Maci and Miles have both achieved their American Kennel Club (AKC) Novice Trick Title. This accomplishment with my dogs was purely for fun! I first learned of “trick titles” in a monthly AKC magazine which was published during the Covid-19 pandemic. The article highlighted this new virtual title offering as a great way for pet dog owners to engage in training with their dogs as a sport during quarantine and while in-person events were suspended.
To participate, I downloaded the list of trick options, selected those that I wanted to submit and filmed them being performed. I obtained a list of evaluators who were certified through the AKC and selected one to assess the quality of the tricks and award the ribbon. This was all done virtually.
Maci was the first to go through the process. She happened to have an advantage over Miles, because she had completed the AKC Canine Good Citizen designation. This meant she was able to apply those skills toward five of the 10 required tricks. Having her do five tricks was quite easy for us. Now, we are close to submitting another 10 tricks for her intermediate title.
Miles, who turned one last month, completed 10 tricks from the list and was awarded his title. He will eventually complete his AKC CGC and is also well on his way in preparing for his intermediate trick title next.
Both dogs are clicker trained. Our sessions are usually anywhere from five to ten minutes maximum and include lots of bite size tasty treats! I use shaping and capturing to train new tricks (aka: behaviors). The time we have together is always upbeat, fun and often informal (meaning, not typically planned ahead of time).
Are you interested in learning more about the AKC Trick Titles? Click here to find further information!
