Take a Bow, Superstar!

The Chronicles (the best newsletter for dog lovers) publishes the first and third Thursday of every month! Enjoy this week’s edition.

The Bow Trick!

Perfect for the end of a show—or just dinner.

Also: why this trick helps with stretching! :: by Biscuit

Hello my sparkly stardust students, it’s your resident celebrity—ME, Biscuit—reporting live from the living room stage where I perform for an audience of one (Daddy), who always gives standing ovations even when I’m just eating cheese.

Today’s spotlight trick: TAKE A BOW — the grand finale move every superstar should know. It’s classy, it’s adorable, and it makes humans gasp like they’ve never seen a dog bend in half before. And guess what? It doubles as a stretch! Yep. A trick that’s good for your body and your ego. My two favorite things.

Let’s get bow-ing!

Why Learn “Take a Bow”?

First, it looks fancy. I mean, REALLY fancy. Whenever I bow, Daddy claps so hard his hands go blurry. Kevin thinks that’s because he’s actually vibrating, but no—he’s just excited.

Second, the bow position stretches your shoulders, your back, and your tummy in a way that feels chef’s kiss. It’s like doggy yoga, but without the other dogs judging you for falling over.

And third… well, it’s a great way to end ANY routine. You could literally knock over a lamp, pretend it was part of the act, and bow. Humans will forgive EVERYTHING.

Trust me. I have tested this.

STEP 1: Start with a Standing Position

(Or in my case, the “I promise I wasn’t doing anything suspicious” pose.)

Have your human get you standing nice and tall. You’re not doing a down yet—no collapsing to the floor like Kevin when he thinks he hears the vacuum. Standing is important because the bow comes from standing.

Training Tip from Biscuit:
If you don’t feel like standing, just pretend a treat is calling your name. Works every time.

STEP 2: Lure the Head Down

Your human will take a treat (preferably cheese, but apparently “healthy snacks” are a thing now—tragic) and slowly lower it straight down between your front paws.

The goal is for your front end to go down…
while your back end stays UP.

Basically, imagine you're stretching to sniff a suspicious cookie crumb but don’t want your tail to look lazy.

If you accidentally flop into a full down, that’s okay! Just pop back up and try again. I did the flop about, oh… fifty times. On purpose, obviously. There was a treat involved. Sometimes, Daddy would keep one arm under my belly and lure with the other so he could remind me to keep my butt up (as if I needed that!).

STEP 3: Mark the Moment!

The second you hit the right position—front down, bum up—your human should say “YES!” or click the clicker if they’re fancy. Then they give you the treat.

Celebrate! Wag like your tail is a party streamer.

When I first tried this, Daddy said “YES!” so loudly I thought he won the lottery. Spoiler: he did not. I checked.

STEP 4: Keep It Quick at First

Most pups can only hold the bow for half a second in the beginning, which is fine. You’re not trying to win a modeling competition (unless you are—in which case, call me, I know people).

Just dip, get rewarded, and reset.

Over time, you’ll naturally hold it longer. I now bow for a full three seconds, which according to Kevin makes me “basically a ballerina.”

STEP 5: Start Adding the Cue

Once you’re consistently bending down with the treat lure, it’s time to name the trick. Your human will say something like:

• “Take a bow!”

• “Bow!”

• “Showtime!”

• “Pretend you’re grateful!”

Okay maybe that last one is just Daddy.

Your owner must say the cue before the lure, so eventually you understand the words come before the action.

I prefer the cue “TA-DAAAAAA!” because it makes everything feel dramatic, but Daddy says that’s “not standard,” whatever that means.

STEP 6: Fade the Lure, Keep the Glory

Gradually, the treat should disappear from your nose area. Your human might lower their hand without food in it. You’ll still bow, because by now you’re a professional.

This is a great time to introduce applause. I adore applause. It tastes better than cheese. (Almost.)

Fun fact: Kevin bows by accident every time he sneezes. Nobody tell him—he thinks it’s a superpower.

STEP 7: Add It to Your Routine

Now for the fun part!

Do a trick you love—sit pretty, spin, high-five, bark at trespassers who dare to walk in front of your house — then finish with a TAKE A BOW and your audience will lose their tiny human minds.

Try performing after dinner when your humans are full. A full human is a generous human.

A Stretching Bonus!

Did you know the bow stretch helps warm up your body before zoomies? Cricket says it “activates core muscles.” I say it “makes my tummy feel less like I ate too many snacks.” Both are true.

Daddy now asks us to bow before training sessions. He calls it “preventing injury.” I call it “mandatory cheese warm-up.” Win-win.

Parting Wisdom from Biscuit the Bow Queen

If you learn only one thing from me today, let it be this:

A well-executed bow makes everyone think you’re well-behaved—even if you absolutely are not.

And if you learn TWO things:

Always bow FIRST, then steal the snack. Timing is everything.

Now go practice, superstars!
Take a bow. Take two. Take three. You deserve all the applause.

Cartoon of the Week!

🧐 Cricket’s Canine Conundrum 🐶

Welcome back to my corner of the newsletter—where we temporarily set aside Biscuit’s dramatic storytelling, Kevin’s enthusiastic misunderstandings, and Daddy’s questionable snack-control strategies to focus on something truly important: logic.

In each conundrum, I present a puzzle designed to stretch your brain the same way a proper warm-up stretch prepares us for zoomies. Consider this your mental “take a bow”—a small challenge to keep your reasoning skills flexible, focused, and slightly superior to everyone else’s.

Ready to put your neurons to work? Excellent. Let’s begin.

🎄 Cricket’s Christmas Gift Math 🎄

Cricket wants to buy gifts for her siblings. She spends twice as much on Biscuit as she does on Kevin. If she spends $42 total and each gift cost a whole dollar amount, how much did each gift cost?

(the solution is found later in the newsletter)

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🧠 Cricket’s Canine Conundrum Solution! 🐶

Answer: Biscuit’s gift = $28, Kevin’s gift = $14.

Explanation:
Let Kevin’s gift = x.
Then Biscuit’s = 2x.
So x + 2x = 42 → 3x = 42 → x = 14 → Biscuit = 28.

Questions & Comments from Fans

Want more tips, tricks, and tail-wagging tales? Visit our blog anytime at cricketchronicles.ca!

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