Clean Run - October 2013 - 19

it can easily take the place of a
warm-up jump, if none is provided,
if it’s outside in inclement weather,
or if I don’t have time to use it.
I’ll simply use a piece of food, and
hold it high up against a wall, or
up against my body, to entice my
dog to jump up and put his front
feet up on the wall or me. While my
dog is eating the treat, I’ve have a
brief opportunity to look around,
see how things are moving along,
and then look back at my dog and
ask him to return to the ground for
another treat.

Stand Up

Where’s Your Nose

I admit, I “cheat” when training
this trick. At home, I’ll put a piece
of duct tape on the side of my
dog’s muzzle. I’ll have my clicker
and treats at the ready, because
as soon as my dog paws at the
tape, I will click and treat! After
only a few click/treats, I’ll pretend to put the tape on my dog’s
nose. After pretending to rub the
tape on his nose, I’ll be ready to
click/treat. After a few more click/
treats, I’ll pretend to put the tape
on my dog’s nose. This time, as I
move my hand away, I’ll give the
verbal cue I’ve chosen for the
trick, Where’s your nose? As my
dog touches his paw to his nose,
I’ll click/treat. This trick does require you to watch your dog carefully to make sure you’re rewarding for paw contact with the nose.

Foot to Foot
This is another fun trick that
mimics jumping at the warm-up
jump, keeps my dog engaged, and
doesn’t take much time or space.
I’ll hold a treat high above my dog’s
head, and when he rises up to get
the treat, I’ll simply say, “Yes” and
then reward my dog with the treat
still held high, so that he is standing on his hind legs to get the treat.
For this one, I don’t encourage my
dog to rest his front feet on me so
it’s a little more difficult. I’ll only
ask my dog to do this trick for a
few seconds, at most, and then I’ll
move on to another trick, although
I may come back to it.

Teach your dog these tricks
away from the agility ring first.
October 13

| Clean Run

his foot onto my foot. As I do so, I’ll
mark and reward my dog for that
foot-to-foot contact. As long as my
dog’s foot is on top of my foot, I’ll
keep giving him treats. And, since
I can tell that his foot is on my foot
by feel, rather than by looking, this
is another trick that allows me to
look around and keep tabs on the
environment. I can also switch feet
and encourage my dog to put his
other foot on my foot, so I have
two tricks in one!

Dance on My Feet

This is a great trick to use when space
is tight and you want to help your
dog feel a little safer by defining a
space around him. It’s also a crowd
pleaser and is another trick that
doesn’t require you to look at your
dog—you can reward based on feel.
Cue or lure your dog between
your legs so that the two of you
are facing the same direction. Put
your feet as close together as you
can and continue to lure your dog
forward so that he must step on
your feet to come forward from
between your legs. You’ll probably
want to point your toes toward one
another, or you’ll end up squeezing your dog with your legs!

With my dog sitting in front of me,
I’ll take my foot and reach under
one of his front feet, then I’ll lift

When your dog makes contact
with your foot by putting his paw
on it, mark and reward. Be sure to
reward a little high since rewarding your dog with his head slightly
19

Clean Run - October 2013

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