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Weird world in pictures: Did someone press the paws button? Watch dog wow with incredible balancing act

By Jess Galley

A clever canine has found a new leash in life by posing with random items balanced on the end of his nose.

Jack has mastered everything from a frying pans to beer bottles on the end of his nose in a series of hilarious snapshots posted online.

The four year-old pup has been taught more than 50 tricks by his owners Nicole Lee and Trey Doig from Florida, USA.

Nicole, a 27-year-old animal biologist, said: “It all started after we posted a request online asking people to suggest items to balance on Jack’s head.


HOLD THAT POSE! Stack on Jack website launched when they noticed his incredible balancing talents (Pictures courtesy of Mercury Press / Nicole Lee, with thanks)

“We got an overwhelming response from people who told us how happy it made their dogs.

“And we decided set up the Stack on Jack website so that people could follow along with what he was up to if they wanted.

“Jack is an Australian Cattle dog and they are known for their high intellect and need for constant mental and physical stimulation.


NEW YEAR PUP: Jack welcomes in the new year with champagne flute on his head (Pictures courtesy of Mercury Press / Nicole Lee, with thanks)

“So we try to think up tricks and challenges that will be a positive experience for him.

“We mostly make him balance treats or the ball – which are his favourites – so he really associates staking with a reward.

“If he doesn’t want to complete a command because he’s tired or just isn’t into it, we listen and don’t push him.”


EXPENSIVE TASTE: Jack juggles an sapphire ring (Pictures courtesy of Mercury Press / Nicole Lee, with thanks)

The childhood sweethearts, originally from San Fransisco, adopted Jack at eight weeks old from a local animal shelter and have been training him ever since.

Nicole added: “We trained him using positive reinforcement, so for every command he gets right, we cheer and give him a toss of the ball or a small treat.


NOW THAT’S WELL-BEHAVED! Jack doesn’t even try and eat bacon when it’s on
his eyebrows (Pictures courtesy of Mercury Press / Nicole Lee, with thanks)

“We first taught him the commands ‘sit’ and ‘stay’.

“From there we discovered he would let us put a kernel of popcorn on his nose, and that if we told him to ‘stay’ he would keep very still and balance it there.


WHOSE BIRTHDAY BOY? Jack gets dressed up for celebrations  (Pictures courtesy of Mercury Press / Nicole Lee, with thanks)

“We just tried something a little bigger and worked up to where we are now.

“Stacking is just one of the more popular tricks Jack does.

“But he actually knows about 50 different commands which we cycle through as we go about our week.”


LIGHTING UP THEIR LIFE: Jack gets in festive spirit at Christmas (Pictures courtesy of Mercury Press / Nicole Lee, with thanks)

The majority of the images show Jack balancing food on his head and Nicole revealed that he likes to ‘help out’ in the kitchen.

Eggs, oranges, ham and cupcakes are just some of the tempting snacks the ‘humans’ placed on Jack’s head.


I’M LOVING IT: Jack looks mightily happy to have become an internet sensation (Picture courtesy of Mercury Press / Nicole Lee, with thanks)

And in a daring display of balance and strength Jack even manages to balance heavy items such as a jar filled with coins and a glass filled with water.

All pictures courtesy of Mercury Press / Nicole Lee, with thanks.

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