Had discussion with friends today about this and wondered others views here? My dogs areweell trained in that they know sit , stay, leave it , bed, fetch etc things that i feel are essential to keep dogs and humans living happily together
I cannot understand however why people want to train dogs to do "tricks" that serve no purpose
Those over trained dancing dogs on crufts makes me feel uncomfortable for example and remind me of dancing bears.
I can only think this type of training is for entertainment of humans?

I agree 100% Georgee. I don't think dogs need to do tricks. I think it is undignified and no way would I want my dogs to do stuff like that.

I don't like to see any animal being used in that way, either, like performing seals and stuff you see at Sea World.

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Training dogs to do tricks is good for dogs. I've a highly intelligent JRT who loves to learn and do tricks for rewards. She has become much more confident through this work and it has increased the bond between dog and human. So long as the dog enjoys it I can't see any harm.

A lot of things are totally pointless if you look at them that way

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I agree with you but many on here think otherwise.
I think over training can take away the character of the dog in many instances

agree to a degree , however i am wanting to teach max 'tricks' but this is because he has HD so by teaching him 'trick's hes getting some excerise (mental) that isnt going to affect his hips. hes a collie , no idea what yet though

Different dogs have different needs. For some dogs the basics are enough to have a happy well balanced life. For some though, they enjoy learning new things, and some dogs really need the mental challenge of learning and training. I've had calm laid back dogs who never needed to know more than sit, come, wait and leave. Those dogs were completely happy and fulfilled and a pleasure to walk. My current dog, however, would be climbing the walls and bouncing off the ceiling if I didn't keep her mentally challenged.

I don't think you can go over the top with training unless you train something dangerous. Dogs need and enjoy the stimulation training bring so if that means being creative in what you teach then thats fine. If everybody only taught the standard what would you teach after 6 months? apart from reinforcing what's already learnt.

As long as a dog knows the basics, can sit, wait, stayn come, leave and drop
and down, then really for just a pet dog you dont need anything else or thats what I think personally anyway.

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i could never understand why a person would want to waste time training tricks...... but some dogs enjoy training , training is not work its fun , its mental stimulation for them . a lot of dogs dont need that extra training but im sure there are plenty more who could benifit from a little more input from their owners.

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Trouble just seems to like learning things, well she likes getting treats and she seems to like using her brain and pleasing me to its happy days all round. i wouldnt want to train her to be the 'perfect dog' to the point where we never leaves my side, she never pees me off, she stops having her cheeky moments of stealing things (like one of my slippers i still dont the whereabouts of)

dont think it does any harm, i think if you were beating your dog into doing such things-which i believe is how they train dancing bears-then that's where something is going wrong.

when i train Trouble, she is never told off for doing something wrong, she is never hit or shouted at, she just gets tasty treats when she does something right and at the end of it all she gets a tasty chicken wing to have a munch on, yum!