Here is a video of Luna’s latest trick, thought some might get a kick out of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-TN5h23314
If it doesn’t work click here
So it’s not the prettiest video, and I admit I sound beyond stupid at times, but these are the things that happen when you are training your dog sometimes. And I hear I have gone beyond this level of excitement when we were working on agility, not an easy thing for me as I am kinda reserved and self conscious by nature. But my dog is SO hard to get excited or impress with praise… so sometimes I have to go to extreme excitement levels to get her to be happy too.
She tries to get ahead of me sometimes but over time I have begun to get better at learning how to work with her more to get what I want still. That’s why you see me treat for a good tug, as technically she is indeed “tugging” for me already. This encouraged her to continue to tug next time and eventually get it open. This fridge can have a pretty good seal on it sometimes, especially for a lil 36lb vizsla. I do say “eh eh” or “no” sometimes as I find it helps her focus better as for her it is guidance about what she is doing. Otherwise she gets herself into fits of smacking and barking rather than slowing herself down and thinking.
Does your dog know the “tug” command?? Does your dog even care about toys? Go on over to a friend’s blog to read about how to get them interested in toys, and why this can come in handy with your dog.
Oh and before you start worrying about Luna getting into the fridge on her own… I would be shocked if she bothered to get off her butt and “work” without me and the clicker at her side with a pocket full of treats. She really is not all that keen on being a pleaser overall, let alone if I am not even around. I also detach or put up the toy so she can’t get to the handle, and there is no way she is getting it open without something attached to the door. Now her shutting doors on her own is another story, she has done that on occasion for me when I have asked without a pocket full of treats lol. As you can see she has a love for smacking things with her paws…. any ideas on how to put this to further use??
Vizsla Inspiration 
WOW that is impressive!!
Hmmm on the smacking the paw thing how about teaching her to swat bugs 😉
Thanks, I am sure yours could learn it too.. now if I could get her to fetch something out of there we may have something…
She already swats and eats bugs on her own… flies, moths, stink bugs… nothing is safe and sometimes I sick her on them on purpose lol.
LOL!
That is a great video. Luna sure is talented. 🙂
Good tricks! Last time we visited my in laws I worked on teaching Indi to pull open a cupboard with a treat inside. I had a sock attached to the door handle. It took her a little while but she eventually got it. I need to try the close the door trick!
She LOVES toys and loves to play tug but it’s funny, I’m trying to teach her a retrieve to hand and she is pretty slow at figuring out that I want her to pick it up and hold it a tiny bit before dropping it. We started with just looking at the toy and then nosing it, then picking it up briefly, and that’s as far as we’ve gotten. She retrieves in my general direction when we’re at the park with a ball but I’d like to teach her to bring it and hold it. Hard! Everything is different when I have treats in my pocket.
Luna is a dedicated tugger!
That’s a great trick, and I didn’t think you sounded over the top at all. Glad you explained about putting the tug up or removing it when you were not around, because that would have been my next question. I can’t imagine what would happen if I taught my Lab to open the fridge – it would be like a free for all.
Great trick, but I couldn’t do it. If mine learned how to open the refrigerator, he’d raid it all the time! Even the treats are kept high in the pantry in case the door accidentally gets left open or even ajar.
The Vizsla was the one that got down a bottle of pain pills from the counter, popped the top, and gobbled them up with the help of our miniature pinscher. The beagle, who needed them, didn’t eat any. We found that out the next day when they all went to the vet for blood work. Thankfully we came home early enough that night to make them all throw up or it would have been the emergency vet and bill. The Vizsla’s a little too smart sometimes.
I loved looking around your blog. You taking a picture with the Vizsla next to you was great!
Nancy
P.S. Here’s mine chasing a bee.
http://livingtheseasons.com/2012/08/13/more-backyard-activity/
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