Have you ever seen a parrot riding a scooter? Or a cat opening boxes?
Did you know that dogs can rock a conga line or that bunnies, too, can be basketball players, TV stars and artists?
The animal world is full of adorable talent, as we at Guinness World Records know very well, and many pets hide wonderful abilities. And there's nothing better than a healthy and fun training regime to keep pets engaged, as some of our record-breaking trainers will confirm.
With plenty of rewards and lots of love, training encourages quality time between owner and pet... and it can, on occasion, smash records.
Without further ado, let's dive right into five of our favourite record-breaking animals that, we are sure, will make your day SO much better!
Most tricks performed by a cat in one minute
Paws up for the smartest cat in the hood, miss Alexis.
Aged eight at the time of her record, Alexis is a beautiful and loving black cat. She is trusting, according to her human Anika Moritz (Austria), but also loves her freedom: she is a “cat of a lifetime,” Anika says, affectionately holding her pet.
The two are inseparable and, together, Anika and Alexis have broken the record for the most tricks performed by a cat in one minute.
Following Anika’s instructions, Alexis achieved 26 tricks in just 60 seconds and got her paws on a GWR certificate.
Some of the tricks Alexis mastered are the wave, going around the legs and high-five. She also obediently touches a target with her nose and paws a bell whenever Anika instructs her to – and she loves to showcase everything she knows!
“Cats are intelligent little creatures who deserve to be treated well,” Anika explains, stressing the importance of a fun, rewarding training regime for the health and happiness of the cat.
“They need interaction and some sort of employment to be happy. Training enriches the cat’s life and prevents behaviour problems.”
Alexis is only trained with the use of a clicker and positive reinforcement: she gets a treat, cuddles and a compliment after every single trick. Of course, there is no penalty if she gets something wrong.
“We just train with positive reinforcement, so there are no negative feelings for the cat, which is important," Anika says.
However, that presented an extra challenge during the attempt:
“The most difficult part was that Alexis did not get any reward (by hand due to the rules) for 60 seconds,” Anika says.
“Normally my cat gets a positive reward after every trick, because training should always be fun and worth it.” - Anika
“However, Alexis managed it so good, because my attention and the interacting are a reward too and she knew that she would get a very special treat after the 60 seconds."
From the very first moment their paths crossed, Anika realized that Alexis was a very special cat and, together, they are accomplishing great things.
Read the interview with Anika here!
Most tricks performed by two dogs in a minute
Teamwork does indeed make the dream work.
Meet this incredible pair: Wish and Halo, two beautiful Border Collies from El Cajon, California. These two pals live together, play together, gnaw on delicious bones together and, also together, they broke the record for most tricks performed by two dogs in one minute.
In December 2020, Wish and Halo successfully performed 28 tricks in only one minute, working side-by-side with their trainer Emily Larlham (USA).
Despite being a true powerhouse duo on the field, Wish and Halo were trained separately for most of the time.
The method used to teach them all the tricks was positive reinforcement, focusing on rewards and dividing the steps of each trick into smaller sections to make it easier for the dogs to understand their tasks.
This way, the dogs would be highly successful in their learning process: Emily kept them rewarded, interested and happy.
Positive reinforcement makes the training much more fun for the dogs, encouraging them to be successful in their learning and focusing on the well-being of the animal.
In other words, it was very important for Wish and Halo to have fun and feel loved throughout the whole process. They don't do anything they don't want to do... and are well recompensed for playing!
Emily didn’t punish any incorrect answer, preferring to just find another way to break the steps up to make it easier for Halo and Wish.
After some time, it was finally time for Halo and Wish to work together.
The dogs were given more treats when working together, promoting teamwork and encouraging collaboration through the introduction of toys and even easier steps.
A true winning team!
Looking for more dog tricks?
Meet Jellybean and Lollipop, stars of Guinness World Records 2022.
Guided by their loving trainer Melissa, these two amazing deaf pooches broke plenty of trick records: find them all here!
Most tricks performed by a rabbit
We hope you are ready for this irresistible record holder, because Taawi is a true force of nature.
Four years old at the time of his record, Taawi is a beautiful mixed-breed rabbit with sweet eyes, thick soft fur and a true passion for tricks!
Together with his trainer and fur-mum Aino Kivikallio (Finland), in 2018 Taawi broke the record for most tricks performed by a rabbit in one minute.
In only 60 seconds, he completed 20 tricks – and this star, of course, made it look absolutely effortless!
Some of the tricks performed during the attempt were iconic classics, like “stand up" and “give me paw”, with plenty of bouncing around and spinning, while some others were inventive games that kept Taawi engaged and that stimulated the bunny's playfulness and intelligence.
Some of the tricks that Taawi performed to perfection were:
- Take the heel position
- Go around the legs
- High five (right hand)
- Take the toy out of the box
- Knock over the bottle
- Pull a card
- Cut the string
- Roll the ball
- High five (left hand)
- Open the fist
"As soon as I adopted Taawi about two years ago, I realized he had a very special personality," Aino explains.
"He is the most active and energetic rabbit I have ever seen."
When he’s not breaking records, Taawi loves feasting on carrots and veggies, (occasionally) snoozing and bouncing around.
He might be record-worthy but, like every other bun, this little champion likes to eat, snuggle with his human Aino and play with his girlfriend, an adorable bunny named Fuga.
Most basketball slam dunks in one minute by a rabbit
Talking about amazing bunnies, you might have heard that there’s a very unique NBA champion hopping around.
In 2016, Bini proved to be a very special bunny by breaking the most basketball slam dunks in one minute by a rabbit. Thanks to his talent for sports, this Holland Lop rabbit has racked up seven slam dunks in just sixty seconds.
His trainer Shai Asor (USA) has been incredibly proud of his tiny (but mighty) pet.
Shai started by teaching Bini tricks such as standing and spinning. However, when he found the bunny playing with a ball, he created for Bini a true bespoke basketball court.
"Having Bini become part of the Guinness World Records family is an incredible feeling,” said Shai.
“Especially since I used to read the annual books when I was a kid."
But Bini is a true volcano of talents, and is well-versed in the arts as well as in sports.
When he’s not breaking basketball records, he’s creating wonderful art pieces, playing arcade games and starring in talent shows.
To date, Bini and Shai have appeared in such shows as The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and two Netflix programmes about incredible pets (The Hidden Lives of Pets, in 2022, and Pet Stars in 2021).
In 2021, Bini also passed with flying colours the first round of the 16th season of America's Got Talent.
Fearlessly, this tiny but fierce champion hopped right into fame!
Fastest 5 m on a scooter by a parrot
We saw him rolling and we loved it!
This talented little fellow is Chico, a white cockatoo and a very special record holder.
Chico and his owner Kaloyan Yavashev (who was trying to teach another parrot how to scoot before Chico spontaneously manifested an interest toward the trick) broke the record for the fastest 5 m on a scooter by a parrot.
"Chico approached the table on his own and started to pedal," Kaloyan explains, during a live demonstration of Chico's incredible scooting skills on Italian telly.
Like a true star, Chico bettered his already astounding time on the set of Lo Show Dei Record, in Milan, on 15 February 2022.
With the wind through his feathers and right in front of the amazed eyes of the audience of Lo Show Dei Record, Chico raced against time for 5 metres (16 ft 4 ins).
He completed the challenge in just 14.58 seconds on his adorable bespoke scooter.
Chico didn't let the adrenaline or the sharp gazes of the adjudicators Lorenzo and Sofia stop him, going for the win on his first try! He broke his own record, which he had previously set with 17.79 seconds.
After the successful attempt, you can be sure that the one-of-a-kind record holder partied with plenty of seeds and games!
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