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- Trisha's Favorite Trick - "Are You Ashamed of Yourself?"
Trisha's Favorite Trick - "Are You Ashamed of Yourself?"
Teach your dog to hide his head under a pillow when you say "Are you ashamed of yourself?"
This is a great parlor trick that can get you and your friends laughing on the darkest of days. Your dog will hide his head under a pillow or blanket when you say “Are you ashamed of yourself?” It takes more training than jumping through a hoop, but it’s not that hard for most dogs., and it’s such a great trick to show off to your friends that it’s worth the effort. Start by putting a treat under a cushion or folded blanket that your dog can push his nose under. A cushion tied to the back of a wooden chair can work well if it’s at nose level to your dog, but Trisha had the most luck with a doggy sleeping pad on the ground.
Show your dog a treat, and then place put the hand with the treat underneath the pad, a few inches from your dog’s nose, and say “Good boy!” as he finds it and eats it. Once he starts shoving his nose under the object with vigor, say “Are you ashamed of yourself?” in a silly, teasing voice as soon as you’ve placed the treat. (Don’t use a “shaming” voice at this point—you don’t want your dog to really feel ashamed!) As you progress, move the treat further back toward the rear of the pad to encourage your dog to place his entire head underneath it. Once he’s enthusiastically pushing his head under the object, slide the your treat hand treat in from the other side. That means you and the dog are on the opposite sides, with the pad between you. It’s important to move to the other side as soon as you can so that he won’t be tempted to slip his head out and look back at you if you are behind him.
Give him the treat as soon as his head is submerged. Once he’ll push his head completely under the pad, move the to the next phase. Insert the treat as usual, but don’t release it—keep your hand wrapped around it so he can’t get it. Pause for a second or two, but no longer, so that he doesn’t give up and bring his head out to look for it. Over several sessions, start asking him to hold his head in place for longer periods of time, eventually up to three to five seconds, before releasing the treat.
The last step is to say “Are you ashamed of yourself?” and wait for your dog to insert his head himself without you having to slide a treat under the object. It will help him immensely if you stand (or sit) in the same place as before, and keep everything else consistent. Just move to your usual side, give him his cue and stand or sit as you usually do, holding the treat in your hand. Be ready to reinforce him—always on the other side of the blanket and at nose level—as soon as he offers you the behavior. Eventually you can stand well away from the cushion and ask the question. Be sure to give him extra praise and rewards at first if he does the trick when you’re standing in a different place than usual. You can find lots more engaging tricks in Trisha's and Karen London's book, Play Together, Stay Together: Happy and Healthy Play Between People and Dogs.
Show your dog a treat, and then place put the hand with the treat underneath the pad, a few inches from your dog’s nose, and say “Good boy!” as he finds it and eats it. Once he starts shoving his nose under the object with vigor, say “Are you ashamed of yourself?” in a silly, teasing voice as soon as you’ve placed the treat. (Don’t use a “shaming” voice at this point—you don’t want your dog to really feel ashamed!) As you progress, move the treat further back toward the rear of the pad to encourage your dog to place his entire head underneath it. Once he’s enthusiastically pushing his head under the object, slide the your treat hand treat in from the other side. That means you and the dog are on the opposite sides, with the pad between you. It’s important to move to the other side as soon as you can so that he won’t be tempted to slip his head out and look back at you if you are behind him.
Give him the treat as soon as his head is submerged. Once he’ll push his head completely under the pad, move the to the next phase. Insert the treat as usual, but don’t release it—keep your hand wrapped around it so he can’t get it. Pause for a second or two, but no longer, so that he doesn’t give up and bring his head out to look for it. Over several sessions, start asking him to hold his head in place for longer periods of time, eventually up to three to five seconds, before releasing the treat.
The last step is to say “Are you ashamed of yourself?” and wait for your dog to insert his head himself without you having to slide a treat under the object. It will help him immensely if you stand (or sit) in the same place as before, and keep everything else consistent. Just move to your usual side, give him his cue and stand or sit as you usually do, holding the treat in your hand. Be ready to reinforce him—always on the other side of the blanket and at nose level—as soon as he offers you the behavior. Eventually you can stand well away from the cushion and ask the question. Be sure to give him extra praise and rewards at first if he does the trick when you’re standing in a different place than usual. You can find lots more engaging tricks in Trisha's and Karen London's book, Play Together, Stay Together: Happy and Healthy Play Between People and Dogs.
