Fetching records one at a time

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Having set the stage by impressing viewers of America’s Got Talent, a local trainer and wonder dog are working to extend their list of accomplishments by attempting to break numerous Guinness World Records.

Jennifer Fraser, a lifelong dog trainer and resident of Wheatland County, is working alongside Daiquiri, a five-year-old Australian shepherd, to set about 20 different records for tricks. Fraser also runs Paradise Kennels, a “luxury” dog boarding facility located east of Calgary.

It took some time for Daiquiri to find his home, said Fraser.

“He was the puppy that nobody wanted – he bounced from house to house to house,” she said.

But when the Daiquiri was about three-and-a-half months old, Fraser adopted him after seeing a picture of him online.

“He was in my arms in 72 hours and he’s been a perfect puppy since day one,” she said.

The pair (@jenanddaiquiri) began performing together, somewhat unexpectedly, when Fraser and her family were living in Italy.

“My kids were in a museum, and I was sitting outside waiting for them … while we were doing a few tricks, just playing around, somebody came up to me and handed me five euros and then just walked away – he thought I was a street performer. I looked around and I saw the street performers, and said, I could do this.”

Over a couple weeks, the pair developed a routine that proved impressive.

“I started going to the piazzas, and I started doing trick training with him,” said Fraser. “We didn’t have to worry about money anymore – he was paying for our groceries and he was paying for bills back home.”

Despite only training for about two years, Daiquiri can perform about 200 skills. Each trick requires a combination of skills from both dog and trainer. Some are more on demanding Daiquiri, while others require more precision by Fraser.

The pair performed a routine on America’s Got Talent that aired in June. 

“I got really creative with my routine and tried to show the judges something that they had never seen before,” said Fraser.

It did the trick – the act was deemed a barking success by judges and audience members alike, and the pair was selected to perform in future live shows. While they have not yet been able to attend filming because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, Fraser is “hanging on the edge of (her) seat for the call.”

The pair currently co-holds the Guinness record for most number of tricks (60) performed in a minute (which they set first), but are looking to extend the record and be the sole record holder. 

“We did 74 tricks, so I know we can do better,” said Fraser, who added she is looking to break about 20 more records.

Because Daiquiri has so many skills, Fraser thinks many are feasible. Each attempt requires adherence to a lengthy set of rules, rigorous documentations and observation by neutral viewers.

“We just trained for a couple weeks because we already basically have the base skills, and then we will go for the attempts,” she said. One record may be attempted per day. “Because he’s so versatile, and he learns so fast, doing the Guinness records is just so fun and easy for him.”

On Aug. 5, Daiquiri walked five metres backward on command in about 2.6 seconds, thereby unofficially breaking the previous record of 6.73 seconds. Guinness must first confirm the attempt for it to be official, which takes time. On Aug. 7, Daiquiri caught 10 treats consecutively in just 10.42 seconds in another possible record-setting feat.

Matthew Michaud, 15, who appeared at the Aug. 7 attempt to help as an observer but later found out he is too young, was impressed by Daiquiri’s treat catching abilities. 

“He’s just amazing,” he said.