Yes, you can!

As we approach the end of Lockdown Nr. 2, we look back on some of the positives that happened. We call them Lockdown Achievements – that really only happened when the hoomans were confined to their homes.

Our friend Barnaby is a CHAMPION Trick Dog

but he wouldn’t have been able to do all those tricks if not for his mum, Julie – the dog instructor par excellence!!!

While Julie taught Barnaby tricks, she also got to a point where she wasn’t sure how to get him to do the more difficult ones. It was during Lockdown that she decided to learn more about teaching dog tricks. And soon enough – she too got a Certificate!

Just at the same time during Lockdown when we were with Mum all the time, like 24/7, that she had the idea to teach us some new tricks. But the weeks were flying and it was soon becoming a good intention until Julie posted on Facebook about teaching Tricks. Woohoo! Julie gave us a challenge! And we took it! Mum thought I would never make past intermediate, but Julie kept encouraging us and we learnt – step by step while Mum learnt patience.

And when we started to see results and believed in ourselves, we carried on. We got lots of treats and Mum saw how teaching us tricks meant we were speeding time together. Engaging being the key word.

This is Mum’s all time favourite trick that she taught me during the Lockdown.

George too learnt a few things.

So you see, while it might have been a difficult time for many, we also made the most of it. We still have quite a few more things to learn and we hope Julie will just keep going so others can experience the joy of teaching and learning tricks.

May’s comment: The Lockdown gave us time – time to pause, to reflect, time for others, time to do things we never seem to be able to do in our busy lives. It has been encouraging to hear stories of how some of our friends have found their new passions.

This is Julie’s Lockdown Achievement story …

I’ve always loved trick training and had done quite a bit over the last four years with Barnaby, but to be honest I’d lost a bit of enthusiasm. Barnaby had achieved his Advanced Trick Title with the fabulous American Trick Dog Programme, ‘Do More With Your Dog’, but I wasn’t sure if we could get any further. The tricks in the Expert level seemed so hard. We had one trick up our sleeve, but we needed four more!

And then Lockdown came. First job was to clear out the cellar, and in it I found Barnaby’s old crate.  Maybe I could  try and teach him an expert trick, to get him to open the door of his crate, go in and close himself in?  In a few days he’d cracked it and in a few weeks we had the last tricks we needed to get his Expert Title.

But now I was thinking I’d like to learn more. Learning these harder tricks had given me more questions about training. Maybe I could apply to do the Certified Trick Dog Instructor course, and then perhaps I’d learn enough to give me the confidence and ability to work on the final title, Trick Dog Champion.

Lockdown gave me the time I needed, and I spent a month slowly working my way through the course and videoing myself teaching some tricks for the assessment. I loved it and learnt lots, plus I could see what mistakes I had been making in my own training. Once I knew I’d passed, just for fun, I set up a little Facebook group, ‘Barnaby’s Trick Team’, and invited my friends to join and share my trick obsession. I had no idea if anyone would even be interested!

However, lockdown was the perfect time. Everyone was in the right mood to do something different, keep themselves and their dogs busy and learn something new. Everyone embraced it and started working on the tricks I posted each week. It was the greatest feeling when people who said that they had never been able to get their dog to give his paw, taught their dog how to do it. We had some young children who were brilliant, and then of course we had May and Darcy who aced it, working their way from Novice to Expert level in just a couple of months! Barnaby and I also carried on training and he got his Champion Title in July.

My goal is to change people’s perception of trick training. People automatically think of why they can’t do it:  ‘my dog is too obsessed with food’; ‘my dog doesn’t like food’; ‘my dog isn’t as smart as yours’; ‘my dog gets too excited’, etc, etc. But the great thing is that there are many ways to teach the same thing because every dog is different. The added bonus is that through trick training with positive reinforcement you teach your dog to really focus on you, which helps to build a strong connection between you and your dog.

There are also cats, birds, horses, goats and guinea pigs that have earnt trick titles so no excuses! The one and only thing I’d say you need is masses of patience!

To date our little group has grown to 116 members. There is no pressure to work through the titles, the aim is that people work at their own pace and level and just have fun with their dog.  I have to say that it makes me so happy when someone posts a new trick they have been working on and I’m proud of each and every one of them.

Lockdown has made me realise that, once we are back to ‘normal life’ I’d love to be able to do 1:1 trick dog sessions, working on fun things people would really like to teach their dog. So much training today is about obedience and behaviour (which is great and a bi-product of trick training) but it’s also great to do really fun stuff too!

Thank you Julie for all your encouragement and showing us how.

When Lockdown was announced, I promised myself I would take this time to engage more with Darcy and George. But how? So when Julie started this Facebook group, I thought – well, at least we will get some guidance.

We never thought we would be able to do anything past Novice. But good ol’ Darcy showed me what a little patience can do.

We’d love it if you want to join Barnaby’s Trick Dog Facebook Group – we’ll see you there as George has a few more tricks he needs to do to get to Advance. I can’t believe George managed to pass Intermediate! While Darcy is pausing to reflect on life and hope to still get treats for not doing anything.