Reese has been learning a new trick, well, I guess it is more of a new behavior. It's not that I really think this behavior will come in handy some day. She isn't getting Scuba certified any time soon. Actually, people sometimes ask why I teach her these things, why not just teach good manners and leave it at that. We do work on those things but learning a trick is not really about the trick, but about the learning process. Bonding with each other and me learning how she learns and her learning how to learn - if something she does doesn't work, try something else and see if that works. Tricks teach me how to be a better teacher and they teach Reese how to learn.
Many of the tricks she does also teach her body awareness and strengthen and stretch her muscles so that they will be conditioned and this will help prevent injuries. This one doesn't do that but it is fun. So here it is, she learned this in three very short sessions.
Here are a few pictures of her playing with Clifford.
