So we’ve all heard this one before, and we all hate it. I was wondering what sort of good comebacks you guys have or ways to divert attention from walk the dog into something else. I’ve heard of “walking” it across your arm (arm grind) from a few people but what else is there? also what about other annoying lame tricks that people often request like eiffel tower or rock the baby, and sometimes someone will ask me to pop the clutch when I’m using an unresponsive yoyo. one thing for rock the baby that I do is I “rock” the baby by basically doing the trick but raising my pointer and pinky on my throwhand to show I’m “ROCKING” the baby (hehe get it?) and another one I’m working on I call abduct the baby where I get a ufo going and basically do rock the baby with a ufo, but I hate doing that one cause it kills my string tension. so what good trick comebacks do you guys use? I want to show people that there’s more to yoyoing than simple childish tricks that everyone knows.
I say that if you don’t throw dogs why should I walk a uoyo . Or say can u tie a shoe? For epic weird reaction
My favorite comeback that I made up was:
“Can I stick your pet on a centrifuge?”
Other tamer ones where like
“I don’t know. How much do you care for your ears?”
But as for rock the baby, I had a really awesome idea:
Whip your head back and forth, like you’re at a metal concert, and hum “Baby” at the same time.
Here’s how the conversation would go
“Hey! can you walk the dog?”
“Sorry no, thats a yoyo trick. this a return top”
and then I go on with my business
You sir are a genius!!!
I thought only CLYW called their yoyos return tops but I guess it’s universal. A good one I did a couple of days ago when I was asked if I could walk the dog I replied yea even with 2. Then I grabbed both my puppies’ leashes and left
I like this one.
I dont hate it at all. It is just them showing interest in our little hobby. If someone asks me to walk the dog I gladly do it. No yoyo I really care about ever leaves the house with me.
EDIT: Guess I missed the part about “silly childish tricks” the first time I read it. The truth about this is that people really could care less about the complex contest winning tricks. For non yoyoers they just see it as a mess of string, and this seems to confuse them. The best tricks to show non yoyoers are simple things like Boingy boing, eli hops, picture tricks, rock the baby, walk the dog and “simple” things like that. Again, people asking you to do these tricks is a good thing. It shows that they are taking an interest in our hobby.
“I’m allergic”
Rock the Baby is another common one I hear. I usually add a little flare to it however by rocking it a few times, followed by a Dizzy Baby, whip out a tiny yoyo and do 'Itty-Bitty Baby, or throw them off with a trapeze, then rock the baby on the trapeze. Dog walks become arm grinds depending on the yoyo I have. If it’s a plastic on a smooth floor, I’ll do it. Metal, forget it. Lastly, I find that Walk the Dog works better on a modified/looper yoyo, walks in a straighter line than a wing-shaped yo.
Can you walk the dog?
Sure, can you? 
Ah yes, the “can” vs “will” issue shows itself.
I find please the crowd is best WITHIN reason. If you don’t want to scratch up your yoyo, just explain why you won’t do a certain trick. Many people might not believe it, but if you’re nice about it and offer an alternative, they’ll be fine with it. Or carry a beater for just such tricks. I ain’t gonna walk the dog with a metal yoyo on a hard surface. Ain’t happening. I’ll beat up my ONE or something cheap like that for that sort of thing.
I was yoyoing at the outdoor mall in VA and I had two young kids go, “wow! look dad/mom, look at his yoyo!” followed up by, “can you walk the dog” and I immediately thought of Ed Haponik’s 66 rules of yoyoing. One of the rules being, always be ready to walk the dog. I was standing around concrete but there was a wooden bench nearby so I walked my protostar on it instead. Then I showed them a simple horizontal trapeze/bind return and they were astonished! They then asked where I got my yoyo and I redirected the question into turning onto the yoyo selection at Toys R’ Us. Great day!
^old post almost a year ago.
we change those last few tricks to “My own long combos” Looking back, I was being a bit ignorant there. People are impressed by what got yoyoing started, now a days, we need to explain what it has become.
What he said and I like doing the easy tricks!
“Can you walk the dog?”
“Yes.”
keep doing whatever tricks I want
I say no i’m a cat person.
Several of these made me seriously laugh out loud. Especially the rock metal concert while humming baby. That hurt lol.
Someone else mentioned it but being able to show people and be friendly will go a long ways in helping to get more people involved in the hobby/sport. I don’t think any yoyoer should turn someone down because the trick is beneath them. I too have been working on the arm grind so that I can do it when I’m out as I normally carry my cafe racer with me and while I have hit concrete a couple of times surprisingly no dings or dents yet. So I have been working on the arm grind for walking the dog for that reason. Someone posted a video of them saying no because I have a metal yoyo and yo-yos now a days are a lot more expensive because they are professional grade but let me show you this and then does like a bird pitch on his finger and then does like a squirrel in a tree and runs it up his arm.
I think a key point as well is what someone else said as well. While the basic tried and true tricks people know about and want to see, I think we are doing a disjustice to everyone if we don’t show why YoYo’ing has advanced in so many ways. We need to show them all that is possible too and that the walk the dog and rock the baby are cool but they are old style tricks, let me also show you what all is possible now! I think that would be awesome to show them both and get them really excited.
can you walk the dog
no, but i can floor grind
the real sensible solution for me is an arm grind when ever im usinng a metal…
Canadien, there’s a patent on the word yoyo here, so, yeah.