Introduction
Imagine being at the county fair or a birthday party with your dog. It's time for everyone to choose their partner for the egg in a spoon relay contest. You choose your pup and get him ready for the race. Everyone smiles when they notice your adorable puppy standing on the starting line with an egg filled spoon held in his mouth. When the judge yells "Go!" and your pup takes off with the spoon, everyone cheers for him. They grin from ear to ear while they watch him make his way across the field. He makes his way to you, egg still intact, and you take the spoon from him and finish the second half of the race. Even though you do not end up winning the race, you both still earn loud applause and congratulations from everyone. Your pooch not only kept the egg from falling off of the spoon but he also brightened dozens of days and made the event more fun for everyone!
Defining Tasks
You can generally expect this trick to take between one and three months to train. Because this trick involves your pup learning several small tricks like holding an object, balancing something, and walking on cue, remember to be patient with your buddy and to celebrate his progress as he learns.
You can start by placing a small, light weight ball in the spoon rather than the heavier egg, and then transition to the egg after your pup learns how to balance the light weight ball first. Which type of egg you use for the final trick depends on your preference. If you wish, you can continue to use a hard boiled egg for this trick, rather than switching it out for a raw egg in the final step. To minimize mess and bacteria be sure to teach this trick with a hard boiled egg at first, when your puppy is likely to drop several eggs while he is still learning, and wait to use the raw egg until he is able to balance it better.
Getting Started
To get started, you will need a spoon that is longer than the width of your dog's mouth, lots of tasty, small treats and something to place them into, such as a treat pouch. You will also need lots of hard boiled eggs to practice with, a leash, and something to clip it to, such as a front clip harness or a collar. You will also need a small plastic ball, a clicker, or a slip leash with a loop that will easily tighten and loosen, depending on the method you choose. With all of the methods, you will need good timing, a great attitude, patience, good communication skills, and a willingness to have fun and potentially get some egg on you.