Cute pic of a cute dog trick

A former coworker of mine, Andrew Dupont, shared this photo of himself and his dog Dexter on Facebook last week and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share it with all of you.

The tongue-in-cheek caption Dupont posted with the pic said: "Having a conversation with Dexter about the way he sits around the house." Adorable.

Andrew Dupont with Dexter

Dexter is a 4-year-old Shih-Poo, a Shih Tzu and Poodle mix.
"He only sits like that when he's on the couch with me," Dupont said. "We've taught him several tricks, including how to sit 'up' but everywhere besides the couch he extends his hind legs.
"We thought it was really funny the first time he did it, so I rewarded him."
Now, whenever Dexter thinks his owner might have a treat or toy for him, he'll sit like that.
"He will stay upright like that for about 30 seconds or so," Dupont said.
Get ready for the most adorable part: "If he starts to lose his balance, he will extend his 'arms' like he is trying to grab onto something to brace himself."
From a behavior perspective, this is a perfect example of the positive consequences rendered from rewarding behaviors you like in your dog as they occur.
Rather than thinking about dog training from the perspective that you're going to take your dog to a class or set up defined "sessions" in which you train specific commands, think instead how any ol' minute can serve up a good training opportunity.
Do you like it when your dog lies nicely by your feet? Reward it. Catch your dog doing something really adorable off the cuff? Reward it.
Give your dog positive feedback for the things he does that you like and who knows? Maybe you'll end up with a photo this adorable too. And if you do, please share them with me!