Victor, the Rescue Poodle

Victor, a four-year-old Poodle, was picked up as a stray by an animal shelter in Worcester. He was then adopted by American Poodles at Work (APAW) where he met his owner, Sharon.

During his initial residence at APAW, Victor was trained using positive reinforcement, and learned how to sit, heel, and shake hands; however, having inherited a bit of wariness from his days as a stray, Victor was reluctant to respond to any commands unless there was a tasty treat quite obviously in evidence.

Then Sharon came along, and for two months they focused on removing the presence of the treat from the equation.

As Sharon writes:

Once Victor had an epiphany that a cookie didn’t need to be in a person’s hand in order to earn one, his repertoire of tricks flourished. Victor has proven to be quite intelligent, and motivated to learn and is quite a joy to work with.

The video below is one of the semi-finalists in our America’s Best Dog Trick Contest. Sharon and Victor would love your vote!