I have one of the smartest dogs I have ever had or seen. He is a Blue Heeler and is extremely intelligent. His training has been easy.

I have been working on a comedy routine with him, but I would love some suggestions about effects in which I can use him.

He loves attention.

I've forgotten the name of the act for certain , but I believe it was something like the Madsen Brothers and the Amazing Andre'...at any rate, Andre' was a middle-size dog that was the focal point of the Magic routine. I specifically remember mouth coils being produced from Andre's mouth.

You can force a card and have him sniff it out from underneath one of many dishes. Using the reward method of a treat, this is an easy thing to train a canine to do.

The same dish is always used in training and performance.

ReyRey,

Do your remember my dog that could read? He saw the sign that said "Wet Paint", and he did!

Actually, dogs make very good business partners, even in show business.


Astinus,

Train him to put something (a prop, even a towel) away every time you are not looking. That way, every time you put the prop (rope, towel, ball, wand, whatever) down to get something else (scissors, silk, etc.) and turn your back, the dog removes it and you have to start over. It is even better if he will replace it with his bowl! The mutt will steal your act!

Enjoy!

Bob
Magic By Sander

Does your dog have feathers? LOL
You can say you have made him paranoid, by calling him stay.
'FETCH, STAY'!

We use several dogs in our act; Samoyeds, Miniature American Eskimos and a Border Collie. You can do a production, vanish, or why not a version of Chattering Teeth?

Bob, I love that idea. Makes me want another dog. I wonder if I could train my rabbit to do that. LOL

Regan

Wonderful thread. I think I will have to work with our dog, Princess. She's a mix between Pug and Shih Tzu. She's always cute, and smart as a whip. I need to have her somewhere when I travel, so she might as well earn her keep.

Martin

Pirate,

I have 2 pugs. I can't imagine what a pug and Shih Tzu would look like mixed! lol That would be hilarious in your act.

Great question. I would also love to perform with my dog, Skip. Again, I agree with the infamous Bob Sanders on this one.

Train him to drag out his bed and get in it during your act.

He needs the sleep! LOL

Audiences will love it.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

I worked with Godzilla and Shamu, both tiny white Maltese dogs, for years. They stole the show! Now, I have Yeti and Sasquatch. Both Maltese, one a shelter rescue, and both currently in magic training. They are identical, a little different in size, but one is black [rare] and one is white. There is a LOT of potential with these little ladies!

The Great Andre was a standard size poodle.

If you had a red and yellow one, as well as the black and white, you could do the hippity hop Maltese.

I'm curious about the Chattering Teeth effect -- what is that? I do some magic with my dogs and, so far, it is mostly appearing and disappearing. I got a chair suspension, and I'm going to try to work that so a dog can be sitting on top of my daughter while I suspend her.

Weezels,

Click here to see a version of the Chattering Teeth effect. Just replace the teeth with your dog and the box with something larger, maybe his/her travel carrier, and you'd have a great routine. Training your dog to bring the chewed paper out of the box to you after the paper flies would be a great addition, too.

We also use many dogs in our show; chow chow, standard poodle, toy poodle, Boston terrier, and a Great Dane. With a little work, all the dogs get to love performing whatever illusion you choose. Suggestions: doves to dog, a blammo box dog appearance and almost any other animal production can work well with dogs.

Michael:

That sounds fun! I will look into it. Currently, I'm not doing any card tricks in my routines, but I think I could work this in. So far, I've been doing everything to music with no audience interaction because I started with competitive canine freestyle (choreographed dog/handler performances to music) and decided to add in some magic tricks. But now, I've got the opportunity to do some stage performances so I can do things outside the scope of the freestyle routines.

Here are some pictures from our first stage performance: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20......0acc468e

Australian sheppards, collies, labs are the best for understanding and pleasing their owner! but with enough training any dog can work and do wonders!