Here’s another trick that’s maybe not so practical, but can be pretty cute.
Sit Pretty
The Sit Pretty trick may not be that practical but I thought it was something to do now and then to continue to expand Donna’s repertoire of cute tricks.
Some benefits of the trick when correctly done include:
- Better balance
- Build muscles that help Donna to sit on her back legs while supporting a straight back
I read that Sit Pretty is easy for small dogs to learn but can be harder for bigger dogs with longer backs who will find it harder to balance. (Did I mention that somebody at the Pet Expo actually mistook Donna for a dachshund??) So our kind-of-long dog here definitely needs a lot of physical support for this trick.
At this point in time, Donna may be able to Sit Pretty a couple of times on her own for 1 second (just lift up and then 4 paws on the ground again). We’ve been practising this, not consistently, on and off for perhaps a couple of months.
Being able to rest her weight on my arm definitely helps her to balance better while she takes the treat out of my hand.
I am the mystic palm reader!
Shhh… studying your destiny mapped out in the lines of your palm. Do not disturb!
Palm licking reading is serious business!
That’s it! Hold it up against the light.
Treat Delivery
There’s quite a lot of videos on Youtube, and they may show you different ways to deliver the treat as a lure to get the dog into a Sit Pretty position.
When I hold out the treat downwards, Donna appears to be more likely to jump up to try to get the treat out from my fingers.
No longer sitting on hind legs.
She has a very soft mouth, so I don’t worry about her nipping or biting my fingers. But it can hurt if that were not the case.
So to create more instances where she sits, rather than tries to stand up on her hind legs, I try to deliver the treat on my palm instead of holding it downwards.
Today I watched the Kikopup video for this trick and found that she lifts her palm upwards for the hand signal, and that looked pretty smooth. I like that it should not be difficult to transition the treat on the palm to that hand signal later on.
But meanwhile, we’re just taking it easy so that Donna has the time to slowly develop the muscles necessary for Sitting Pretty for a longer duration of time. I need to make sure there’s more cushion under her to lessen the impact on her joints when we do this at home though!!
This training video explains the trick and how to make it safe for the dog – http://youtu.be/IQUerO0woqw
