Many of the commands I have taught Charlie have only taken a few minutes until he does them himself and a few sessions until they are reliable. He has a much better work ethic than Max, is harder to distract, and doesn't think before he acts - which is good in this case. I'm glad Charlie is the white one, because I'd like to eventually get him into Show Biz...

Charlie had his Rally debut in early June '06 at the Poodle Club of MA Specialty. He decided not to sit on the spikey, wet, muddy grass in the rain, but eveything else was good (and he stayed clean for conformation the next day!). Charlie is almost ready for Obedience, just needs a little more practice for off-lead heeling and his stays (I swear, he's got a million springs all over his body!). We have started agility and he is doing very well. He is the first dog I've been able to run off-leash and we both have a ton of fun, though I need to lead-out very far due to his crazy speed!

Charlie and I have recently joined a local Search And Rescue group and started training for wilderness SAR. I am looking forward to expanding my knoweledge of training methods and theories, and participating in this area of dogs helping people.

Here are a few of Charlie's tricks:

V= Voice, S= Signal. Some tricks have pictures available.

Obedience into Open:

Stand V
Sit V/S
Down V/S
Stay V/S
Heel (auto-sit) V
Recall V
Finish Right S
Finish Left V
Retrieve on Flat V
Retrieve over High Jump V

Agility:

Various Jumps V
Tunnel V
Dog-Walk V
A-Frame V
Table V
Chute V

Reading:

Check-out his videos taken after only a few weeks of training - I'm using 'Yes!' as a marker just after he completes the behavior:
#1 (Sit, Down)
#2 (Sit, Shake)

DOWN (Reading)
SIT (Reading)
SHAKE (Reading)
ROLL (Reading)
UP (Reading)
Down (Stick Figure)
Sit (Stick Figure)
Shake (Stick Figure)
Roll (Stick Figure)
Turn (Stick Figure)

Social/Therapy:

Visit (chin on lap) V and S
Sit on Chair at Bed/Table V
Snuggle (lap, across body, chin resting on opp. shoulder) V

Service Tasks:

Heel/Behind/Go Through by Wheelchair V
Pushing Buttons (automatic door, crosswalk) V
Pulling Objects in his Mouth (rope on fridge, socks, etc) V
Retrieving Items from Table/Floor V
Putting Items on Table/My Hand/Basket V
Searching for un-named object in room ('hot & cold' game) V/S
Carrying Items V
Turning On Lights V
Lying Under Bench/Table V
Get Your Leash V

SAR/Scent Work:

Go Out (still increasing distance) V/S
Drop (lie down) Whistle
Over Left/Right V and S
Finding Toys/Treats V
Navigating obstacles V

Tricks:

On Your Side V/S
Put Your Head Down V/S
Show Belly V
Roll Over V
Shake V/S
Dry (shake body) V
Bounce (bunny-hops in place) V
Look Up V
High Five V/S
Wave V/S
Sit Pretty V
Speak V
Left Circle V
Right Circle V
Dead Dog (funny) V
Go to Bed V
Go to Your Room V
Go to Your Kennel V
Cut (cross behind me) V
Back (walk backwards) V
Touch (nose to target) V
Inside (enter location) V
Out (leave room) V

Still Learning:

Teeter V
Weave Poles V
Cover/wipe nose V
Crawl V
Bow V
Recall Whistle
Right Cross (paws crossed) V
Mirror my hand movement with his front paws S
Recall Whistle

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