Clever pup Java's service dog training leads to world record glory with very unique trick

Imagine if you could train your dog to do chores around the house.

Sure, some good boys and girls out there might tidy away their own toys, but can they hang the washing on the line for you?

Five-year-old black Labrador retriever Java has already mastered the pegs, so she might stand a good chance at it.

Alongside her loving owner Lisa Rickards (USA), Java claimed the record for most clothes pegs put on a washing line by a dog in one minute with a total of eight when they took on the challenge on 21 March.

Lisa, a 46-year-old graphic designer, says Java is her “sidekick”.

She’s had Java since she was 10 weeks old and they’ve been inseparable ever since.

Java was originally being trained to be a service dog with Canine Companions and Lisa had also raised her mother and grandmother through the programme.

“I’ve had the unusual experience of knowing three generations of Java’s family,” Lisa said.

“For the first 18 months of Java’s life, my job was to raise and socialize her with the goal of preparing her to become a service dog. She went on to advanced training, but ultimately she was determined not to be a good fit for the programme. I was then incredibly fortunate to be able to adopt her back as my pet.

“That’s really where our story changed.”

With Java settled in at home, Lisa started exploring trick training and dog sports for fun.

She said: “I joke that Java is fully caffeinated and absolutely lives up to her name. She has an enormous amount of enthusiasm for life and, more importantly, she genuinely loves learning. She is especially good at what I think of as ‘social learning’ - watching another dog or person do something and then figuring out how to do it herself.”

Lisa says she’s always loved training animals and figuring out what makes them tick. She started Java on little tricks and they gradually worked their way up to more complicated moves.

“I taught her to open doors, take off my shoes and socks, unzip my jacket, turn lights on and off, and perform all kinds of retrieves,” Lisa explained.

“Eventually we discovered the Dog Talent Association and Olga, Bonnie and Simba. Olga’s dogs do an incredible number of tricks and have achieved multiple Guinness World Records titles, and watching her work with them gave me the confidence to think that maybe Java and I could try for a record, too. A lot of the credit for us even attempting a record goes to Olga for showing me what was possible and giving me the confidence to try.”

Read about more record-breaking pets in our dedicated Animals section.

Lisa and Java started competing together for fun and their bond grew even stronger.

The clever doggy now knows more than 200 cues and tricks and she can do things like put coins in a piggy bank, identify colours and can even detect gluten in products.

After being inspired by Olga Jones and her dogs Bonnie and Simba, Lisa decided to officially go for a world record with Java.

With so many skills in her arsenal, Lisa decided to focus on something Java enjoyed the most and landed on clothes pegs.

To earn the title, Java had to pick up the pegs, prise them open, hold them up to the washing line and let them go so they’d latch on.

Lisa said: “Java absolutely loves doing tricks with me. You can see how excited she gets because her tail just does not stop moving. She knows when we are going to train, and she is always ready to work. Her favourite part may actually be the celebration afterward - she loves getting a big high five when she knows she has done something right.

“But one of my favourite things about her is that sometimes she doesn't wait for me to ask her to train.”

Lisa says she’ll often leave the room after training and come back to find Java continuing to hang pegs on the line or holding one in her mouth with her tail wagging.

She added: “Every time she does it, it makes me laugh. She has such a great sense of humour, and I think it says a lot about how much she genuinely enjoys learning. For her, training isn't something she has to do. She actually seems to think it's something we get to do together.”

Java has lots of love to share and also works with First Responder Therapy Dogs, regularly visiting fire stations to show off her tricks and spread some joy.

Lisa said: “One of the things I love most about Java is that she isn't just a dog who can perform a lot of tricks. She is incredibly engaged with people and with the world around her. She is curious, enthusiastic and always trying to figure things out. Training her has taught me just as much about dogs as I have taught her about tricks.

“She was also a tremendous source of companionship for me during a difficult period of my own health. Having a dog who is always ready to learn something, make me laugh or celebrate a tiny accomplishment with me meant a lot. Training gave us something positive to focus on, and it made me appreciate even more what a special dog she is.”

Java taught Lisa that dogs are much smarter and more capable than she knew. She says it’s amazing what dogs can do when they have a person who believes in them.

Lisa and Java plan to keep working together on learning new tricks and they’d love to break more records together one day.

Lisa said: “When I was in fourth grade, my teacher used to read us records from the Guinness World Records books, and we would have class competitions around some of the titles. So when Java and I actually achieved a Guinness World Records title, the fourth grader in me was absolutely thrilled. It was one of those moments where I thought, ‘Wait - we actually did it!’”