In time, however, he learned to fall the moment I
touched the side of one hindfoot. From that to motioning at the foot,
and finally, merely saying "Dead!" the progress was quick. To make him
jump up, I always said "Alive!"

To make him go "lame" was very easy. I tied a long string to one
forefoot, and by saying, "Lame!" and at the same time making him walk,
while I prevented him from putting the tied foot down, he soon learned
to go on three legs.

One of the funniest things he learned to do was to take his piece of
carpet, shake it well, and put it back in its place. It was through an
accident that I thought of teaching him to do this. I had been
accustomed to shake out his carpet in the yard every morning. One
morning I threw it on the grass to air. In a moment Bob had it in his
mouth and was worrying it, shaking it, and growling. He was playing, but
I saw that I could teach him something, and at once said, "Make your
bed!" By repeating this, morning after morning, he at last learned to
pick up his carpet, carry it out into the yard, shake it, and carry it
back. I could never teach him to lay it down properly, however; he
seemed to think it was as good in a heap as if nicely smoothed out.

After I had taught Bob a number of tricks, I determined to write a play
for him. I do not believe that any human actor ever had audiences more
appreciative than his, when he performed in his "play." His little
friends were always ready to give him sugar by the handful if I did not
interfere, and Bob was always ready to take all that was offered. The
"play" was nothing more than a simple little story into which were
introduced the words which I used in commanding him to perform his
various tricks. I would repeat the story, and when I came to a word of
command, such as "dead," I would emphasize it so that Bob would at once
do whatever he had been taught to do at the sound of that word. The play
I wrote was about as follows:--

"Once upon a time there was a little dog named _Bob_ [here Bob would run
to me, and wait expectantly]. Usually he was a very _good dog_ [wag,
wag, would go his tail], but once in a while he was very _naughty_ [down
would drop ears and tail]. When he was a _good dog_ [happy again], he
would _sit up_ and show any little boy or girl how to behave. At such
times, he would _speak softly_ [prolonged whine], as a polite dog
should, though once in a while he would become excited, and _shout,
shout, shout_ [furious b