# hula hooping



## Kloliver

Canine freestyle dance. Check out the tricks you can do with hoops & bars, arms, legs etc. Performances


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## outwest

That looks like fun! With one trick she rings a bell with her nose, in another she shuts the light switch off. It's adorable, but I am thinking 'hmm, and the point is?' LOL


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## Kloliver

ANYtime R does something really cute I click & treat him. You never know when it might come in handy.  It cld end up being a bridge behaviour in a whole string of cues.


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## pgr8dnlvr

Very cool pics! Gotta say Bonnies haircut looks pretty much PERFECT on her right now! Or maybe she's just the perfect poodle?!

Rebecca


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## Dallasminis

Go Bonnie, love those pics! Always such a joy to have a reason to look at beautiful Bonnie!


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## petitpie

High leaps bring delight,
Near flight for earthbound creatures, 
Like jumping for joy.


I taught my small poodles to jump through small Hula hoops just for the fun of it! Love the pictures.


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## Ginagbaby1

Great pictures! Bonnie looks amazing with her hula hooping skills. You suggested the hula hoop to me in another thread as a way to keep Casper entertained and I gotta say, he didn't look like he was having nearly as much fun as Bonnie was. He'd would usually just walk around it, instead of jumping through it and go find something else to do while we were left standing there holding the hoop...


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## sarpoodle

Wow! I love seeing how she tucks in her front legs to clear the jump in those photos. I'm inspired. I know what I'm going to start teaching Saydee to do tomorrow. 

BTW, your girl looks beautiful, and that cut is awesome on her.

Greg


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## spoowhisperer

Great photos! I might try this for fun with my 3. To me the point of this is having fun with your dog. Its still training, thinking, doing what behavior is asked for. So you need two people to start the training on this, or can you train this by yourself?


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## ArreauStandardPoodle

She is so pretty! And she looks so pleased with herself!


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## outwest

No, I do it by myself mostly. I have someone hold the hoop sometimes, if they're available. The instructor was holding the hoop in the pics so I could take pictures.  It was super easy to teach her to do it and is impressive for people who watch her. It's so darned cute. I used a clicker. It took a day or so for her to get over her trepitation of the hoop. I started by putting a treat in the middle of the hoop while it lay on the ground. Then she got a treat if she allowed me to pull the hoop over her. Then she got a treat if she walked through the hoop. Then we raised it slowly until she had to jump until finally she has gotten to where she takes a running leap at it from a distance. She got the basics of the hoop with only a few minutes a day (high value treats for the hoop). The first time she actually jumped through with all four off the ground (not a little hop), she got a jackpot treat. Now she gets a treat every 4th or fifth jump. It's fun and actually is great exercise for her and can be done in the house. 

A few days ago I was blobbing out on the couch and she was feeling ignored. She went over and got the hoop and dragged it over to me! I think she just wanted a treat.:act-up:


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## petitpie

Bonnie, balls, and hoops,
Since treats come with all my toys,
I'll just remind you!

Bonnie is a very smart girl!


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## Quossum

She looks great, and what a fun trick! Teaching the jump through the hoop is the first step in teaching them to jump through your arms, which is definitely a trick i want to teach my boy.

Tricks may be "useless" in a way, but teaching your dog lots of tricks is helping your pup "learn to learn," to develop their brainpower to the max, and that's a good thing!

--Q


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## Rayah-QualitySPs

Wow! That is fantastic. 
I think the point of you and Bonnie learning tricks is based on you keeping it *up beat* and *light* - cause it's *not really important*. And Bonnie demonstrating that *you can* teach or *shape behaviours* and she learns.
Oh, ya I get it now - you taught Bonnie behaviours and she learned them. Yahhh!!!!!


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## 2719

outwest said:


> A few days ago I was blobbing out on the couch and she was feeling ignored. She went over and got the hoop and dragged it over to me! I think she just wanted a treat.:act-up:



That is amazing....she dragged the hoop to you...wow!

She looks absolutely gorgeous in all the photos. Have you been trying the scissoring?

You have inspired me to go purchase a hula hoop. Way, Way, Way, back when I was a young girl I used to go outside with our first poodle and I taught her to jump through a hula hoop....and climb a ladder (she won first prize at the town fair). I definitely think if Bonnie is dragging you the hoop she is enjoying herself...and I thank you for giving me the inspiration.

Sherry


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## outwest

She loves her hoop, but I am not sure if it is entirely the hoop or she has figured out that the hoop is tied to yummies. Like I said, this is the smartest dog I have ever owned. It is challenging sometimes, but she makes up for it in entertainment value. She is really food driven, which makes things easier. She also seems to want to have something to do or think about. If I don't do anything with her and she's bored, she pesters my whippet by grabbing his leather collar, trying to pull him off the couch to play or something equally obnoxious, sigh.

I did buy scissors and I did do some scissoring myself. It is much harder that I thought and I hacked a bit out of her leg (had the curve turned the wrong way). But, I fluffed it up so it isn't noticeable.

If you can't find a hula hoop, try your local educational store (the kind for teachers). They had all sizes of hoops at the one near me.


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## outwest

Here is 'sit pretty' and 'yoga'. 

I had to change the name to 'yoga' from 'bow' because she kept lying 'down' when I said 'bow'. Now she does her tricks with hand signals, so it doesn't matter what I say.


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## Kloliver

outwest said:


> Here is 'sit pretty' and 'yoga'. I had to change the name to 'yoga' from 'bow' because she kept lying 'down' when I said 'bow'. Now she does her tricks with hand signals, so it doesn't matter what I say.  [/QUOTE
> Those are some mighty fine pictures. Rango says Hubba Hubba!!!!
> 
> Yep, bow is too close to down &, worse yet, no. Rangos's take a bow is Ta-daaaa, he extends it as long as I say the daaaaaa part.
> 
> Getting cues on hand signals then verbal is great. Always practice the hand signals, it's nice when they age & their hearing fades. Plus, you get to impress your friends when you're separated by glass & your dog does what he's cued to do


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## Kloliver

outwest said:


> Here is 'sit pretty' and 'yoga'.
> 
> I had to change the name to 'yoga' from 'bow' because she kept lying 'down' when I said 'bow'. Now she does her tricks with hand signals, so it doesn't matter what I say.




Those are some mighty fine pictures. Rango says Hubba Hubba!!!!

Yep, bow is too close to down &, worse yet, no. Rangos's take a bow is Ta-daaaa, he extends it as long as I say the daaaaaa part.

Getting cues on hand signals then verbal is great. Always practice the hand signals, it's nice when they age & their hearing fades. Plus, you get to impress your friends when you're separated by glass & your dog does what he's cued to do


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## outwest

Darn, I wish I would have thought of Ta-Daaaaa. That's better than Yoga. Maybe I can think of something to do with TaDa.  

Tricks are nice because you can do them anywhere. I tried Agility and I may do it again, but it involved driving to equipment and open spaces. Not that I am necessarily opposed to that, but tricks are easy to do in a couple of minutes here and there. 

What is Hubba Hubba?? Do tell.


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## Kloliver

Hubba Hubba is what Rango said when he saw Bonnie in downward dog. Naughty Rango :wink:

You can train a new word to a learned behaviour. In fact, you can have several cues for any 1 behaviour. It doesnt work the other way though, only 1 behaviour for the cue.

Just say the new one BEFORE the current cue & use the learned hand signal. Then after several sessions, just say the new word & the hand signal. If Bonnie doesn't get it in the space of a few seconds, then say the known cue. With loads of praise. Then try again until you have eliminated the old cue, or keep both on hand.

Search kikopup on YouTube- she's great.

Agility is a blast. I 'train' with 2 teachers- very different class styles. 1 is calm & controlled the other.... Not so much. The not so much is revamping to get a better handle on things & be able to offer more one on one guidance.

Rango is a fearless party animal so the not so much class is over stimulating. I like the revamping


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## 2719

Hello
my husband is going shopping tomorrow and hula hoops are on his list. It looks like great fun. 

I agree about the scissoring it looks a lot easier than it is. I will post pics of my spoos going through the hoop once I have trained them...but I can guarantee they won't look as fancy as bonnie. 

I am getting a wee bit bettering at scissoring...practice practice practice...I attached a photo of misstarry and her topknot (the thing I have the hardest time with). I am actually quite proud I have progressed to getting her to look semi decent. I am sure you will get the Bonster looking fabulous in no time.

p.s. Misstarry is the same size as your Bonnie....a size I quite like.


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## outwest

Beautiful job on the top knot! Bonnie is all clean and sparkly, totally fluffed out after going to the groomer this morning. I want to scissor her while she is clean the weekend because she is getting very fluffy.


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## Cynthadia

*Tricks*

One of my fave tricks is to teach a dog to count. It's so easy, a great parlor trick, and has the ancillary benefit of teaching the dog to stop barking.

First, you have to catch the dog barking. Next, say speak (while the dog is barking) while simultaneously holding up a hand and making a duck quacking gesture, and give a very small treat (one that the dog swallows in one bite).

As soon as the dog understands that speak and the duck quacking gesture elicits a bark, then change your quacking gesture to five fingers spread horizontally in front of the dog's face, still saying speak.

Then, while the dog is barking in response to your hand gesture, quickly pull your hand away and give the dog a cookie that requires the dog to chew for a few seconds. Do this over and over again, and the dog will quickly bark to your hand held up and become silent when your hand drops.

The next part is so easy. Hold up two fingers. As soon as the dog barks twice, give a treat. Then, hold up three fingers and, again, as soon as the dog barks three times, give a treat. Do the same for any number of fingers up to ten.

When your guests come to visit, tell them you dog is a math genius who can add, subtract, multiply, divide, or count up to ten. When they give you a number (for example, 2 x 3), then merely hold up your hand until the dog barks 6 times. Then casually let your hand fall to your side.

I kid you not - people actually believe the dog can count.

p.s. At the end of your training (to teach the dog not to bark), hold up your hand to signal the dog to bark, then casually drop your hand and WHISPER the word "quiet." Treat immediately when the dog stops barking. I realize that it might seem counterintuitive to whisper the word quiet. However, whispering teaches the dog to pay attention to your slightest utterance while yelling reinforces exciteable (barking) behavior.


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## outwest

Thanks, Cynthadia. That sounds like a great trick.


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## meme

I was so inspired by this post I've spent yesterday and today encouraging my dog to jump through a hula hoop. Just wondering what sort of hand signal you used? 
and if I missed it what voice cue did you use? ( sorry I originally read this last night, and just posting a quick reply now)


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## outwest

Her word to go through the hoop (or any jump for that matter) is "over". Her word for getting up on top of something is "table". Hope that helps!


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## 2719

Hiya Outwest

I have my hula hoop. What a blast....I can understand why you and Bonnie love to do tricks.

I have two puppies, Mimi and Cosi. I just started holding the hula hoop on the ground and a treat on the other side. Cosi...immediately stepped through the hoop. Mimi...nope ...she walked around. But when she saw that Cosi was getting a treat for walking through the hoop, she figured it out. I started to hold the hoop a bit higher off the ground and Cosi just sailed through...Mimi slow walked through it.

Mimi thinks everything through....and Cosi just does whatever he thinks will please me. I just love spending time with them. 

Thank you for the hula hoop idea.
Sherry


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## outwest

It's fun, isn't it. Visitors are always very impressed.


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