# Phoebe Duck's Trick Thread



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

This is the first time she went _into the box_ and _sat in the box_ without trying to EAT the box. Yes, I know technique is lacking. Yes, I know her puppy push-up was more a puppy leap-up. Don't care! I'm just happy that she went into the box, sat down, and got out of the box (somewhat) on command. And having it on video? Even better! Yay for progress with Phoebe!!!

ETA: She's 17 wks on Fri


----------



## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

PhoebeDuck said:


> This is the first time she went _into the box_ and _sat in the box_ without trying to EAT the box. Yes, I know technique is lacking. Yes, I know her puppy push-up was more a puppy leap-up. Don't care! I'm just happy that she went into the box, sat down, and got out of the box (somewhat) on command. And having it on video? Even better! Yay for progress with Phoebe!!!


Awesome accomplishments! There's no way this is going to take a year! 🤩!


----------



## Haitch (6 mo ago)

Bless her , so wanting to please , she is just so leggy ! I know poodles are but from this angle it’s even more noticeable .
I am going to buy our pup some dog intelligence toys , “normal” dog toys are just …so normal .
All the best


I bought this , no idea how to start a new thread , he sussed it within a couple of minutes , but loved it


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

Haitch said:


> Bless her , so wanting to please , she is just so leggy ! I know poodles are but from this angle it’s even more noticeable .
> I am going to buy our pup some dog intelligence toys , “normal” dog toys are just …so normal .
> All the best


She's 18" tall now. All legs and fluff and uncoordinated hops. And normal=boring 😁 who wants to be boring??


----------



## Kukla the Tpoo (11 mo ago)

Great job! And best of all, you both look like you're having fun.


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

My coworker gave me a hula hoop her kids no longer play with. Unfortunately, it was a little egg shaped before I got it. Last night was my first attempt at getting Ducky to walk thru it. Just walk thru... And I had a hard time getting her to do that. She'd get halfway and _sit_ on the hoop. Or bite it. Or trip over it and decide to attack it. So the semi-egg shaped hula hoop is now rather squished. I'll get a new one later. When I'm sure she won't sit on it.

Tonight was attempt #2. I figured that if she isn't paying attention to where she's going, maybe I should raise it up so she's forced to look. It worked! I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly she caught on! 

Side note: because she sat on the sides of the box from the previous video, DH helped me beef it up. The glue on the reinforced walls was drying while we played with the hoop. Box training to continue this weekend. I'm not a _total_ squirrel 😜🐿😁


----------



## JasMom (7 mo ago)

She is doing great!


----------



## Puppy Love (Aug 10, 2015)

She is oh so cute!


----------



## Carolinek (Apr 2, 2014)

She is doing great! Very attentive and your rewards are timed well. Love her energy.


----------



## Looniesense (Jul 10, 2021)

Love this thread, thanks for sharing and I look forward to following your progress. Have you seen the SPAM puppy training videos, I loved watching these as well and picked up lots of tips from them too. She does agility with her border collies so it’s her puppy foundation training.


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

Carolinek said:


> She is doing great! Very attentive and your rewards are timed well. Love her energy.


Thank you!!! I almost didn't start the thread because of nervousness over any deficiencies people would see. Then I figured it's only for fun, so why worry?


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

Looniesense said:


> Love this thread, thanks for sharing and I look forward to following your progress. Have you seen the SPAM puppy training videos, I loved watching these as well and picked up lots of tips from them too. She does agility with her border collies so it’s her puppy foundation training.


I have not heard of her, but will add them to my list of "to be watched." I'm glad people are enjoying this thread. We are both learning as we go.


----------



## BennieJets (Oct 10, 2021)

I love her jumpy enthusiasm. So infectious ☺


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

This week, DH donated one of his walkboards to the Training Phoebe Cause. He cleaned it up and will be painting it pink this weekend. 💕 2x12x8ft I tested the setup before teaching Phoebe to walk on it. It's fully braced, even if it doesn't look it. Frannie had to make an appearance, of course! 😉


----------



## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Nice job Phoebe! Your gonna let Frannie do it too, right? It's only fair!


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

94Magna_Tom said:


> Nice job Phoebe! Your gonna let Frannie do it too, right? It's only fair!


Pffftt!!! _And share the cheese?!?!? Are you crazy?!?!_


----------



## Looniesense (Jul 10, 2021)

You should include Frannie in the fun or she might get jealous. Having each wait their turn will benefit both of them too as they learn to wait calmly and it will also make them want to work harder.


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

Looniesense said:


> You should include Frannie in the fun or she might get jealous. Having each wait their turn will benefit both of them too as they learn to wait calmly and it will also make them want to work harder.


I would if Frannie were willing, but she's not. The most she will do is shake hands. But she has her own jobs to do (helps herd the chickens inside and keeps the property safe from killer deer) and gets extra attention and treats. She lets us know when she's not getting enough attention.


----------



## Looniesense (Jul 10, 2021)

Good to hear. When I got a rescue and also had a Spoo, we started doing clicker training again as the rescue was an outside dog and wasn’t even toilet trained when we got him. I used little pieces of cut up hot dog and started in the bathroom with the door closed with one dog at a time. They loved it when it was their turn and I always ended the session with both of them together taking turns.


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

Looniesense said:


> Good to hear. When I got a rescue and also had a Spoo, we started doing clicker training again as the rescue was an outside dog and wasn’t even toilet trained when we got him. I used little pieces of cut up hot dog and started in the bathroom with the door closed with one dog at a time. They loved it when it was their turn and I always ended the session with both of them together taking turns.


Frannie doesn't care about Phoebe's trick time. But she did get upset when Phoebe started "helping" with the chickens. So herding the chickens is Frannie's job alone.

Phoebe sees a hula hoop. "_Yay!!! I can jump thru that!!!"_
Frannie sees a hula hoop. "_Get that Ring of Death and Doom away from me!!!"_

She's a basket case, but a good dog nonetheless.


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

Box practice from a week ago. Sorry about the background noise/bad angle. I was mostly trying to get her bouncies out so DH could watch football without her jumping on him. She was calmer without being worn out. Frannie was watching the game with DH, athough she made an appearance after I stopped the video. She's finally (after almost 4 months) joining in because she wants the extra treats. BTW, new/bigger box. I used the one from my embroidery machine. Both dogs fit in it this time.


----------



## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Her flying leaps out of the box are hilarious! Oh to have that puppy energy again!


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

Liz said:


> Her flying leaps out of the box are hilarious! Oh to have that puppy energy again!


Translate those flying leaps to zoomies in the living room. I've had to catch her when she throws herself off the back of the couch. She doesn't pull these stunts when DH is puppy sitting. Only for me. Yay me. 🙄😁


----------



## JasMom (7 mo ago)

I was about to comment on her Poodle pounces too! So adorable! I think in/out of a box would be a good trick for Jasper to get some energy out if he does it with as much gusto as Phoebe!


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

JasMom said:


> I was about to comment on her Poodle pounces too! So adorable! I think in/out of a box would be a good trick for Jasper to get some energy out if he does it with as much gusto as Phoebe!


Teach him the hula hoop as well. It's so funny! Wmart has light up ones for $10.


----------



## JasMom (7 mo ago)

We're working on the hula hoop. He doesn't always get his back legs high enough off the ground and trips himself.  He's also learning figure eights through my legs.


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

JasMom said:


> We're working on the hula hoop. He doesn't always get his back legs high enough off the ground and trips himself.  He's also learning figure eights through my legs.


Poor Jasper. He needs more vertical lift! 😁 I swear, some days, it seems like Phoebe has rabbit legs!

_"I believe I can fly...."_


----------



## JasMom (7 mo ago)

It's crazy because when we play with his flirt pole, he can really get air born. I think he just doesn't see the _point_ in jumping through a hula hoop.


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

When your Poodle is trying to tell you something...










I walked into the living room and this is what I found. Complete with a demand bark. Alright kid. We'll do the box 🙃


----------



## JasMom (7 mo ago)

Needs treats!!


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

Last night I decided to try running Phoebe thru all of her tricks in preparation for turning in her application for a trick novice title. Walkboard, check! Treat, treat. Sit, check! Shake hands, check! Hula hoop, check, check, check! Box! In, sit, stand, out, and repeat. Check!!! Lay down, roll over! Woo hoo!!!

On her final jump into the box, she _huffed_ at me. Then she did it again after rolling over. Like... _where's the treats?!?_... I had not given her a treat since the walkboard and she was letting me know! Oops. I guess I forgot something. 😬 

I'll be trying again tonight and will hopefully catch it all on camera. If not, I should have a video stitched together by the weekend. I'll link it here when done. 🙂 DH is going to try helping, but his tremors may not cooperate with him being behind the camera.


----------



## Sroodle8 (Dec 23, 2021)

I think I love that little Phoebe Duck!


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

Sroodle8 said:


> I think I love that little Phoebe Duck!


DH says she's a pistol! She's definitely got a ton of personality!!! It took me a minute to figure out what was going on. Then she just sounded so _annoyed _... And it clicked. Oops. Treats!!! Gotta pay the puppy for all her hard work, right?? 😂


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

It took me half the day, and all of the Astros game (we are currently in the 16th inning) to get this stitched together, saved, and uploaded. She knows all of these tricks and more, but once I turned the camera on, things stopped going smoothly. (IE: She suddenly decided that there is no way on Earth that she's going to roll over.) I ran her thru as many of her tricks as I could think of. I need 10 for the virtual novice trick title. I lost count of what we did. Get in the box and sit in the box count as two tricks. Two paws up and four paws up also count as two. Please tell me it's good enough! My camera man was a no show so I had to prop it up on whatever I could find. The trick checklist is attached.


----------



## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

Talented Ms Ducks and you are a great trainer. I was especially intrigued when you counted during the wait command. Makes so much sense. Can hardly wait to try with Asta - I really think I will get longer waits. Overall it is quite evident that you guys are a wonderful team and that you both enjoy the training.


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

Asta's Mom said:


> Talented Ms Ducks and you are a great trainer. I was especially intrigued when you counted during the wait command. Makes so much sense. Can hardly wait to try with Asta - I really think I will get longer waits. Overall it is quite evident that you guys are a wonderful team and that you both enjoy the training.


I can actually get her to wait until a 15-20 count, but I was watching her expressions and decided not to push it. When I first started that, she was glued to my fingers as I counted off. She wasn't sure what I was up to, so she sat still and waited to see what was next. Now she watches my face for her cue.


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

Finally got to show DH the video. Phoebe watched, too. She was fascinated.


----------



## JasMom (7 mo ago)

She is marvelous!


----------



## Kukla the Tpoo (11 mo ago)

Great job! 
Phoebe has gotten so big!


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

So the evaluator lady _finally emailed!!! _PHOEBE PASSED WITH FLYING COLORS!!! WOO HOOOO!!! She said Phoebe did a very very good job! 😁 She's sending the paperwork back as soon as she finishes it, then I can turn it in for her Very First Title!!! YAY!!!!


----------



## Sroodle8 (Dec 23, 2021)

Well done, you two! The first of many.


----------



## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Hooraaaaay! Big congrats to the both of you!


----------



## Looniesense (Jul 10, 2021)

Very well done. You two make a great team.


----------



## Kukla the Tpoo (11 mo ago)

Congratulations to you and Phoebe Duck! 👏


----------



## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Woohoo! Great work !


----------



## JasMom (7 mo ago)

Congratulations, that’s awesome!


----------



## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

Congrats team Phoebe Duck!


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

Her medal finally came in the mail this week. 

🎉🎉😁🎉🎉

Yes she just had to taste test it. Lol


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

Challenges to teaching a new trick:
It's hard to teach the shell game when the puppy wants to eat the "shell." 🙄

I set it up, she knows there's chicken... Spin spin spin the cups. Ok, which one?

Phoebe comes over, sniffs, grabs a paper cup and walks off. Chicken abandoned on the table.

You're never gonna make it in NYC, kid. <sigh> 🤦🏻‍♀️ (Frannie, of course, was thrilled)


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

What does Mom have planned now???











Food. I'm wearing my food. _Why am I wearing my food?!?! Can't I just eat it?!?





















Mom... I have something to tell you. You have lost your mind. Can I have more chicken now, please?? 








_


----------



## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Nice! Did she do it? I've tried to get Elroy to flip a treat off his muzzle and into his mouth. He just lowers his head and it just drops to the floor. Elroy considers it a win!


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

94Magna_Tom said:


> Nice! Did she do it? I've tried to get Elroy to flip a treat off his muzzle and into his mouth. He just lowers his head and it just drops to the floor. Elroy considers it a win!


She tried one time. It wound up in her TK. We haven't figured out the flipping thing yet. I'm just trying to get her to hold still for now.


----------



## PhoebeDuck (6 mo ago)

Shell Game practice with a tired puppy. I've been working with her on learning to Sit and _wait_. After trying to eat the cups, she then tried to win the game by _smashing _the cups. So this was a good low-key game to practice this cold, yucky weekend.


----------

