Trick of the Week

Dog Blog Post #266: Here's a classic - every kid's favorite trick to teach their dog...

Shake

And assuming your dog is reasonably gentle, and their nails aren't rough or sharp, this crowd pleaser can be a good way to break the ice between a child and a dog.

The trick (pardon the pun) to this one is getting your dog to move their paw. If you have a naturally pawing dog, you can probably teach this in just a few minutes. I don't remember Beau having any trouble with this one at all.

That said, I tried this a few months back with Henry, and got nowhere. His paws were firmly fixed on the ground, and there wasn't anything I could do, short of lifting one myself, that was going to improve things.

Fast forward a few months, throw in some other tricks that involved paws (touching the mouse pad, standing on the basket) and I found myself with a totally different dog. For once, I actually started early on a trick (ie: last Tuesday) so I wouldn't be rushed, and wouldn't you know, he was shaking like a pro in about 5 minutes.

What did I do? I put a cookie in my hand, made a fist, and held it down by his feet. When he moved his paw out of the way to see what I was doing, I clicked, and treated. Lather, rinse, repeat. Once he was reliably lifting a paw, I started raising my own hand, and shake was born.

Now, on The Daily Shoot assignment...

Make a photograph today that illustrates the idea of freshness to you.

First thought? Water pouring into a dog bowl, with a dog happily lapping the stream. Second though, water all over my floor as I'm so busy trying to get the shot I miss the bowl.

Next

Ah - a freshly opened bag of dog treats. Wait, have you ever smelled a freshly opened bag of dog treats?

Next

Hmmm... smelling... smelling... ah ha! What can be fresher than a freshly washed dog? One snuggled in a towel, blown fluffy dry...

Of course, I had no time, and certainly no inclination, to wash the dog. That's why I have a groomer!

But that didn't mean I couldn't pretend... with "the set"... and my nice new piece of tie-dye fleece - the first of the three fabrics I bought this past weekend.

It results certainly says "Freshness" to me...

... note that the picture at the top of this post is a crop of Zachary in pretty much the same pose as Henry is above. What a handsome devil he is in green, and look how clear his eye came out! I'm seriously stoked about that. :)

(No, I'm not trying to endorse the shampoo - it's just what I had laying about, and I'm pretty sure I have yet to try it!)

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