is any you can recommend teaching harvey because i like to keep his brain active and give him different things to challenge him he knows the basics sit, stay, etc.

I've taught my dog to fetch the post, she only does it if we want her to but not otherwise

She will also open and close draws (have to use a special pull handle for her) and get out my walking socks!

Wys
x

Most useful thing I've taught my dogs & miss now I've got my oldie is find the keys, started it as a hide & seek game with a tag they liked to pick up, but you've no idea how useful it is whenyou can't remember where you've left them or if your out for a walk get back to the car & find you've dropped them. Its the best thng for me I've ever taught mine,lots of other games they've enjoyed but that one has saved my sanity & the expence of having to go home & get the spare set & return to pick up the car when we were out.

Missy fetches the post . If I give her something and say " give it to granny" she trots over and gives the item to my mum. When the phone rings , she watches to see if anyone will answer , and after 3 or 4 rings will trot across to one of us then trot over to the phone ( house or mobile).She also does this if someone knocks at the door. If I don't wake up straight away when my alarm goes off , she jumps on the bed and paws at the duvet , whining at the same time , until I wake up. That's quite funny as sometimes I pretend I'm still sleeping , and Missy shoves her head , then her whole body under the duvet , effectively taking it off me. As I have a bad back , I've taught her to pick things up for me. She surprised me recently at the Royal Highland Show. I had my hands full , and while rummaging for my painkillers I dropped a small bottle of coke. Without being asked , she immediately picked it up and presented it to me. A couple of people near me gasped and said " did you see what that dog just did ?" Great if I drop the car keys or my purse as she picks it up and gives it to me. I sometimes hide something and tell her I've lost it , e.g. Missy , I've lost my purse" , so she goes looking for it and brings it back to me. If I'm in the house and say " I need a drink" , she brings me a 2 litre bottle of coke . " I need my shoes" , guess what ? she brings them. The latest thing I taught her it to bring a first aid box. I tell her " Missy , I'm hurt" and she goes off to get the first aid kit for me. I think it's amazing what you can train a dog to do , especially if it's something to help you.

Since seeing Mary Ray use a target stick (and treats, of course!) to teach her dogs some of the heelwork to music moves, I decided to try to teach my dogs 'touch' commands.

I've taught them to touch the target stick, the floor, a mat, the wall, my hand and some toys.

I'm only doing it for a bit of fun for them and me. I don't intend to do heelwork to music (I just enjoy watching it) although my Westie does do twists.

I am deaf.

I never taught my dog to "give" signals, but she seems to sense it! She will "tell" me if the microwave goes off - she can "hear" the washing machine finish it's load. She can "hear" if a pot boils over.

She's a great dog - I love her.

oh wow all your dogs are so clever, i cant believe so of the things they can do for you, very inspiring. Must go and work on some things with harvey later. I would like to teach him to pick things up for me and give me them as i have a sore back to bend down sometimes, how would i teach him this?

This thread is so depressing makes me feel a complete failure, I've not taught my lot anything like that lol!
Becky

First of all , does harvey play fetch at all ? If he does , it makes it easier to teach him to bring you specific things. I had to teach Missy to fetch as being a terrier , she used to just run off with her toy and shake it . I would take her out , and have 2 toys in my pocket. Throw the first toy and once she had it , show her the second one. This made her run over to me and drop the first toy. I would then throw the second toy and pick up the first one. I just kept repeating this until I could get her to drop a toy into my hand instead of on the ground. If she dropped it on the ground , I would ask her to pick it up then I would put my hand under her mouth and say " give it to me". As soon as she released it into my hand , I would throw the other toy or give her a treat and lots of praise. I followed the same routine in the house and using the same method , got her to just stand in front of me and swap one toy for another. I then moved on to just using one toy. I would put it on the floor and ask her to pick it up, then say " give it to me ". As soon as she did , she got a treat. We play "swap" regularly now where she will swap a toy for another toy or a treat. The important cue to teach is " pick it up". Once Missy learned this , I could put any object on the floor ,point to it and say the magic words " pick it up" and she would. By this point , she would automatically put the object in my hand. I use that cue for every new item I want her to pick up and give to me. It works every time. Things she has picked up for me using the above training are , her toys , my purse , TV remote , keys , mail , plastic juice bottles , my shoes , and anything else I ask her to pick up. In advance to this , she has learned to pick things up when I say " I need " , " I've dropped " ," I've lost " and " I'm hurt" (for the first aid kit). It has taken a few months for her to learn all of this , and sometimes she uses it as a form of attention seeking where she will go daft picking all sorts of things and bringing them to me . She is my first dog and the only one I have trained , bearing in mind she is a terrier not a retriever , I think she has done very well. She does have a very outgoing personality , and is extremely playful ,(and cheeky ) which help a lot when training . Just make it a game and make the reward valuable . Be patient and teach one thing at a time until your dog understands it well. Good luck and have fun !

Hi Missysmum,

That sounds like my Molly (Westie).

Molly doesn't particularly do 'fetch'. If she's playing with a toy, and you actually throw the toy she's playing with, she'll fetch it, other than that she'll give me a look that just about says "aye, that'll be right, i'm not as daft as that Roxy, I don't run after tennis balls for no reason"