Activities For A Magician With Dogs
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Prepare for unexpected vet bills
Introduction
Who doesn't love a good magic trick? Young or old, rich or poor, there's something eternally fascinating about seeing an experienced magician perform right before your eyes. Sure, we may tell ourselves that it's all lighting and mirrors, but the best magicians are able to dazzle and bewilder us nonetheless. Whether we're talking about David Copperfield or the legendary Harry Houdini himself, all magicians need a bit of assistance from time to time - especially when attempting to pull off some of the more intricate, higher level magic tricks. That's where a dog could potentially come in handy! Dogs are incredibly perceptive and have keen senses, making them excellent assistants with which to test new tricks.
Disappearing Act
Most Popular
1 Vote
Rainy Day
Cheap
Easy
15 - 20 min
Items needed
Dog Treat
Activity description
For this simple trick, you're going to make your dog think that a dog treat you've been holding in your hand has outright vanished into thin air! There are many ways to pull this trick off (you can conceal the treat behind your fingers, place it behind your back, or even place it on top of your dog's head) but the common thread between all of them is that you'll need to swift with your movements. You don't need to spend more than a few dollars on treats and you can perform this trick any time, but is especially fun on a rainy day when the weather is leaving you mystified!
Step
1
Thin air
First things first, get a dog treat and then hold it out in front of your pet. While your dog is eyeballing the treat, you'll want to gradually cover the treat up with your middle and ring fingers. Clasp either of your middle fingers down on the treat (but not both of them) and use those two phalanges to push the treat up your sleeve. Open your hands and watch as your dog searches for the treat that they could've sworn was just in your hands a second ago!
Step
2
Up and over
This version of the trick is better for folks who don't like to wear shirts with long sleeves on them. You'll cover up with the treat with your fingers just as you did before but this time you'll slowly place the treat on top your head while it's concealed. Your dog will still be looking at your hands, so they won't notice the treat on top of your head if you're able to place it closer to the back and balance it to keep it from falling forward.
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Levitating Card Trick
Popular
0 Votes
Any Day
Cheap
Easy
15 - 20 min
Items needed
Deck of Cards
Activity description
The levitating card trick makes it seem like you're tapping into arcane forces to inexplicably make a card float into the air! In reality, you'll be using two of your fingers to lift the card at the back of the deck up as slowly and steadily as you can. A pack of 52 cards can be bought for as little as little as $2, so you won't have to break the bank to pull this trick off. You and your dog will also be able to work on this trick together no matter the weather or time of day, as it's best worked on indoors.
Step
1
Mind over matter
While you won't need any telekinetic powers to lift the card up, you will have to use your mind in an unconventional way. Holding the deck upright, you'll want to place the index finger of your free hand on top of the card all the way at the end. Then, use the pinky of that same hand to push into the back of the card your index finger's resting on top of before you use your index and pinky to slowly lift the card up into the air.
Step
2
The more the merrier
When you first try this trick out, it's best to start off with a small selection of cards - about 10 to 15. As you get more experience, you can start to add more cards to your deck to further increase the difficulty of the trick. With your dog as your willing participant, you can lay some of those cards on your pet's muzzle as you continue to lift more and more cards from the deck.
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Shrinking Dog Trick
Popular
0 Votes
Any Day
Cheap
Hard
20 - 30 min
Items needed
Cardboard Box
Treats for Two Dogs
Activity description
The most difficult trick that we will beĀ discussing in this guide, the shrinking box trick will make it look as if you're dog has bent the rules of reality right before the eyes of your viewers! The concept behind this trick is that a dog will walk into a box or container that's large enough to fully conceal them before a smaller dog of the same breed walks out the other end. You'll need two dogs to help you with this trick - your own fully matured dog and either a younger puppy or pup of the same breed, or a miniature dog that looks just like your own. You won't need to spend much money to pull this trick off; $40 should be enough to buy a big enough box and some treats for your canine assistants.
Step
1
How it works
The concept behind this trick is that your dog will walk into the box to start nibbling on some treats that you've left inside of it for them while another dog patiently waits inside. Once you give the other dog their cue, they'll need to walk out of the box and towards you to make it seem as if your dog shrank. To make this trick more convincing, you can outfit both dogs with matching garments, accessories, or hats of corresponding sizes.
Step
2
Swift as the wind
The faster the dogs are able to go into and come out of the box, the more convincing this trick will seem. It will take a lot of time and practice to get to the point where both dogs move quickly enough to make the change seem seamless, but it can be done with enough practice. A puppy may have a harder time understanding certain cues as opposed to a fully grown miniature dog breed, so consider employing a min dog if you're going to perform this trick for a large crowd. Plenty of patience and kind encouragement will be needed to master this one but once it's done, your pup will be magical!
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More Fun Ideas...
Blanket Fun
At this point, you've probably seen videos of people standing in doorways while holding up a blanket, playing peekaboo with their pets, and then darting away while the blanket's high in order to leave their pets utterly mystified and gobsmacked. A simple yet very effective trick, this magic trick has since gone viral on YouTube and is among one of the easiest magic tricks to pull off.
The Shell Game
This game, in which one player places items under shells before prompting another player to guess which shell hides an item, technically counts as another easy magic trick. It carries over the same "theatricality and deception" mantra that's inherent in all magic tricks, prompting participants to use their minds to see through the trickery in order to win a prize.
Conclusion
Magic tricks are all cerebral in nature, so it takes a very sharp and creative person to come up with new magic tricks that can continue to delight and surprise people. One of the big reasons a magician who is caring for a dog should consider employing them as an assistant is the fact that a dog will always be willing to try new things out with their human companions in order to bond further - simply put, a dog will never complain or doubt your abilities. In turn, exercise caution and safety when trying out new tricks with your dog; our golden rule is to never try anything with your dog that you wouldn't try with a young child.