I have always been interested in dog training and I really enjoy trick training but its dawned on me recently that I spend too much time thinking about what to teach next and then i would get all worked up about perfecting it in a certain amount of time, trying to teach as many tricks as quickly as possible.
I basically got so caught up in teaching tricks that i stopped working on the basics, the most important things that your dog should know and the things that might some day save their life. Its a lot more important to have a dog that can come back on command than one that can fetch your slippers for you. However impressive it is for a dog to stand up and dance on command, its much more important and beneficial for your dog to know the basic commands.
So with that in mind I've decided to give trick training a break. Oscar enjoys tricks but I think he wouldn't mind a break from them either. I think its time to really work on those basic commands, the sits and the downs and the stays and most importantly the recall. While I was busy teaching Oscar some pointless tricks his recall kind of slacked, and that needs work, especially if i plan on enjoying the off leash walks of the new year!
Tricks are fun to teach and they do provide dogs with wonderful mental stimulation but you should NEVER put them above the basics. Being able to roll over on command wont save your dog if he is running into the path of oncoming cars.
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