Richmond dog trainer Lisa Sun will take her slobbering, three-pug dog circus to the Pet Lover Show this weekend at the Trade and Exhibition Centre in Abbotsford.
"They're the famous three little pugs that do tricks together," said Sun who trains the dogs in a small backyard facility and academy in East Richmond that is equipped with all the dog doohickeys you can imagine.
The highly photogenic seven year-old pugs were at first family pets and Sun trained them to perform basic tricks at first. Years later they have learned to hug one another, make a pug tower and run through obstacle courses.
For the audience it may not be the tricks that are the 'wow' factor so much as the hilarity of watching three nearly identical looking bug-eyed pugs work in unity to please their master.
Their names are Biff, Brutus and Nacho. Biff likes to hang his tongue out, Brutus is the big one and Nacho distinguishes himself with dark hair on top of his head.
In 2011 and 2012 Nacho, a.k.a Macho Nacho, won the national agility championships in the 10-inch class. Brutus, a.k.a Brutus Maximus XVIII, is also a provincial champion in the same category.
"It's amazing a pug could do so well in agility because they aren't usually as fit and their owners don't usually think a pug can learn just as many skills as other athletic breeds," said Sun.
This weekend the pugs will be performing their ‘Olympugs’ routine.
Sun, a certified master dog trainer, believes all dogs can be trained and positive reinforcement is the best way to go about it.
"Any dog has the potential to learn many many skills. When the dog does something well you have to add something in life that they value," said Sun.
She adds that there are times when negative reinforcement – taking something away – is also a good way to see results.
Sun says the key to training is to break down every little step and movement a dog makes and reward them for simple gestures.
"Suddenly the dog is performing three or four of those actions and it ends up looking like a trick," said Sun, noting some tricks can take a week to teach.
Sun has also performed with her dogs at the Vancouver Super Dogs at the Pacific National Exhibition but it's not always work with her perpetually panting three amigos.
"These are such great companion pets. When you're at home they will find their own place and rest and be very calm. But when it's time to do tricks they're all motivated to play. With pugs they love food rewards," explained Sun.
Sun, a part-time graphic designer, trains dogs in Richmond through her company K9 Incredibles. She says if she has one advice for dog owners it's that one should let one's dog be creative.
"As much as we want to teach the importance of obedience - the basics of sit, stay and come - but you have to let your dog's brains be creative and let it offer you things. That's where you can realize a dog's potential because when you play tricks the dog learns about body awareness - their brain is thinking and working," said Sun.
For more information see www.K9incredibes.com
