TEACHING ANIMALS TRICKS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 163, 15 August 1914, Page 6

TEACHING ANIMALS TRICKS.

KINDNESS THE ONLY METHOD. ' IT is much more easy than many people suppose to teach an animal a trick, But two qualities are essential — patience and kindness. Any attempt at harsh coercion will almost certainly mean failure, and what cannot be brought about by persuasion will hardly ever be accomplished by any other means. Of course, in the case of all creatures, particularly with dogs and cats, the most impressionable time is when the animals are young. Probably the best period of all for the teaching of tricks is just before the pet reaches its maturity, when it is almost fully grown and lias left behind most of its youthful pranks. Almost every animal has some special dainty of which it is extremely fond, and by using this as a hire many a trick may be t&ught with the greatest ease. The chief thing is to get into the creature's mind the idea that a certain action is likely to be associated with a reward in the shape of a morsel. An actual case may illustrate the point. The writer had a small terrier which, in half an hour, was taught to sit up on his haunches and " salute" by puttinglone of his front paws up to his head. Taught to '' Salute.'' First of all the dog was sat back on his haunches, and then his paw was put up to his head a mimber of times. After a while, at the word "salute," the dog made a slight attempt to do the trick on his own account. The reward was instantly. forthcoming in the form of a lump of sugar. In a few minutes the trick was repeated, and then the dog evidently thought that the whole thing was a very fine game. At the end of the half-hour Ihe lesson was complete, and when there was any food about the dog would sit up and salute for all he was worth. Of course, dogs are very intelligent and generally speaking fairly tractable; this makes it fairly easy to teach them tricks. Oats are much more diflicult subjects, extremely independent by nature; indeed, the least suspicion of force would surely wreck a chance of ever getting them to do anything. So one must proceed in a cautious way, always being ready with the reward, which should be some dainty of which the creature is known .to be fond. By making a close study of our pets we can often discover that they start little tricks on their own account. Of such it is Avell to take full advantage ami by a little encouragement on the lines indicated some very interesting habits may be developed. When once a trick is taught an animal is never likely to forget it.