Giving A Demonstration--which Trick???

[tx_cowgirl]

I am in a speech class right now, and our next speech is a demonstration speech. And guess what?

DOGS ARE ALLOWED!

My school just won the award for best college ever, lol. So, the first idea I had was to show how to teach your dog to get a beer from the fridge. I thought this was appropriate for my audience--a bunch of college kids. People LOVE this trick, and it's really pretty easy to teach. I have a 6 minute time limit for my speech. I figured I'd bring just a little cabinet or something, since I obviously can't bring a fridge, lol.

I want a fairly flashy trick, no matter which trick I do. Teacher said she's had dog training demonstration speeches before, but I want to blow her out of the water. So, I need some ideas. I have just shy of two weeks. I know I can teach Mud most things in that time frame, and I know she can perform just fine--she LOOOVES being the center of attention. She is quite the show off, and I've done a ton of work with her "performing" in front of numerous people.

So, does anyone have any ideas of which trick to demonstrate how to teach? Is the fetch-a-beer trick not a good one? The teacher has had students do other speeches related to alcohol. Mine really is just a dog fetching a drink. Mud already knows about 70ish tricks, so I have several to choose from that she already knows. But I'm open to new ones too. Remember I have only 6 minutes to explain how it was taught, and demonstrate.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[reveuse]

This makes me wish I was back in school , and liked giving speeches, AND had a dog that I'd be able to bring along LOL

hmmmm what are the other 69+ish tricks she can do? Do we get a list to choose from?

How bout fetching a beer and bringing it back over a jump ?

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Cross paws
Kiss
Around
No command yet, but paws on my arm and peek underneath...I think Silvia Trkman might have a video on this, can't remember where I got it from.
Peekaboo(taught before previous trick, come from behind me between my legs)
Chin targetting
Cheek targetting
Off leash heel
Find it! (hide a toy and she has to find it)
Shut a door
Truck(get in the truck)
Bathtime! (get in the tub)
Go away
Inside
Bring
Open Kennel
Go! (basically a send-out)

Still trying to remember more, lol...

 

[reveuse]

how did you teach "march" ? - that might be good for Ro.

One of my friend/trainer's dogs does a bow , but if you ask her " what do you do when you meet the queen?" she gives an actual curtsey........... (so super cute)

I've never thought about chin and cheek targeting thats neato!

and rofl @ what do boy dogs do

 

[tx_cowgirl]

I haven't settled on a verbal cue yet for bow, I just bow myself and they bow.
As for marching, it's basically just targetting. If he already knows how to paw target, you just hold the target higher and then fade it out. Silvia Trkman calls this "One, two," so they have a separate cue for each side. I just signal with left finger, right finger.
If I didn't explain that well enough feel free to ask for more details.

The chin/cheak targetting I've seen but never really tried. Mud kind of made it up herself when I wasn't trying to teach it. I liked it so I rewarded it. She's also started offering targetting with the top of her head(like pushing the top of her head into my hand if I have my palm down) and I've rewarded it also. So far these tricks seem pretty pointless, just adding to the list, but maybe I'll figure out another use for them someday, lol.

I am really drawing a blank here on the rest of her tricks. :/ It's a wonder she remembers them all, lol!

 

[reveuse]

well she does a bow as a regular bow......
for the curtsey to the queen thing she really crosses one leg under the other a bit and leans downward ...... its super awesome

Mud can probably do "paws up" and "sneeze" so there are two more you can add to the list of ones you can't remember ?! I know I wonder how the dogs keep it all straight sometimes when I can't even do so.

hmmmmmmmmm I bet your presentation will be awesome - Tell Mud to send you some calming signals beforehand

 

[tx_cowgirl]

She does know "paws up," but no verbal cue yet. No to the sneeze. She never ever ever ever sneezes. I have never heard her sneeze ever. I am wanting to teach her how to burp on cue--she belches all the time. What a lady. ^^ I'm thinking, "Have you been drinking?"

LOL yeah I will need calming signals. ^^

 

[reveuse]

going backwards to the subject of having her get a beer for the demo (if you want to make it flashier)

have her pick out a specific beer (from like two kinds maybe?) bring it back over the jump, and then have her burp and ask if shes been drinking ROFL

I really think i'm losing it now. its nearly 3:30........ I'm going to wake up veryyyyyyyyyyyy grumpy in a very short time frame. Not a good idea for going to "the happiest place on earth" (as its called)

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Oooh, the belch at the end adds a nice touch. xD Man I gotta get to work on these two new tricks, lol. Yeah, it's 2:30 here, lol. Talking dog training at this time of night....lol, I am officially labeled an "ADDICT."

 

[jackienmutts]

Just read your post, this is just too fun! I'll ponder this one tonight (while I sleep - or something) - but the beer trick sounds great. Yeah, we've seen it on tv, but to actually watch a dog do it, right in front of you, then to have someone actually explain how they trained it, is very different. And to a bunch of college kids? Puleez!

They'll all be rushing home to their dogs or going out to adopt one, trying to teach it too! I like the idea of maybe having 2 different cans of beer, or maybe, if Mud could differentiate and you could figure out a way to incorporate it, have a can of root beer and a can of beer, and maybe "accidentally" ask for root beer, then when Mud brings you root beer, oh nooo, I don't think so, did I ask for root beer, I'm sure I just asked for beer, - then would she be able to take one can back and bring you the other? I think something like that would knock their socks off - at least I know it would mine!!! Whatever you do, I hope you video it so we can see!!

 

[jackienmutts]

And yeah - ya gotta have a big ol' belch at the end!!!!

 

[Jean Cote]

I think your best bet is to talk about training a trick that your dog already knows, that way it'll be a lot easier to perform and you can concentrate more on what you'll say than whether or not your dog will do the trick properly.

 

[fickla]

How comfortable is Mud performing long behavior chains? I don't think I would teach anything new as that would be stressful for you on your big day. But if Mud already knows tug-bring it-close and then take-clean up you would just have to perform the 2 chains. Perhaps your speech can be on the subject of linking simple behaviors into cue tricks instead of trying to specifically explain a "how to" for a specific trick. Plus you could relate it back to the human world and memorizing speeches by backchaining

 

[sara]

When I do my Deaf Dog Demo's, I'm nervous as heck. and constantly forget things I wanted to bring up/do...

Good Luck!

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Lots of good replies.

Mud can already get the can---anything I tell her to get, she will pick up and give to me. Tested this one yesterday with the can just because it's a heavier object when full and has a weird texture.
So all she'd have to learn would be to open the door. Which really, all I'd have to do is tell her to get it, and then we'd just have to work on pulling and not just grabbing the rope tied to the handle.
But I am trying to remember all her tricks so I can go through them and see if any others would be good.

 

[jazmataz]

Do Mud and Zeke have a YouTube channel? I would love to see all these tricks in action!! If so, add us as a friend!
Our channel is: MyFavoritePupJasmine =0)

 

[tx_cowgirl]

I do have a YouTube channel(MissTxCowgirl) but unfortunately no videos on it. For some reason my computer does not like uploading videos. Doesn't matter what type of file I save it as, it will never upload. If I ever figure it out, we'll have TONS of videos.

Tips appreciated, lol!

 

[tx_cowgirl]

Regardless of whether or not I do the speech over the beer trick(which I still think I am--she pretty much has the two behaviors, will just have to put them together), the beer trick is going well! I'm needing to buy a little cabinet that I can take for my speech, instead of a frige lol, but I haven't yet. So I've been teaching her to open her kennel door--same concept, and I know she can easily transfer it over to a cabinet door with a little refresher course. She will fetch a can...on the ground. When I put the can on something higher(have even tried something just a few inches off the ground), she doesn't want to get it. She acts like she thinks she's going to get in trouble for taking things off of "furniture." She won't even take a can out of her kennel. She WILL get a can off of anything....but only after knocking it down first, and with lots of encouragement. She can't seem to grasp the concept that she has to tilt her head to grab the can sideways.

One thing I have been meaning to do to make it more visual for her is get a bright, annoying colored koozie to put on the can--kind of a target. PINK works well for Mud; I've used it with other tricks and she seems to be more aware of/attracted to it than other colors. Not sure why.

Anyway...tips on getting her to take the can off/out of something? After all, she will be getting the can off of a shelf, in a cabinet. Granted I don't have the cabinet yet, so I haven't actually seen how she will react, but so far I'm thinking she'll react the same as she does if I sit the can on a table or something.

 

[Jean Cote]

Will you be using a full or empty can? I would think an empty one would be a lot easier, but would make more noise if dropped.