[PeggyTheParti]

Welcome to month two of Trick Club! (Missed month one? Head over here.)

This month's trick is from the AKC intermediate trick dog checklist:

Wave Good-Bye/Hello

As you'll see in this video, "High Five" from the novice checklist is the foundation for this trick:

So it's really a 2-for-1 deal!

As with last month, progress photos and videos are just as welcome as polished photos and videos. We can learn a lot from each other's challenges and successes!

And if your poodle's already a pro at this one, try proofing it in a new location, or add a fun twist. Just don't forget to brag a bit to motivate the rest of us.

Happy training!

Robin & Peggy

 

[FloofyPoodle]

I LOVE IT!!! Can't wait to start!

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I LOVE IT!!! Can't wait to start!

I'm excited, too! It'll be an interesting challenge for us.

Peggy recently learned to shake a paw, albeit unintentionally. (I was teaching her to paw her Jolly Ball and she quickly generalized the command.) So I think she'll be frustrated at first, wanting to offer up her paw in the usual way.

Definitely a job for the clicker.

 

[For Want of Poodle]

This will be fun!

Annie knows wave, but is much better with her right paw than her left. I taught it by generalizing "shake" to a paw target of my hand wherever, then a paw target of my hand high up, then clicking and treating for her bringing her paw up before my hand reached her, more distance, etc.

I'll work on the left, and also doing it from more distance - the DMWYD trick dog titles have a "trick" that's 6 tricks from a certain distance away, and wave sounds like a good one to add to that repetoire.

 

[Fenris-wolf]

Can’t wait to get started!

 

[PeggyTheParti]

This will be fun!

Annie knows wave, but is much better with her right paw than her left. I taught it by generalizing "shake" to a paw target of my hand wherever, then a paw target of my hand high up, then clicking and treating for her bringing her paw up before my hand reached her, more distance, etc.

I'll work on the left, and also doing it from more distance - the DMWYD trick dog titles have a "trick" that's 6 tricks from a certain distance away, and wave sounds like a good one to add to that repetoire.

Waving from a distance will be adorable!

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Well, we jumped right in! And sure enough, Peggy was frustrated. She was hitting me and making such loud moaning and groaning sounds, my husband came in to make sure everything was okay. Lol.

I soothed her by going over familiar trick territory, and then snuck in a few more attempts at the end of our 5-minute session. She was much better.

We quickly progressed to her pawing the air if I wave my hand gently out of reach (instead of offering it solidly for a shake). But if I back up at all, she launches at me with both paws outstretched like a grumbly canine Superman. Ack!

Distance will come with time. I'd also like to get her stretching her paw upwards rather than straight ahead. (This is where teaching a high-five first would be beneficial.)

I've chosen a waving gesture as my physical cue and "G'bye!" as my verbal cue.

 

[For Want of Poodle]

Well, we jumped right in! And sure enough, Peggy was frustrated. She was hitting me and making such loud moaning and groaning sounds, my husband came in to make sure everything was okay. Lol.

I soothed her by going over familiar trick territory, and then snuck in a few more attempts at the end of our 5-minute session. She was much better.

We quickly progressed to her pawing the air if I wave my hand gently out of reach (instead of offering it solidly for a shake). But if I back up at all, she launches at me with both paws outstretched like a grumbly canine Superman. Ack!

Distance will come with time. I'd also like to get her stretching her paw upwards rather than straight ahead. (This is where teaching a high-five first would be beneficial.)

I've chosen a waving gesture as my physical cue and "G'bye!" as my verbal cue.

If you want to feel better, just ask Annie how many weeks-months (not days) it took me to teach "cross your paws". Very frustrating for poodle and human and paws were ALL over the place.

 

[Rose n Poos]

We're in! The boys already high five fairly well and shake, if you count sort of hitting the offered hand. I try to think of variations on what they already know and today, I got a crazy notion of trying to teach them to high five each other LOL.

I think this trick has a far better chance of success .

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I got a crazy notion of trying to teach them to high five each other LOL.

Ahhh! Now you have to try!! I'm already picturing it and the cuteness is off the charts.

Then again, the image I've got in my head of the two of them waving goodbye in unison is also pretty darn sweet.

 

[AbBen]

I’m excited to start joining in these. We have just started an intro obedience class so are not quite to the point where we can participate but I’m enjoying following along!

 

[DNi]

So cute - Just tried this out. His "shake" is a new trick, so he offered it up when I had my hand out. Moving it higher turned it into a "high-five." Worked to make sure that he's reaching up and not forward - Great. Moved it back a little to get him to wave. He stared at it...and decided that I meant a "down." It's a work in progress, lol.

 

[For Want of Poodle]

I’m excited to start joining in these. We have just started an intro obedience class so are not quite to the point where we can participate but I’m enjoying following along!

Try it! No advanced obedience needed, purely for fun. I find with Annie, the more things we have underway, the sharper and faster her 'real' obedience is. I guess she doesnt get bored. Plus, if you are in class and your dog starts to get bored (cough, Annie, cough) you can throw in some fun tricks as a mental break. If you can teach him to sit, you can teach the other trick commands!

 

[PeggyTheParti]

So cute - Just tried this out. His "shake" is a new trick, so he offered it up when I had my hand out. Moving it higher turned it into a "high-five." Worked to make sure that he's reaching up and not forward - Great. Moved it back a little to get him to wave. He stared at it...and decided that I meant a "down." It's a work in progress, lol.

Ha! Very relatable. It's all about clear communication, isn't it? Learning to speak poodle.

That's great that he understood your request to reach higher. If you've got the patience for it, I'd just pull your hand a little further out of reach each day...like an inch or two. (Unless, of course, you're using a clicker. I find a clicker lets you go quite a bit faster.)

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I’m excited to start joining in these. We have just started an intro obedience class so are not quite to the point where we can participate but I’m enjoying following along!

No rush, but you can definitely join in any time! Just a few minutes of trick training a day is a good way to drain a poodle brain and strengthen your poodle communication skills. It's also just plain fun.

Hope the obedience class is off to a good start!

 

[Phoebe’sMom]

We're in and it will be interesting since she already knows shake as well. I wonder if I should try teaching it to her using her left paw, since she mainly shakes with the right i've noticed. Maybe this will keep her less confused?

 

[PeggyTheParti]

We're in and it will be interesting since she already knows shake as well. I wonder if I should try teaching it to her using her left paw, since she mainly shakes with the right i've noticed. Maybe this will keep her less confused?

I persevered with the same paw, just practising in very short sessions (fewer than five reps) and then quickly jumping to some tricks she knows well to keep her confidence up. She can now differentiate between the two physical cues: just an extended, static hand (palm up) for shake or a waving hand for wave.

Progressing to standing up while giving her the cue has helped. (Yesterday I was sitting on the floor with her.) It also helps to keep my waving hand at my hip rather than extended out in front of me, and keep the wave very controlled. No big movements, as they seem to invite her to jump forward.

She's wiped out now:

"I surrender."

 

[Phoebe’sMom]

I’m so proud of Phoebe! We started training for wave with high-five like the gal suggested and this happened five minutes into our session. Definitely just the start but it’s looking good so far.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I’m so proud of Phoebe! We started training for wave with high-five like the gal suggested and this happened five minutes into our session. Definitely just the start but it’s looking good so far.

She's awesome! And clearly you are, too. Way to go.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Not easy to capture! I'll need to get video:

And here she is from my perspective:

This is by far her cutest trick yet, and the transition from shake to wave went surprisingly fast. The hardest part was getting her to stay put when I backed out of reach, but I think that will vary a lot according to each dog's temperament.

Peggy's the type that, if she doesn't get it right the first time, she'll throw everything she knows at me in the span of about three exasperated seconds. So it was up to me to slow her down and hold her focus. For the first time ever, I did that with eye contact.

Very cool feeling our bond deepen.