TiflovesBCs
Experienced Member
if you give her lots of treats make her main food less for that day. you could do that maybe
Bellas Learnt The Backstall
- Thread starter TiflovesBCs
- Start date
MissyBC
Experienced Member
That's what I've been doing. She gets a 1/4 cup of food in the morning and a 1/2 a cup of food at night. She gets treats on top of that - to help with her training, of course!
Sorry for de-railing your thread, Tif!
2SpoiledAussies
Well-Known Member
Toby weights 35 pounds, but I'm skinny and very very weak, so I'm kind of concerned with him. But Hannah, 25ish pounds, I think could handle
MaryK
Honored Member
That's exactly how she looks - like a look out!
Anneke
Honored Member
My Jinx weighs 21 kilo. It's not the weight of the dog actually, that brings you off balance, it's the movement of them jumping up on you.
But once you find a stable position, it is no problem to have a dog on your back. My friend has a golden retriever, that weighs about 30 kilo and I can still have her on my back.
The trick is to spread your legs out for a firm stance. I personally have one leg a little more in front of me. Make sure your back is flat.
I too, started out on my hands and knees. I had a friend lure Jinx on my back a few times, as she was reluctant to do so. My friend spend about 5 minutes teaching Jinx to get up on my back. After that I did it all on my own.
Slowly increasing height.
There is a point, where it is nearly impossible to hold yourself up but once you get past that point, it's easy.
And yes, wearing something thick is a good idea... You will get scratched!!!
But hey, who said training is painless
But once you find a stable position, it is no problem to have a dog on your back. My friend has a golden retriever, that weighs about 30 kilo and I can still have her on my back.
The trick is to spread your legs out for a firm stance. I personally have one leg a little more in front of me. Make sure your back is flat.
I too, started out on my hands and knees. I had a friend lure Jinx on my back a few times, as she was reluctant to do so. My friend spend about 5 minutes teaching Jinx to get up on my back. After that I did it all on my own.
Slowly increasing height.
There is a point, where it is nearly impossible to hold yourself up
but once you get past that point, it's easy.And yes, wearing something thick is a good idea... You will get scratched!!!
But hey, who said training is painless
k9 crazed
Experienced Member
I am thinking with a LARGER dog it would make a whole heap of difference how agile they are. I mean you can have two dogs that weigh the same and their physical capacity can be so different, even within the same breed. I had a Standard Poodle that moved like some labs, thick like, heavy and more ponderous, it wasn't that he couldn't move, but he was nothing like other poodles I have known who just seem to float. I think I'd be game to try it with any dog capable dog under 50 lbs myself, but I sort of think it'd be worth it- I am also currently suffering from a big case of smaller dog envy. ( Do you all have any idea how limiting this size thing is?) My Collie, at 74lbs, not entirely light on his feet in the vertical, hmm... I'll need to think about it! LOL!
MaryK
Honored Member
Thank you Anneke, that's been a great help. I will wait until Winter though, as it would be VERY painful in summer clothes and way to hot for thick clothes at present (I'd be passing out). LOL dog training can be painful at times, I've had my share of scratches, bumps etc.My Jinx weighs 21 kilo. It's not the weight of the dog actually, that brings you off balance, it's the movement of them jumping up on you.
But once you find a stable position, it is no problem to have a dog on your back. My friend has a golden retriever, that weighs about 30 kilo and I can still have her on my back.
The trick is to spread your legs out for a firm stance. I personally have one leg a little more in front of me. Make sure your back is flat.
I too, started out on my hands and knees. I had a friend lure Jinx on my back a few times, as she was reluctant to do so. My friend spend about 5 minutes teaching Jinx to get up on my back. After that I did it all on my own.
Slowly increasing height.
There is a point, where it is nearly impossible to hold yourself up
And yes, wearing something thick is a good idea... You will get scratched!!!
But hey, who said training is painless
MaryK
Honored Member
Yes I agree. With my boys Ra Kismet is 21.7 kilos and very agile, a great jumper with grand balance. Zeus however, is 28 kilos and anything but agile, he can even get into a 'fix' trying to get past something!
648117
Honored Member
I have larger dog envy
. Holly weighs just under 7kgs (around 15lbs), she has a stocky build, so I can easily hold her weight (I can hold her up above my head with one hand easily) but I very much doubt she would ever be able to jump onto my back to do a proper back stall 
Jumping over things/on things tricks can be harder with a small stocky dog and I doubt she will ever have a very good "cross paws" because her arms are too short for her broad-ish chest!
MaryK
Honored Member
I have larger dog envy
Jumping over things/on things tricks can be harder with a small stocky dog and I doubt she will ever have a very good "cross paws" because her arms are too short for her broad-ish chest!
Oh dear, and here I am with 'small dog envy' because my boy is too heavy for me to pick up! But he can do cross paws
k9 crazed
Experienced Member
I suppose we should work on being content with the dogs we have... sigh... or grateful to have a dog at all I guess. But I am shopping instead! and we're gonna go for one between 35lbs and 50lbs I think.... Right there in the I can do anything range, whahoo!
Hey 648117, if she doesn't already she could probably do cop-cop. I'd love to be able to do that with my dogs but Rocket is pigeon toed and too big for me and Diesel is HUGE, besides you definitely know when he steps on your foot OW! So sigh... maybe next time round. You know Kikopup does that really cool trick with her Tug where her runs up her body then over her shoulder to her back, wonder if you took it a bite at a time if you could get one of them to do that one? That's an awesome trick! or the balance on your feet while you're standing trick.
Sorry, I think I've lost the thread!
Hey 648117, if she doesn't already she could probably do cop-cop. I'd love to be able to do that with my dogs but Rocket is pigeon toed and too big for me and Diesel is HUGE, besides you definitely know when he steps on your foot OW! So sigh... maybe next time round. You know Kikopup does that really cool trick with her Tug where her runs up her body then over her shoulder to her back, wonder if you took it a bite at a time if you could get one of them to do that one? That's an awesome trick! or the balance on your feet while you're standing trick.
Sorry, I think I've lost the thread!
648117
Honored Member
Yeah, Holly can do cop-cop really well
(although I do make my feet face in more than normal to help her) and she has a really fantastic leg weave (I don't have to exagerate my steps to accomidate her 
)I don't think Holly is the right build to be able to run up my body, she is half Pug and has quite a Pug-shaped body (although perhaps slightly more athletic) with a relatively broad chest.
She just learn't the "balance on my feet" trick, I'm in the process of adding movement, so she definitly has some advantages in being small, but she doesn't have the light frame that kikopups dogs have so jumping and balance stuff isn't as easy.
Lewis on the other hand has longer legs and a lighter frame (he's taller than Holly but nearly a kg lighter), but he is so much more nervous and jumpy. He hasn't had the good socialisation that Holly had (we've had him for 5 weeks now and he's 2 years old) so he will never be able to do agility or obedience like Holly, he doesn't even like to interact with other dogs (only Holly). He is also no where near as smart as Holly.
So Lewis has a better body for tricks but Holly has the brain and food drive
I guess in the end all dogs have advantages and disadvantages. There will be tricks that Rocket can do that smaller dogs can't (I just can't think of any because I've never owned a large dog)
dogcrazy
Experienced Member
Bella is doing great at backstall!!!!!! I thaught this trick to Carmel a year ago and she is about 33 pounds. At first I got a freind to lure her on my back while I was in a crouched position. I am just saying that when you start this trick wear a very thick sweater.lol My back was covered in scratches at first but now she is very confident and I even give her piggy back rides lol
southerngirl
Honored Member
Thanks for the tips, Tif and Anneke!!!
Shivon weighs about 30 pounds. I hope this trick won't be too hard on my back...
Your back should be fine. I taught this to Missy, she's 35 and I'm pretty small and it didn't bother me. I taught this by teaching Missy to jump onto and off of my toybox than when she got that I would get her on the toybox and get on all fours right beside it and lure her onto my back. Once she was comfortable with that I slowly increased my distance from the toybox. After Missy was fine with jumping from the toybox I removed the toybox(I was still on all fours and had her jump from the floor, once again she got comfy with that. I started to halfway stand from there I went to a full stand. It took me maybe two months to teach this cause Missy was timid about being on my back.
Warning you will get scratched and it Will hurt I suggest put on a undershirt, your normal shirt and a jacket.[/quote]
DevonW
Well-Known Member
I've been giving Thor piggy back rides since I brought him home to get him comfortable with doing back stalls when he was big enough. Then he got BIG and currently weighs 28.5kg (and growing) so I was really worried I wouldn't be able to support him any more. During another trick he ended up vaulting off my back and I didn't do a face plant so I'm confident I can teach back stall without being mortally injured, although I am investing in a vaulting vest because I have a very nasty scar on side from an 8kg dog slipping off my back.