Training Bailey

Back in May I became the proud new owner of a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Skyesong Kiss the Blarney, born on St Patricks Day and better known as Bailey. 

I spent a lot of time deciding what breed of dog I wanted to get, and settled on the Toller because of their aptitude for agility trials and obedience. I considered a Border Collie, but they tend to get destructive when alone in a yard all day, whereas a Toller is happy entertaining himself. So far Bailey hasn't destroyed anything (fingers crossed).

I've been working on various tricks since I got him. We started with sit, which was quite funny, because Bailey started shuffling around on his bum everywhere in the hope of scoring a treat.

He's also learnt to pay attention, which means that when I call his name he (mostly) looks at me straight away - also in the hope of scoring a treat.

We moved on to lying down, getting up again, stay, fetch and stand. To pass his first grade at training school he had to learn a new trick, so I taught him to shake my hand. After he stopped trying to eat my hand, he willingly started offering his paw up for a shake - once again in the hope of scoring a treat.

Fortunately for Bailey, he usually gets a treat when he does the right thing. He works for frankfurts (hot dogs, cheerios). He treats plain biscuits with disdain, unless they're provided in a large pile in his food bowl.

His latest trick is the first step towards something bigger. I've trained him to fetch and return his ball, which he then drops in a bucket. It was much easier when the bucket was at my feet because I could point in there. It became a bit more challenging when I moved the bucket away from me and asked him to deposit the ball there before coming to me for his treat. In the video Bailey returns the ball to the bucket at my feet, and then after a few false starts, successfully drops his ball in the bucket when it is away from me. 

I'm a little bit proud of him :)