111 dog tricks with recyclable plastic
- Dog Talent Association
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
The first task of the International Trick Dog Competition are tricks with recyclable plastic.
To do tricks you do not need any expensive tools, props or equipment.
In fact, you can do literary hundreds of different tricks re-using plastic that normally just goes straight into a bin. It will not cost you a cent and you will have a lot of fun.
There are so many cool things you can do with your dog using simple bottles and other plastic before recycling it!
111 trick ideas with recyclable plastic:
(bottles, yoghurt and ice cream pots, bubble wrap, plastic straws, plastic bags, bottle bups, plastic plant pots, plastic containers etc)
Nosework:
Find a hidden bottle
Identify the bottle with specific scent
Choose the "plastic bottle" among other objects (object differentiation)
Find a plastic object buried in shredded paper or sand
Indicate the bottle or a pot with a target scent with paw or nose touch (you can make a hole in the bottle cup or unscrew the bottle or use upside down plastic plant pots)
Retrieve only a bottle with the target scent from a pile
Bark when a bottle with a target scent is found
Playful and interactive
Carry a bottle or a plastic object
Toss the bottle in the air and catch it (you can also use catapult)
Catch a thrown bottle (best to squash the bottle so it is flat- this way is easier to catch)
Nose "soccer" the bottle into a goal
Put some dry rice into the bottle and teach the dog to shake it like a rainmaker toy
Roll the bottle back and forth with the handler
Spin in circles while holding the bottle
Nose touch the bottle or another plastic object (also sustained nose touch)
Fetch a thrown bottle (best to squash the bottle as it is easier to pick up and carry)
Balance bottle or another plastic object on head, nose or other parts of body
Bow while holding a bottle
Drop/recycle bottle into a target basket
Leg weaves with bottle in the mouth
Nudge bottle so it falls
Nose nudge the first bottle in a row of bottles so they fall like dominoes
Tidy up objects or toys into a plastic bag
Tap bottle or another plastic object with paws like a drum
Treat dispenser bottle flip (enrichment toy)
Use a bottle as baseball bat to knock or tap or knock over other objects
Fetch bottle from water (swimming)
Serve drinks using bottle or a plastic pot on a little tray
Place bottle on a low table
Roll bottle with paws
Use bottle instead of dummy for obedience exercises
Open bin lid and drop a bottle or a bottle top
Go to a platform while carrying a bottle
Carry bottle through a tunnel
Drag bottle on a rope
Put bottle into a cardboard box and close the lid
Open the box lid and take out a bottle
Retrieve bottle to a specific person, or pass the bottle to another family member
Athletic
Jump over a row of bottles lying on their side
Jump over a row of upright bottles without knocking them over
Jump through a hoop made of bottles or other plastic
Jump through a hoop wrapped in plastic bags or bubble wrap
Weave between upright bottles
Stand on hind legs while holding a plastic object
Sit pretty while holding a plastic object
Crawl under a bottle or another long plastic object put across two chairs
Hurdle race wile holding a bottle
Jump over a bottle or a plastic object held by the handler
Jump through arm hoop with the handler holding a bottle
Bottle and plastic boxes obstacle or parkour course
Go around a bottle clockwise and anticlockwise
Go around a bottle or a plastic pot backwards
Backwards weave between bottles or plastic pots
Carry bottle upstairs and come back down leaving it there
Weave through a slalom of yogurt pots while holding a bottle
Crawl under a bridge made from tubs and plastic tray
2 or4 paws up onto a plastic container
2 paws up onto a bottle and roll it
4 paws up onto 4 different sturdy plastic containers
Back paws up onto a plastic container or a bottle lying on its side
Pull a rope made out of tied together carrier bags
Jump over a rope made out of tied together carrier bags
Pick up and tidy plastic bags into a bin
Cross paws walk stepping onto plastic lids
Floor is lava - jumping from one large plastic lid or to another
Walk across plastic bags on the floor
Walk across bubble wrap on the floor
Unroll a roll of bubble wrap
Roll in bubble wrap "blanket"
Take plastic lid off a bottle or a container
Heel while carrying a bottle
Sit stay holding a bottle
Walk backwards while carrying a plastic object
Stand on two bottles on their sides partially buried in a sand for stability
Pivot with two paws on the top of a robust plastic container
Bottle relay
Two dogs pass plastic bottle from one to another
Empty water out of a plastic bottle by holding it to the side
Use bottle cups as nose or paw targets on their own or attached to other objects
Put a plastic object onto a skateboard and push or pull it
Pull a box on wheel with plastic containers or bottles in it
Blow bubbles in water filled plastic container
Once dog holds a bottle while another goes around it
Gentle tug of a rope made from tide together plastic bags
Pick up and put plastic spoons into a container
Dig sand in a plastic container
Move plastic object to a market spot
Retrieve an item from inside a plastic bag
Step into and out of a large plastic bag on cue
Gently carry a plastic bag with some content by handle
Flip a pot or tray with paws
Walk while balancing a plastic tray
Paw flip bottle cap
Thinking tricks
Send away to touch a bottle top
Face away tricks using plastic bottle as floor target
Push bottle top along a track
Stack yoghurt pots
Drop bottle top through a small hall in a box
Set bottle top on top of a bottle (balance)
Move between 3 floor targets made from plastic lids on handler's cue
Plant a "seed" into a plant pot (make sure it is safe and dog is supervised)
Nose nudge tub to knock treats out then wait till handler gives release cue before easing them
Put a plastic bottle into a plastic tub
Match two identical bottles or plastic objects
Match or fetch smaller and larger objects according to cue
Match objects of the same colour
Find "yellow" or "blue" plastic object 9colour differentiation
Sorting - plastic into one box, paper into another box
Fetch a drink from a fridge (open and close the fridge too)
Solve a puzzle
line up bottles or pots in a row
Use bottle to push on a light switch
Pull a bottle handing on a rope up into a raised platform
These are just some of the ideas to get your imagination going!
Looking forward to seeing your entry for Task 1 of the International Trick Dog Competition: