Show Off With Trick Dog - Anyone Can Do It

What is it:  You know when you see those cute dogs in commercials or talent competitions doing all kinds of cute tricks? Well you can do them too! Teach your dog to sit pretty, bow, wave good bye, walk backwards, catch a treat, and more! Pretty much any behavior that you can teach your dog, can be considered a trick. Most Thurisia puppies are able to go home at 8-10 weeks old already eligible for a novice trick dog title. 

Venues and Rules

Venues and Rules: There are two main venues for titling in Trick Dog:

Tools and Training

The only tools you really need for this are yummy treats and/or a favorite toy. And when we say ANYONE can do it, we really do mean it. At the novice levels, you are allowed to lure your dog. This means that you can hold the treat in your hand, and move your hand to assist your dog in performing the behavior. For example, if you want your dog to sit, you might hold the treat slightly above their head to encourage them to sit. 

There are SO many resources for teaching your Alaskan Klee Kai tricks. You can take classes at Petco/Petsmart, YouTube, learn from a friend, Facebook groups, and more. The trick dog world is your oyster, just make sure to have fun with it! These little dogs love to work with you and can be quite biddable. Our tip would be to keep training sessions short (no more than 5-10 minutes) and don’t let either of you get frustrated! There are also many different methodologies to teaching a dog something new: shaping, luring, capturing, and more. What works for one dog may not work for another; so play around with different methods and see what works best for you.

Once you and your dog have your tricks down, fill out your submission form and send videos to an evaluator. If you don’t know where to find one, ask us! We can definitely point you toward a couple of our favorites who would be more than happy to help.

Benefits for you and your dog:

  • Physical and Mental Exercise - learning new tricks will engage your dogs brain as they take everything in, and also work on conditioning and keeping in shape.

  • Build your Bond - building your trick dog repertoire gives you and your dog the opportunity to work as a team as you learn more. Explore what types of tricks your dog has a preference for learning and go with it!

  • De-Stress - Sometimes, when our dog is put in a new or stressful environment doing something they are familiar with, like simple tricks, will help them destress and focus.

  • Develop Patience - It’s easy to get frustrated when you and your dog are working on something new. Training your dog to do something fun can help you to “be in the moment” and just enjoy the learning process.

  • Most Importantly - It’s Fun - Keep trick training positive and show off your new skills to your family and friends. 

Thurisia Dog’s Do It All!

Thurisia’s Involvement: Here at Thurisia we have always been a big fan of teaching tricks and the Trick Dog program. We hold many DMWYD Champions titles as well as the first Grand Champion. We also are home to several of the first AKC Trick Dog Elite Performers. The Alaskan Klee Kai loves learning with you, and it can be incredibly rewarding and most of all, FUN. Some of our Trick Dogs include, but are not limited to:

  • Arwen - DMWYD Grand Champion and AKC Elite Performer

  • Maera - DMWYD Champion and AKC Elite Performer

  • Potion - DMWYD Champion and AKC Trick Dog Performer

  • Isla - AKC Elite Performer

  • Maya - DMWYD Champion and AKC Trick Dog Performer