There are loads of them - here is the first GSD that popped up on you tube
Lovely to watch


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ2HfeQr8dA

I also find it offensive to hear I'm making a fool out of my dog by doing tricks. I use most of kyps tricks before an agility run to warm him up physically and mentally and to get us working together. We compete very seriously in agility and believe me no one laughs when he does a round! I see no difference in the pleasure he gets from agility or tricks he just loves to work. Pick up a clicker and he offers multiple behaviours. I can't see why this would be different for any breed of dog, after all they don't look in a mirror to see what they look like they just enjoy interacting with their owners. Just my opinion

The intensitiy I see in agility is the same intensity I see in heelwork to music dogs

I never did agility to get into comp - I do comps to get more time playing agility with my dogs on courses set by different people
and to get to play with other dogs

The only reason I try and do it RIGHT is so they dont injure themselves flying off contacts or not knowing where they are going and slipping, crashing into things or me!!
I know you dont mean to offend but saying what you did does say you think people who do more are somehow demeaning their own dogs

Glad your girl was so easy to train - its still a trick IMO - she hears a command and knows what she has to do

I dont believe life with dogs is all about tricks - but I believe dogs are always learning from us - whether we want them to or not
I believe dogs have been bred to want to work with their human (most breeds anyway)
I believe pretty much most animals are always learning by how their interactions change the world around them, it is natural behaviour and it inhances their life

Zoos use 'trick training' to be able to perform plenty of health improving things with the animals without having to sedate them - like offering arms for medication, listening to heartbeats, lifting feed up so they can check they are OK

Its a natural part of enritching a captive animals life

Now your dog sounds very much like my Georgie, he can't be bovvered either!!!

I'll take a look.... reluctantly!!!

I didn't say you were making a fool out of your dog, I said I didn't want to make a fool out of MY DOG. I don't know your dog, it probably likes doing these tricks, but I certainly know my dogs, and I think I know they wouldn't, but then they can't talk, so I could be wrong If I made my husband dance, at least he knows I'm making a fool out of him coz he hates it!!! Dogs don't dance or do tricks, they bark, they play, they run and I love having them around, but I'm no anorak with them, they are dogs and I'm just taking good care of them and teaching them what I think they need to know to enable us to both live in harmony without me ever having to shout at them, and that's enough for me. If I want to do something which I think is fun for my dogs, then I will do it, they don't make the decisions around here I do, and if I see something they don't like, we don't do it, but agility, yes, we like that, but nothing more than having a little play around!

I totally understand, you've found something you like, something the dogs like and you do it, but for me, I'm not competitive enough, I haven't got enough energy, I'm far too old, and I like my dogs to just be part of the family, enjoy them, love them, and make them as happy as they can possibly be, but the thought of spending any time teaching them tricks/dancing is just so alien to me that's all.

If you think teaching a dog to stay is a trick, Ill not try to dissuade you, but please dont expect me to think the same, I honestly dont.

I think you will find that breeds who you claim to "want" to work with us, actually do exactly as they were bred to do with very litter interference. 99% of proper work for dogs, the only "tricks" (your words ) they will learn will be basic obedience and nothing more. No twirlies, no jumpies, no spinning, no dancing and certainly no HTW!

Like I said, if you want to do it with your dog, go ahead, but you must also appreciate others see tricks as something they'd rather not teach their dogs, the relationship they have with their dogs is just perfect without them.

I never said I had a problem with people not wanting to teach their dogs other things
This thread was about people saying you shouldnt train tricks
I was saying why - if someone wants to - it is perfectly fine - and can benifit the dogs

But who gets to draw the line of what is a 'trick' and what isnt
walking to heel?? Loose lead?? sit? retreave a dumbell, a toy, a phesent? Follow a trail? Find a hanky?

at the moment all the 'tricks' my dogs do are natural behaviours that they do I have just put a word on them so they do them when I ask them

a sheepdog is trained by shaping their natural behaviours
as is a gundog or whatever
as are many tricks

Some of the most unatural things for our dogs to do are things that people just expect of them - walking nicely on a lead - totaly unatural - so I would call it a trick

My dogs are happy just being dogs I'm afraid, I will never buy this teaching them this, teaching them that unless you intend to further it on and taking it somewhere, but I have nowhere I wish to take it! Sad but true I'm afraid.

Now you're talking, a dog doing a job of work, I agree with that, they love it!!!

Its fair enough - each to there own!

Can I ask tho - why is obedience OK - when it is just as unatural tricks - and heelwork to music not??