The performing of dog tricks, while not a necessary part of a
dog’s education, is an accomplishment that offer dog owners and
his friends a great deal of amusement and adds materially to the
value of a dog.
All dogs can be taught tricks, but some breeds have a special
aptitude in that direction. At the head of the list of trick
dogs is the poodle, as he takes to the performance of tricks as
if it was second nature, and he is the main reliance of all
showmen dogs.
Newfoundlands, St. Bernards and Great Danes learn without
difficulty, while the collies and spaniels are very intelligent;
the terriers are quick learners and among the toy dog breed, the
Yorkshire Terrier, Toy Fox Terrier and Toy Poodle are highly
spoken of and can pick up tricks almost effortlessly.
In selecting the tricks that are to be taught a dog, the owner
must show some discretion and no attempt should be made to teach
dogs tricks that are not within their powers. For example, a big
St. Bernard or Great Dane is sadly out of place or rather almost
unachievable attempting to sit up, walk on his hind legs or
dance.
These dog breeds are physically incapable of doing such tricks
and persistent attempts to train them are really toying with
their dignity. They can, however, with appropriate guidance and
training taught to fetch and carry, jump, shake hands or speak.
Talking about specialty, it is interesting to note that dog
breed such as spaniels are particularly apt at fetching and
carrying, collies can learn to count and speak readily, and the
terriers have a wide sphere of possibilities.
Dogs which are to be taught tricks must have their education
begun early in life, so that the playfulness of puppy hood can
be taken advantage of, for as dogs mature they take on a
sedateness and seriousness that increases the difficulty of
teaching them to assume unnatural positions, whereas, with a
puppy a trick can be made more or less a matter of play and he
will enjoy going through with it.
In the general education and training tricks to a puppy, very
little punishment should be given and in trick puppy training no
punishment at all. A dog can be forced to do certain things, but
if forced he generally acts so slow and sulky that it detracts
from his performance, whereas, if he is coaxed into doing them
and performs because he likes to, he will go through with his
act with an enthusiasm and spontaneous that is most attractive
and fun loving.
For these reasons you must not get overly excited while training
your young dog nor speak loud, nor cuff and whip him, but should
by frequent good-natured repetition of the same performance
persuade and coax him to assume certain attitudes or do certain
things, and when he has done so, praise him; he will then know
that you appreciate what he has done. It is also most desirable
to reward him with plentiful of praise and treats.
To end, remember not all dogs can perform every single dog
tricks, as some breeds do have some physical limitations. Even
so, enjoy teaching your dog “achievable” new tricks, and most
importantly have fun along the way!
Picture the scene:
It’s the Monaco Grand Prix and the Ferrari of Michael Schumacher is in pole position. The warm-up lap has been completed and Schumacher revs the engine, waiting for the lights to flash in sequence: Ready. Set. GO!
The race begins. Schumacher uses his supreme skill to drive the car to its limits and successfully overcome the challenges presented by the tricky street circuit.
At each third of the race, the perfect opportunity to bring the car into the pits to maintain maximum advantage is determined. Each time the Ferrari makes a pit stop, an efficient pit crew will get to work. The car will be jacked up. Tires will be changed, fuel will be added, visors cleaned, spot checks made.
All completed within 10 seconds. Each team member performs their duties at lightening speed to ensure no time is wasted so the car can maintain or improve the lead.
And as the race progresses, a team of analysts will act on feedback received from the Ferrari’s on-board computers and from the driver. The race strategy will be constantly reviewed and changes will be made if necessary to ensure the car has the best chance of winning the race.
Driver, engineers, mechanics, designers, strategists, technicians - all working together to ensure the car has the best possible chance of victory.
So how can “Team Ferrari” help to accelerate your success?
As you pursue your goals and ambitions, you’ll encounter many trying times. You will face challenges, obstacles, sticking points and setbacks. Your motivation levels will drop, you may feel burned out, stressed, frustrated.
At such trying times, you’re going to need support to help you “stay in the race”. Just like Michael Schumacher, you can’t do everything all by yourself and when you face challenges and problems, these are the times when you’ll need to go into the pits.
It is so important - no, VITAL - that you can turn to positive, success-minded, enthusiastic people. People who’ve done something with their lives, who’ve faced challenges, who know how to overcome fears and obstacles and who can keep you on track to win.
They are the people who we’ll refer to as: “TEAM YOU”.
Unfortunately, many people who pursue a dream turn to people who live life in fear, who haven’t done anything with their lives and who hold a negative view about life.
Guess what happens when you turn to such people when you need support?
You’re right! They increase your fears, they focus on the problems, they offer no solutions, in short, they make it harder and harder for you to win your race.
Would Ferrari’s pit crew consist of people who want to give up at the first obstacle? People who believe the race is lost before it’s started? People who’d retire the car after 10 laps because the race was too hard?
You know Team Ferrari wouldn’t have such people anywhere near their car!
So why have negative people in Team You? OK, I know you may find it hard to find like-minded, positive people to create your success team. So here’s a technique I use to create my own success team, a team I can rely on when I need to make a pit stop:
Throughout history, there have been many people who have achieved great success and who overcame many major challenges. The help they can give you is priceless. So read about them. Study them. How did they meet their challenges? How did they deal with setbacks? You can find out by reading biographies and autobiographies. Use the Internet too.
You can read about presidents and ministers, kings and queens, warriors and pacifists, sporting heroes, entertainers, inventors, explorers, tycoons, personal development experts, philosophers and spiritual leaders - whoever you admire, whoever inspires you, whoever excites you, read about them. These are people who’ve achieved great things. Study them. Learn from them.
These are the people who can join “TEAM YOU”. Why not pick the best to help you win your race?
Copyright 2006 Christopher Green
Chris Green is the author of the new book “Conquering Fear”, the acclaimed book that shows you how to turn fear, your worst enemy, into your most powerful ally. For a FREE preview, please go to => http://www.conqueringfear.net