What thing did your pet learn really, really quickly?

[CreekDog]

:shrug:

[flvegan]

1. That I'm the boss.

I become alpha REALLY quickly, and all through positives, never negatives.

[BeachBaby]

14. Nice post, Cesar Milan.

:rofl:

[sarge43]

26. That's what he wants you to think.

(Hew man's sew stew pit)

[LeftyMom]

55. Apparently they also learn that women will feed them. This is a training issue. Get a squirt gun.

Every time that your roommate tries to feed them something that's not dog food, I want you to say "No!" and then squirt some water in her face. She'll figure it out eventually. :eyes:

[noamnety]

67. Oooh, I don't recommend squirting water

in your roommate's face while yelling No!

[LeftyMom]

68. Well, after being pestered by approximately 8,374 dogs (they multiply when they're being annoying)

I think evil thoughts.

It's really not fair to the dogs to train a negative behavior into them that can pose a barrier to their successful adoption. And she knows better.

[LoveMyCali]

70. That's funny

Cali learned really quickly that HE is the boss. I'm a complete pushover.

[mcctatas]

2. Never, ever, under any circumstances....

stand with your tail raised in front of the but tutcher!

[TZ]

3. That I'm a sucker for a cute face and a soft meow....

:rofl:

[Arugula Latte]

31. Me too.

16 years ago we brought home two little flea-infested kittens that needed homes. My official title has been Slave to Kitties ever since, and two more Masters have joined the household since then.

Happy to serve! :patriot:

[CreekDog]

41. me too

whenever i see pictures of pets on DU, i always call my cat so i can pet him.

[Arugula Latte]

56. One of mine is conveniently perched on top of my monitor now

so I can lean over and smooch him from time to time. :loveya:

[Broken_Hero]

4. Never pee on me again....nt

[murielm99]

5. There is a utility closet in my kitchen.

Milk bones are kept in that closet. My dog learned to sit by that closet door very, very quickly.

[XemaSab]

6. If I say "Do you want some cookies?"

That means get in the kitchen and be on GOOD behavior.

If I say "Do you want some cookies?" and then I open the cabinet door, that means get in the kitchen and be on BEST behavior.

Fish oil tablets are the best kind of cookie. :9

[DeepBlueC]

21. fish oil tablets...

really? Do you open them or just give them the whole capsule?

[XemaSab]

30. I just give them a whole capsule

:bounce:

[DeepBlueC]

35. I'm going to try it

If I can keep them on the tiled floor and off the carpet...no doubt they will whisk them right to the living room.

[FloridaJudy]

7. That she can run

A helluva lot faster than I can. {{{sigh}}}

[Lil Missy]

8. Don't wake me up in the middle of the night for attention.

You can sleep with me if you want, but don't pester me. I'll kick you off the bed.

You have food and water in the kitchen. Get Lost!

[buzzycrumbhunger]

9. My dog learned to ring a bell to go out

Not a terribly difficult trick, as it happened. I just hung a nice big bell down low for her and rang it every time we went out and after a couple days, she started doing it to get my attention. The "trick" is more that you have to react immediately to reinforce it--which means we were trained as much as she was.

[suninvited]

10. Not to chase skunks

he still wants to chase them, so he just runs in circles and whines when he sees them.

[dropkickpa]

11. Poop tastes fantastic

What?!? She LOVES it's delicious steamy wonderfulness.

[SoxFan]

12. The sound of instant coffee=milk

[BeachBaby]

13. Who is male, and who is female.

Something that some of us here in the Lounge have not quite mastered. :rofl:

[TZ]

22. BWAHAHAHA!

:yourock:

[CreekDog]

39. you haven't mastered it yet?

:shrug:

[hobbit709]

15. How to use the doggie door

Along with R-I-D-E and T-R-E-A-T. It took a little longer for sit and stay. the won't they don't seem to want to learn is "Move, dammit"

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

16. Their names -- both dogs learned it the first night in our house

[Name removed]

17. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[limit18]

18. That when I put my dentures in.....

we're going outside!

[surrealAmerican]

19. A few things dog #1 learned very quickly:

1. He can chew right through a leash in under 30 seconds.
2. Never let your nose touch the broiler when it's on, no matter how good it smells.
3. Electrical cords are NOT good for chewing.
4. It's ok to chase the seagulls, but not the crows.
5. Rabbits are "magic kibble dispensers", well worth following around.

Dog #2 has a shorter list:
1. The sound of chopping from the kitchen means good things to eat.
2. Sitting and looking up at people will frequently result in treats.

[MountainLaurel]

20. Not to bother me before the alarm clock

Because I'm just going to ignore him, roll over, and go back to sleep.

[charlie and algernon]

23. I wish my cat would learn that

if i roll over away from her, she either walks to the other side to face me again, or she sits there and licks my hair :wtf:

[seaker]

24. To lay down and sit

Still won't come

[Shakespeare]

25. That it's a bad idea to try and help himself to a Q-tip to play with from the glass jar....

...on the chrome shelf in the bathroom. Let's just say that a toppled shelf, loud crash and shattered glass aided him in the lesson in one (failed) attempt.

[Skittles]

63. hoo boy I bet that traumatized that kitty

:o

[sarge43]

27. Parrots learn how to swear really, really fast.

"Where do they hear such words?!" :eyes:

[CreekDog]

33. We knew a couple and they had two parrots

When i was over at their house, i kept hearing the one parrot spout gibberish of some sort and then the other parrot would yell "Shut up!".

:rofl:

(inside joke was that they copied their owners) :evilgrin:

[sarge43]

34. And once they learn anything, they never ever forget it. n/t

[jobycom]

43. Those are probably the loudest and most clearly annunciated words they hear.

Easiest for them to mimic.

Plus, there is just something guttural and rhythmic about profanity, which is why it is so fun to use.

[sarge43]

51. Indeed.

They also get attention which parrots carve.

[undeterred]

28. That everything can be turned into a game.

Especially "come here". Play play play all the time. And he didn't have to learn how to jump a fence. He just knew.

[Bertha Venation]

29. All my cats - that they are about to be be squirted when

they hear the slosh of water in the squirt bottle. They hear that and instantly they stop what they're doing and run.

[WolverineDG]

32. That when I slap my hand on my thigh

that means "Come here." One day I was trying to get her into the garage so she wouldn't kill the gardener, & I kept slapping my thighs saying "COME HERE!" Of course, she didn't. A few days later, I'm wandering around the backyard while she was still on the patio, & got attacked by mosquitos. I tried slapping them off my legs, then almost tripped over a smiling, tail-wagging madly dog. :eyes:

dg

[Mugu]

36. How to jump up and press the garage door open button.

I moved it up higher, but he got taller. I ended up putting a hinged cover over it.

[BlueDissenter]

37. Standing on her hind legs

I was able ot teach my mom's dog, Emma, to stand on her hind legs just by using the awesome power of treats. I just snap my fingers and up she goes though she still tends to run into me if I don't move out of the way.

[geardaddy]

38. To sit up at a table, wear a suit and bite people's hands off.

Too soon?

[Deep13]

40. Where the phone line for the internet was...

...and that it was something he could bite through. The rabbit-proof cord-wrap was just a light snack for our hopper.

[jobycom]

42. How to dart into the pantry just as I look away and close the door.

Worse, she has a broken "meow" that can barely be heard, so she's spent a sizable portion of her life in there. :(

Even scarier, she's leaped into the fridge a couple of times. Luckily, I've learned to locate her when I close that door, just to be sure.

[onlyadream]

44. my dog rings bells (that hang by the door) to go out,

took about 3 days. But I can't teacher her anything else (WEstie Terrier).

[ScreamingMeemie]

47. My aunt has a Westie that will use a litter box. They got her 2nd hand

and I guess it was something her previous owner had taught her. They were here at the house with her last Christmas and she saw Licorice's box and just hopped in and did a doody. Licorice was all,"What the hey?!!!"

[onlyadream]

50. Wow!

I think my Westie would just end up eating our cat's poop.

[applegrove]

45. What a water pistol was for.

[ScreamingMeemie]

46. That "Goodbye" on the old AOL shut down meant it was time

to get off my feet and go to bed. Now she's all confused because the computer hasn't "said that" in years so she's never ready.

[Lyric]

48. Toby learns everything quickly.

I got him when he was 9 weeks old; he was fully housetrained by 10 weeks, and knew sit, come, and lay down by 13 weeks. He also knows "Go get your bone," "Hush," "Retrieve," "Release," "Get the brush," "Shake," "High-five," and "Go eat."

:hi:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

49. Not to wake me up before the radio comes on

As a free-lancer who often has to work on Tokyo time (i.e. till after midnight), I could not have my new cat do the usual cat thing of waking me at first light.

Following suggestions from the many cat owners in my choir, I 1) started giving him his main meal at night, and 2) refused to respond to any pre-dawn meows or nudges except with a sharp "no!" However, after the radio came on (usually at 7:30), I would pet and praise him.

He passed the test one day when I decided to sleep in. I woke up on my own a little after 9:00, and there was no kitteh to be seen. I reached over and turned on the radio. In no time at all, a big furry cat-critter had taken a flying leap and landed on the bed.

Since then, he's been pretty good, with only occasional lapses. In return, he has trained me to give him about a tablespoon full of raw egg every morning.

[mitchtv]

52. How tasty mice babies are

she'd dig up a nest and pop 'm like bon bons. and she learned that herons were not allowed in the koi pond

[geniph]

53. Taking your pill is not optional

and struggling will just mean you get to gag on my finger a little bit longer.

[Sanity Claws]

54. The other one's name

It's funny --- it's like they're jealous and want to make sure the other cat doesn't get something, unless he gets it too.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

57. That the music at the

end of NBC Nightly News means dinner will be served

And to "play ball"
You throw the ball, he fetches and returns to the deck. But he won't give you the ball. Instead he positions it on the edge of the deck then bats it with a paw or pushes it with his nose so you can pick it up and throw again. He taught this to himself when we lived in FL and the wooden deck was at ground level. When we moved to TX and the deck was now about 18" off the ground, he had a little trouble with the up and down thing at first and would put the ball on the ground below the edge and bat it under the deck. I think there are 2 or 3 balls under there we were unable to retrieve before he caught on.

Right now he wants out for his after dinner potty and is stomping his feet and huffing.

[leftyclimber]

58. If you stand by the refrigerator and meow, Mom will give you fresh water.

The Brita pitcher is in there, and the cats get their drinking water from it.

[lukasahero]

59. How to survive

My Bella was abandoned at a very young age and yet she managed to survive in a tractor trailor parking lot in Puerto Rico until she was rescued by a nun at about 5 months old. She's not a big hunter but she can target slugs from a block away. Her default position is the puppy play bow and she is fast as lightning if someone she doesn't know tries to touch her.

She learned outrageously fast that she hit the lottery when we brought her into our home and she is smart as opposed to obedient. She learned 'gimme da foot' on the first try and can do all sorts of tricks as long as you convince her she wants to. She's scary smart. She also 'owns' anyone who sees her because of her story and how sweet she is and how dainty she looks.

So yeah, she learned how to survive really fast. :) Love her.

[InvisibleTouch]

60. That he really could jump that fence, and easily.

He's been jumping indoor pet gates since he was a puppy. Barriers just don't mean anything to him. Oddly enough, the other dogs, who could just as easily jump the gate, and see him do it every day, have never caught on.

He'd make a hell of an agility dog if I just had time to take some classes with him.

[Taverner]

61. That I'm the boss

I control the food, hence, I am boss

[livetohike]

62. Murphy (an ACD) is the best sitter of all the dogs I've ever

known. He learned to sit within the first week that we brought him home (he was 8 weeks old). Cindy was house trained within one week - also the fastest of any of our pets.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

64. Milo has learned, quite quickly, that when I close the lid of my laptop,

it means that I am about to stand up, and that there is at least a possibility that I will be heading into the kitchen. This possibility is very significant to all of the cats, but Milo is especially attuned to it.

[bluedawg12]

65. How to lock the sliding glass door, with him inside

and me locked out.

OK, it was an accident and only happened once, but still locksmith's aren't cheap.

The dog had to pay for the locksmith.

That's when I found out he knew how to invest in the stock market.

Right after that I realized he was making long distance calls to his broker.

He paid the phone bill.

That's when he switched to a cell phone and an unlisted number.

How fast they learn.

[XemaSab]

66. Bailey used to FLING himself against the back door if you put him outside

and eventually he learned that if he hit the latch, the door would open.

He has since learned this for my mom's door, but not my door and not the screen door.

I fear the day. :scared:

[Critters2]

69. I don't know why, but the beagle is TERRIFIED of electrical cords.

Really. If she's sniffing around, as she does, and comes across an electrical cord, she looks startled and then backs away very slowly. She's done this as long as I've known her. So, she must have learned the awful truth about electricity at her first home.

But I'll bet she learned it fast!