Tibetan Terrier Tricks

Tibetan Terriers, often referred to as TTs, are medium-sized dogs with a long, fluffy, double coat. TTs, with smart but calm personalities, are capable of learning skills from basic obedience to athletic expertise. "Sit," "stay," "down" and "come" are basics your Tibetan Terrier can learn with consistent training and positive rewards. Tricks such as "roll over" and "shake" can be taught the same way. More sophisticated tricks are well within the TT's ability.

  1. Rally

    • TTs excel at rally. A step beyond basic obedience, rally is a competition where a dog and its trainer maneuver a course with 10 to 20 stations at their own pace. Each station features a sign describing the skill or set of skills the team must complete. The trainer may encourage the TT during the competition but any touching, physical correction or harsh commands result in point deductions. The competition's judge creates the stations that can vary from a single figure eight to several direction changes and stays. The American Kennel Club Rally events feature three levels.

    Agility

    • An A-Frame is a standard part of agility competitions.

      The TT's athleticism makes it a natural competitor in agility. Essentially an obstacle course for dogs, agility encompasses various physical tests like going through tunnels, weaving through poles, navigating a see-saw and jumping hurdles. You and your dog are timed on the course and penalized for going out of order, touching and other infractions. Agility competitions through the AKC have six classes based on jump heights, while the United States Dog Agility Association's events have four.

    Flyball

    • Flyball is a fitting activity for your TT, as it requires energy and obedience. Two teams of four dogs each compete on identical side-by-side flyball courses just over four feet long. One dog from each team begins at the same time and goes over four jumps before triggering a box that launches a tennis ball. The dog must retrieve the ball and return to the start of the course, jumping the hurdles again. Each of the dogs on the teams must complete the same sequence, but cannot begin until its teammate returns to the starting line. The fastest team wins.

    Tracking

    • TTs, like most dogs, have a sense of smell beyond that which humans can comprehend. Tracking is an activity that allows this natural ability to shine. The AKC has four levels: Tracking Dog, Tracking Dog Excellent, Variable Surface Tracking and Champion Tracker. To qualify as a Tracking Dog, your Tibetan Terrier must maneuver a scent trail established over about 500 yards with three to five direction changes. The trail is 30 minutes to two hours old when the dog begins. Tracking Dog Excellent requires completion of a trail 800 to 1,000 yards, with five to seven direction changes and trails of different scents dissecting it. Variable Surface Tracking goes through streets, buildings or other areas that lack vegetation. Completion of all three levels establishes your dog as a Champion Tracker.