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The Spatula Flying Treat Trick, part #2
Last week, I shared a trick idea, along with some photos and videos, ➡which you can see here.
My dogs and I have been having a lot of fun as we work on this trick and I wanted to share a few additional tips if you decide to work on this with your own dog.
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If your dog is sound sensitive, practice the spatula trick on a carpeted surface.
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For bigger dogs or ones who like to strike the spatula with a lot of vigor, a bit of padding taped to the bottom edge of the spatula might help.
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When you begin placing a treat on the handle end of the spatula, choose something that’s big enough so your dog won’t have trouble seeing it as it arcs toward them in the air. I’m using Charlee Bears.
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Once the initial paw targeting skill is in place, it’ll be helpful to teach the dog to WAIT as you set up the spatula and treat, and then give a clear signal when it’s okay for them to use their paw.
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A LEAVE-IT cue can be helpful early on when your dog notices there’s now a treat being placed on the end of the spatula. Otherwise, they may skip the paw action and go straight in for the steal!
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In separate sessions, work on simple treat tosses with your dog so they can improve their catching skill.
Please share additional ideas (and video!) if you’ve been working on this trick.
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5 Replies
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This looks like a tool that will be useful when training , thank you
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@BettyR , if you try the trick, please post your results! ☺
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Well we tried the spatula , the older dogs did not go for it ,( 9yrs, 8 yrs) the puppies went for the spatula as a chew toy, but the lab mix (4-5 yr old) thought it was amazing, the treats had to be a little on the bigger side , her kibble got lost mid air, so we used some dehydrated beef tongue, and heart ( we make at home) . That worked little better.
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@BettyR , that’s awesome!!! What a snazzy reward for your dog. ????
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Amazing, Betty! Kudos for giving this a whirl! It’s so interesting that different dogs approach this exercise totally differently. Leave it to the Lab to be the one who is food-motivated enough to enjoy it all. haha
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