Tricks Galore!

[Heidi & Milton]

Milton learned sit on June 1st., the day that we brought him home.  Do we have video evidence of this?  Sadly, no.  Jeff and I wanted to wait until the Milt had amassed a whole bag of tricks.  On that note, Jeff is the trainer in our family since he has a penchant for YouTube videos.  Seriously.
What can our five-month-old Milton the Goldendoodle do?  Well, watch the video and find out!

http://youtu.be/UB7p6R61ZvI

Not too shabby, huh?  If Jeff's the trainer, why am I the one in the video? Milton was getting a little worn out, so we thought his Momma might be able to energize him for his big performance!  Jeff generally works with our goldendoodle on tricks in the morning before work and when he returns home at night.  He rewards instantly with treats; for training purposes, it is good to have something that is coveted and easy to swallow, like bits of hot dog.  Mental stimulation for a dog can often be just as tiring as physical stimulation, so it helps in burning off some of that excess energy and provides fun for the dog as well!

Overall, Jeff tried to teach the Milt tricks that would be useful, sit, stay, etc., and not merely showstoppers.  I prefer those ones...  The one trick I contributed was, "Shake," which Jeff points out has no practical use whatsoever; I disagree.  I think pretty highly of my dog, and whenever we venture out into polite society, I can rest easy knowing that he is well mannered enough to shake hands if the occasion arises.
Jeff developed his training philosophy, prior to the YouTube videos, from garnering knowledge from these three books:

1.  How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend  - The Monks of New Skete

 

 

2.  Puppy Preschool,John Ross & Barbara McKinney

 

 

3.  30 Days to a Well-Mannered Dog: The Loved Dog Method, Tamar Geller

Jeff's training philosophy, I suppose our training philosophy, is based on the following three tenets:

1. “Positive reinforcement“ –  Make a concerted effort to keep training fun and exciting, especially for young puppies.
2. “Lure” – Communicate a desired action with little or no physical contact.

3. “Clicker” – Use a clicker to instantly let your dog know what he or she has done right.

Also, here are a few of the YouTube videos that Jeff used if you are in need of some training tips!  YouTube is full of them:

 

Stay:

Stay Link

By zakgeorge21

Come:

Come Link

By tab289

Leave it:

Leave it Link 1

By tab289

Leave it Link 2

By zakgeorge21

Roll over:

Roll over Link By expertvillage

 

Of course, the Milt has his good and bad days, but overall he is very consistent with his tricks.  He is much better than walking with a "loose leash."  That is an area that we are striving daily to fix.... I will keep you posted!

To read more about Milton the Goldendoodle, visit www.goldilocksandherdoodle.com

 

 

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

What a smart boy....We use hot dogs for Bailey's training also.....

[Nina, Phil, Harlow & Lacey]

Milton, what a smartie doodle you are!

[ERIC A. NATER]

Milton is really good for his age!!   I have to agree, he has great focus.  He is also a really good looking little guy!!

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

Awww Milt you do your tricks so well, I'm very proud of you :)

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

Awesome!!!!!! Cooper is 3 and will not roll over!

[Becka]

You can also tell your husband that "shake" is a useful command in that it can help the dog get used to having his feet touched.

[Pam & Trixie]

Wow, very good Milton!

Trixie & I are working on tricks...not near as many as you.  Id love tips for learning pray, crawl & back up.

(we use the Clicker)

[Becka]

Good job, Milton! He has awesome focus for a little guy.