A sold-out audience packed Shryock auditorium to see a dog show, but the performing pups weren’t bred to be entertainers — they’re rescue dogs that have a new home on stage.

“Extreme Canine Stunt Dog Show” host Chris said the stage dogs were rescued from pounds and shelters.

They gain their skills through positive reinforcement training with practices that include repetition, motivation, consistency, timing and patience, he said.

Advertisement

The dogs performed many impressive stunts during Sunday’s show, but the most impressive came during a jumping contest between two dogs.

The canines began by jumping over a pole stationed in the air, but the audience encouraged Perondi to raise its height. The dogs responded accepted the challenge and jumped over the 62-inch-high pole. Perondi said this was a record height for the show.

Several dogs also displayed remarkable abilities performed on stage as they caught Frisbees in the dark or while back flipping, balanced themselves on two feet after jumping in the air and landing a trainer’s palm and jump-roped on their hind legs.

Matt Shackleton, Shryock Auditorium’s event services director, said he booked the show because it was entertaining and presented a good theme.

A pet owner himself, Shackleton said he recognizes the need for messages such as the one the show brings to communities.

“I certainly believe the show’s message of trying to rescue animals that are in need of help,” he said.

Perondi said the dogs’ breeds range from sporting and terriers to herding breeds because their size makes them the most capable of pulling off the stunts. The crew never tries to force a dog to perform, he said, as some just aren’t cut out for the stage.

Advertisement*

Perondi said the most important thing to do when training the dogs is motivate them. He said he motivates the dogs he trains by giving them toys and treats when they perform the right task.

“If your dog is unmotivated, you’re going to have a tough time getting them to do anything,” he said.

One toy Perondi said he uses is a Frisbee. The stunt crew may just have the dogs use it as a food platter to get some dogs comfortable with it, he said.

He said he would then play Frisbee tug-of-war matches with the dogs once they get comfortable with it, and he even lets the dog win a few times to build its confidence.

Before long, the crew will start to roll the disc on the ground for retrieval. Perondi said timing is important during this process.

He said the rescue dogs are given rewards the exact moment they perform the right trick, and a treat is withheld when they don’t perform the action correctly. Another effective approach Perondi said he uses involves a clicker that produces a sound to which dogs respond. He said using the clicker to let the dog know it performed the right task is a good way to signal to the dog to when they are doing things right, he said.

Afterward, Perondi said, it’s about practicing and spending time with the pups. Perondi said every canine has a learning rate just like human beings, and it’s important to be patient with the training process and remain consistent with hand signals and verbal cues that call for a particular task. He said a dog isn’t going to learn every trick in one day. Some learn tricks faster than others, he said, and some don’t.

Overall, the key to any of the show’s tricks is to spend time with the rescue dog, he said. Its breed doesn’t matter, Perondi said but the training does.

The theme behind the show is to encourage people to adopt dogs from shelters and to spend more time with his or her dogs.

Chris Pelissier, a Carbondale resident and show attendee, said the show encouraged him to spend more time with his dog. While Pelissier said he owns an adopted dog already, the show made him think about buying another one in the future.

“It’s just phenomenal that you can rescue dogs from various breeds and adapt them into the show,” he said.

Ashley Wright, marketing coordinator of SIU presents, said “The Extreme Canine’s Stunt Dog Show” was a huge financial success for Shryock auditorium. Wright said the show was an excellent opportunity to bring dog shelter awareness in the Carbondale area. Some audience members even adopted dogs from some of the organizations that were present after the show, she said.