As you did so good with your first homework, you're getting some more this time 🙂 No worries if you don't manage to do everything in 2 weeks, you can always come back to those tricks. Post wherever you end up, as I said, we learn the most through problems, so you want to post those too! 🙂
1. experiment with different toys and ways to play with your dog. Tape his favourite game.
2. instead of a plate, find something a little higher this time to give them a better feeling of where to keep their front legs, click first for front feet on an object (should be easy, you want the same thing as on a plate) and then observe hind legs and click for ANY movement (even just a weight shift) and then shape from there to more&more steps around the object. The final version of this trick is full circle around, with you static (don't help the dog to circle with your movement!) - I think those that have my heeling video can already do that exercise, though 🙂
3. take the plate and hold it in different positions to see if the dog understands it's the same thing even when you hold it higher, under angle etc. Try when he is standing, sitting and lying down. If you didn't name touching an object with a paw, it's time to do it now! Also, try to change objects for this exercise, sometimes also use a hand as a paw target. Once he can do all that, you're ready for next two tricks we will get out of the paw touch:
- crossing paws: tell the puppy to down (or shape it if he doesn't know it yet), then hold the plate (or, you can use another, smaller and more convenient object, like a plastic lid or a piece of paper) close to left paw and only reward touching it with left paw. Then hold it closer and closer to right paw, still only reward left paw touches, then hold it on right paw and eventually on the other side, jackpoting the touches of left paw on a right paw now in order to eventually get rid of a target.
- sit up: tell the puppy to sit (or shape it if he doesn't know it yet), then put the plate (or just use the hand if he will recognize that as a target) low enough first that he can reach it with a paw, but then every next time, hold it a little higher - not that high that he would stand up, but high enough that the other leg leaves the ground a little bit too. Jackpot.
4. observe your puppy and try to find situations when he would back up - it usually happens when they're moving out of your way - or sometimes when they really want something, but know they can't get it. You can try to sit down on the floor with treats in your hand and click first step back with hind foot. Don't wait for more than one as they usually sit down then. Click&reward the first one and reward by throwing a treat towards the dog. Rewarding at distance will help you add more&more steps and more&more distance from you. At one point, switch to rewarding with a toy, it's easier to throw.
5. 2on2off - find an object big enough for a dog to go on with all 4 feet easily - maybe just put your first 4in object upside down? - Click for 2-3 legs on and then don't click the fourth one, you don't want any duration standing there! Only click again when the dog is leaving the object, try to catch him with 2 front feet on the ground and deliver the treat while he is still in this position. Click&reward several times for a position, then say "go"/"o.k."/"free"/whatever your release word will be and throw a treat away so that he needs to leave the position to get it. Do this enough times that the dog starts to expect the thrown treat after "go", so that then you don't need to throw it in advance, but only after he leaves the position on "go". Do not help with body language that you want him to leave after "go" - if he doesn't know it yet, go back to throwing a treat and progress more slowly.
And I guess this really is enough fun for next 2 weeks! 🙂
Here is the start of our homework for lesson 2
Play has the 2o2o on pretty much anything.
With Targeting his foot to plate or bowl in the instance, I am having difficulty because I have taught him to target my fist with the foot opposite my fist. so if I face him he will target his left foot to my right fist. How can i get him to do both these behaviors? I don’t want to diminish the hand/foot behavior.
The turning on the bowl is a hard one for me. I am not at all sure if I am going about it right as I want to move with him 🙂
Thanks for any feed back Valori
Wow, Play is getting bigger! 🙂 Don’ forget to release him after 2on2off! Together with throwing the treat out of the position, say your release word. The goal is he eventually understands to only release on verbal cue and hold the postion until then even with toy and food flying around and you moving. So it’s important you introduce this concept already now. For foot targeting, I don’t understand why you think you are diminishing what you have trained so far? You are just taking it further, still asking him to touch your left hand with his right paw even when you hold it close to his left paw. The turning on a bowl is going well too, just help less with your movement and instead watch closely for the tiniest movements you can click. Have fun!
Hi, for the turning on a bowl Silvia said it all already, but if it can be of any help… you click very well many times, like at 3.27.. you see like even if you stand still the dog offers some movements that you can click. But look at 4.04… you missed a click right before trying to lure, same at 4.12 to make some examples. It’s those movements you’re looking for. I know that it’s easy to say when you watch a video… and less easy to catch when you’re actually training (I miss many clicks too… and I don’t realize until I watch the video…) but I think you could really try to stand still and wait. If you look carefully you will see many movements of hind feet that you can click, even without trying to lure. I’m telling you because I like your videos and the way you’re training your dog, and I like to see how he offers different behaviours. You both could really do a very good job with this exercise, just try not to hurry things up. It could take some time and patience, but the result is worth it. Silvia, correct me if I’m wrong… 🙂
Have fun.
this morning, when we’re trying the frog position, Felines hips were lying on the ground, and Alice moved her left hindleg a little backwards 🙂
Did you notice that I like to join the agility foundation class???
I don’t know exactly why, but your training is so much fun for dogs! Training for the exercices for this puppyclass, gets my dogs in exitement, and your agility training does it too. When we came back from Donauwörth, Alice was running in the Parcours as crazy, having lots of fun :). We had a Agility seminar last weekend. Alice was a little sad, but Feline attracted attention with her closed turns, and her drive :). Therefore I would like to join the agility foundation class, and can’t really wait till july….:)
Sounds great! No problem for the foundations, everybody from this class who wants to join it will get a spot. See you there!
That’s cool, leave a spot for us too 🙂
Hi, Shape has been limping during these 3 days, so we haven’t done very much. I don’t know what happened, maybe she was playing very hard with Lucky and I had left them all alone outside in the garden for like 5 minutes. She’s getting better, I think tomorrow she’ll be perfectly healed. Anyway, we’ve already worked on these assignments in the past; I’ll post a video soon to show where we’re at.
Bye,
Laura
Hope she is better soon! You really don’t have luck with limping, huh…
I know… but nothing serious this time. She’s usually very healthy, not like Nika. I’m sure tomorrow she’ll be even better.
Hi,
Here we are tackling the second assignment!
Quite challenging indeed!
But load of fun no just for us but for everyone else looking at us in the beach! 🙂
Sylvia—question about what you are looking for from #5… Stella has a 2o2o -- the Q being “back feet” which is how we started training the handstand… she loves
back feet” and likes to offer “back feet” everywhere she can… trees, stumps, rocks, steps, sofas… but in this exercise Is our goal to be teaching the “go” from that position? Teaching it with no motion, only with the verbal cue? (and reward toss)
thanks again—we are having SO much fun and your suggestions to us and everyone else are so helpful—really really thanks
I am thinking we should sign up for Running Contacts too!!
--Dinah
Yes, we’ll also be teaching handstand as another use of 2on2off, but for this exercise, we’re teaching it in order to teach the release cue and the stays meaning to stay in that position no matter what until you hear your verbal release.
I must show you this. It’s our 5th training session with the frog trick. Now she offers the streched legs 🙂
Very cool! 🙂 Great idea with a pillow!
Thanks Gitte for sharing your idea! Looks like an excellent way to teach the forg position. I tried on the ground but will try it with a pillow 🙂
Unfortunately, Buddy has a sore front paw, and we have to take a break from training until it is healed. He is not putting weight on it and keeps licking, so I’ll have to put a cone collar on him. I hope it will heal soon and that we don’t fall behind too much.
He has very soft paw pads and I have to use ointments to protect them.
If anyone has an idea about how to take care of soft feet, please let me know.
We tried the game someone here in class showed us 😉 And it vas a hit…
Yeap, that’s a fun game, that’s why I wanted everyone to tape their favourite game, to give some ideas. I think this one is also Le’s favourite (together with attacking me). Bi’s favourite is when I pick up some grass (snow and water works too) and throw it around for her, Bu likes to play that she has a toy and I want to steal it, but am too afraid to actually do it 🙂 and La loves tugging on my sleeves the most.
Hi y’all! 😀
Thanks for the tip: playing “Chase it and grap it” we will try that one for sure!
(I will tape Jin’s favorite game in the daytime and post it next time)
We’ve made a small beginning of the ” circel around on an object ” trick.
What command should I give it? (left and right?)
PS: YIIIHHHAAA THE NEW DVD: tricks for better thinking skills!!
PS2 😉 : Does anyone now where I can find a tunnel and some jumps for
a reasonable price and reasonable quality? We would like to participate the “agility foundation class” and I’m still searching for some equipment. ( I found a lawn where we may train and next to it is a shed where I can store my equipment: YES!)
Wow, very good already! Time to try to get a full circle, so -- move out of her way 🙂 and reward with a head out, you want her to pass you and complete the circle. I have left&right for spins, I don’t name this at all until I start using it for heel position -- then I name it heel 🙂
For obstacles, try to ask on Dutch agility forum or something, that’s how I get my tunnels -- I joined in with the order by some other clubs. Otherwise, the shipping costs you almost as much as a tunnel. For jumps, stick in the ground version is the easiest to carry, but if you can leave the jumps there, then the cheapest is if you find a gradpa who knows how to make things from wood 🙂
A couple of videos from 12 week young Funky. We are working on pivoting on a rubber tub as well as backing up to mat -- both excellent exercises for rear end awareness! I am using my legs as barriers for a straight back up. Pivot on a prop needs more accurate reinforcement from my part; I reinforce Funky far too often for standing still instead of her movement. Will need to play computer games 😉
Here is part 1 of our progress so far
This short video shoes recall training and playing tug. Sorry for my poor videotaping skills. They will improve I guess
So cute and smart! But yes, you need to be careful, you are often clicking her for stopping in front position on a rubber tub. They tend to like that position the most anyway as it’s the easiest to see the handler that way, so you don’t want to reinforce that too much! 🙂 Try to get her over that point and reinforce the position where she is facing the same direction as you are the most as that’s the hardest one.