The Rip Van Wrinkler, Volume XV, Issue 2, May 2011

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© Allie Brosch ~ Illustrations from Hyperbole and a half - Dog

the get the treat out from under the lid. . .

contest winners are:

Susan Kamen Marsicano's M & Fern

YouTube - Lids & Weaves, Disney Music, treats under lids, weaves.....

Peggy said, "The treat under the jar trick was illuminating and revealing." I found that myself and was, in fact, surprised by how each dog reacted to it. Here are 2 out of 3 getting it. The boys each politely sat a small distance from the offending object, wanting me to solve it.


Donna Hess' Nora

I don't know how the other dogs are stacking up, but I think my Nora is a genius.  I put a treat under a plastic cup (not clear)...she looked at me as if I was simple, whacked the cup with her foot and ate the treat.  Then she sat down and waited for me to do it again.  The next test was I put a treat into a closed container. She picked up the container, took it to "her" coach and chewed it open!! Anything to do with food is OK by her!

However, what was even more interesting was the treat ball.  In the bottom of the dog toy chest I have one of those balls that you fill with small treats and the dog has to push it around to get the treats out.  None of my herding dogs ever cared for this toy, as you have to push the ball around quite a bit to get the treats to fall out.  They get bored in two minutes and move on to something else.  I tried it with Nora.  She was fascinated by the ball and pushed it around for over twenty minutes until all the treats were consumed.  I have given her the ball everyday for two weeks and she stays with it until it's empty!!

Karen Christensen's Tutu

Tutu immediately chose the plastic lid & carried it off to chew.


Kirsten Sigrist's Ariel

I was trying to do Tessie, our labradoodle first, but Ariel butted in.

You Tube - Basenji vs Labradoodle


Andrea Stone's Regan & Zepar

Regan kicked Par’s butt on the lid. Maybe it’s just because her teeth are smaller. Zepar is such a funny, soft dog. I do adore him.

I must say I was VERY proud that Zepar stayed at it as long as he did. He has always been such a giver upper. Shows that working with your dog and teaching them that they –can- do things pays off.

YouTube -

Regan

Zepar


Peggy Pick's Ivan & Dasa

The treat under the jar trick was illuminating and revealing. It revealed that I’m very well trained. 

I showed Ivan the treat and then put it under a plastic storage container on the carpet. This posed no real difficulty, as he was able to scoot the container over the treat and gain access. I then tried a tall cylindrical container. This tipped over fairly easily and his attitude about the whole thing became more enthused by the minute.  I then tried a sturdy drinking glass. This also tipped over with minimal fuss. Ivan was happy to try any type of container I wanted. These science experiments are fun, Mom. Dasa was content to nibble treats from the hand behind my back while we were in pursuit of excellence and expanding the body of knowledge, as it were.

Then we moved into the kitchen with the sturdy drinking glass. While I praised his efforts, Ivan pushed the glass along with his nose.

It scooted across the floor. He looked at me as if to say “hmmm.” Then he pushed it to the edge of the rug and tipped it over. I tried this again, and he pushed it straight to the rug and tipped it over, this time with no side trips around the kitchen.

Later when Ivan was downstairs napping, Dasa and I tried this test in the bedroom. I used a lightweight plastic cup over her treat.  I showed Dasa the treat and then put the cup over it. She tilted her head and looked at me. I kept up a steady stream of encouragement as she pushed the cup across the carpet. She stopped and looked at me.  I picked up the cup and treat, once again showed her the treat and put the cup over it. At my urging she pushed the cup around a bit more, clearly humoring me in this waste of time. She stopped and sighed. I showed her the treat under the cup again. She pushed it over to me, sat in front of me and placed her little paw on my arm. I immediately gave her that treat and several more, apologized for putting her through this exercise, and told her she’s brilliant.

Dasa humoring mom.


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