An 11-year-old dog whose owner was told she would be untrainable has learned to play the classic game Connect 4. Border Terrier Bramble lives with dog trainer and behaviourist Jodie Forbes and has learned dozens of tricks, including playing the game, reports DorsetLive.
Jodie, 25, plays the game with Bramble and 11-month-old Willow, a Kelpie and Border Collie Cross. Jodie, said: “When I was a kid, I read that Border Terriers were ‘untrainable’, ‘not to be trusted off-lead’ and ‘highly stubborn’ and I vowed to prove that wrong.
“Bramble has learned hundreds of tricks and her and Willow’s latest is to play Connect Four. I started by using socks and a plastic tub and I’d get them use their nose-eye co-ordination to drop the sock in a tub. Then I used smaller and smaller objects until we they were able to pick the Connect Four tokens up in their mouths and drop them in the top of the grid.
“If a token falls on the floor or table, they know to pick it up and drop it in again. They’re such clever dogs.”
Jodie has been training dogs since she was nine, with the pets sometimes appearing in media campaigns, and has taken her dogs to Crufts many times where they take part in agiity courses.
Jodie with her dog Bramble (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)
Jodie, a brand ambassador for pet food company Natures Menu, took Bramble and Willow to show off their skills at Crufts earlier this month. For owners looking to teach their dogs tricks, Jodie suggests a simple ‘spin.’ “You get a smelly treat - I like the Natures Menu puppy training ones.
“Hold it between your finger and thumb above their nose and spin 360 degrees, and they follow it, do a spin then you give them the treat. Keep practicing and rewarding so when you say ‘spin’ they do it!”
Jodie plays with Bramble and Willow, an 11-month old Kelpie and Border Collie Cross (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)
Jodie says dog owners want to spend more time than ever with their furry friends thanks to the bond they built during lockdown.
The canine population shot up from 9.5 million in 2019 to 11.5 million in 2021 and now one in three households in the UK has a dog.
Jodie said: “People want to try new activities and sports with their dogs because they were sat at home for so long and our dogs were such good company. We’ve connected more and after all that we’ve been through for the past few years; we’ve realised it’s fun to go out with your dog, enjoy life and feel good.”#
