I miss videos from some participants... I hope you're still posting it, it really doesn't matter if you're not finished with the trick just yet, you can always do that later, but it's good to have some directions, that's why I would like to see everybody's videos!
But well, it's time for a new to-do list:
1. see in what situations your dog gets really crazy and exited or runs as mad and name it - my "magic" word is "ajde, ajde" and you can really see how much speed they add when hearing it - in agility or when running in the fields. I got it by saying anytime they would be chasing each other in full speed or go crazy and run in circles on a wet grass.
2. make the front feet target lower&lower and smaller&smaller and then fade it completely, still circling away from the dog and have him follow your leg. Then, add movements to the side, forward and backward and reward your dog for being glued to the leg
3. side version of 2on2off: try to get side legs (the two left or the two right legs) on an object. The easiest is to choose an object that is angled (I put a pillow under the angle against the sofa or a wall), so that the dog can't climb on it with all 4 feet. Because of 2on2off, they will probably try hind feet on, but position yourself next to an object so that the dog is parallel to it and will probably first try just one hind foot (it helps if you have a pee trick down already!): reward a couple of times so that he keeps it there as opposed to try to put the other hind leg on too and then see if you can get front foot on too. You can tell them to paw touch your hand that you keep close to an object and eventually fade the hand to have both feet on an object. Jackpot if the dog puts both feet on at the same time (vs. first hind, then front). Do it with both sides right from the start, you want to build muscle and balance on both sides.
4. one object into another: shape the dog to pick up an object, then to carry it around, then to carry it in the direction of another object, then to let it go close to it and eventually to actually put it in another object. I usually start directly with two bowls of the same size, but to make it easier, you can also use a toy and a box or something similar. Do try it with a bowl too, though, they require more precision.
5. hug the pole/umbrella trick, first clicking for any paw touch, then for sliding to the side and then for going more&more around the object, the final goal is a firm hug with one or both front feet around the object - see this video
6. stays with distractions: tell the dog to sit or down and continue with proofing the stay until the release word as we were practicing in 2on2off position already in the last lesson: have them stay in a position with you running passed them, throwing toys and treats, making different hand gestures etc. - then say "go" (sometimes standing still, sometimes while moving) and reward, preferably with a toy as you want a fast start out of the position on "go"
Oh my goodness, it’s time for week 4 already?! I’ve had a lot going on and I really didn’t realize that two weeks had gone by since the last lesson. Unfortunately this week I am still extra busy and then I will be out of the country next week. But I will try extra hard to keep up, and keep videoing! At least the nice thing about the class being online and us all working at our own paces is that the information stays available and we can always catch up later. 🙂
Oh, and I can answer #1 already: Dragon rarely gets the zoomies on his own, but if I say “zoom zoom!” and start running, he takes off real fast and I run as fast as I can to keep up with him!
Sure, no problem! Just post it when you’re ready! 🙂
this may seem like a very strange question since my dogs are all small. But what do you use that is stable to teach very large dogs- I have a 6 month old Mastiff and a young Bernese Mountain dog starting an obedience atttention class and I want to recommend a perch for them to work on for rear limb awaremenss and heel position- I’m thinkging a brick wall 🙂 But I really need ieas that they won’t tip over.
Thanks everybody,
Mona L. Gitter DVM
My BC is tiny but WAY too excited so I tried getting a 5 gallon plastic bucket with lid, weighing the lid down- bricks, cinder block? and then attaching the bucket to the lid so it ends up upside down. Remove the handle and worked pretty well!
For big breeds, you want something wide and low -- that makes things less tippy 🙂 I prefer low perch for big breeds anyway, so something like a phone book works great.
I did pivot/perch work with my Bernese Mtn. Dog (95 lbs) using a 2″ thick x 8″ square cement brick which worked really well. The added weight of the brick meant that she couldn’t move it when she eagerly offered both paws which was a problem with lighter weight perches I tried--I would click for both front paws & she thought I was clicking for the movement of the perch 🙂 Once I switched to the brick, things proceeded much faster 🙂 And it’s very exciting to see a large dog have good rear end awareness!
I used a cast iron pot.
I’ve started classes this week with exercise # 5, and I have a problem. When Obelix take the doll with his paws does a lot of strength to the floor and does not maintain balance, as it could solve??
There also a bit of 2on 2off, I still have to work hard. We recommend using a palisade of agility to do ?????
Relation to the exercise # 4, Obelix has a hard time bringing up my objects -- toys, here I will have to work very well
Silvia, here s the first video of the week … 😀
Well, you can also do the hugging in sit position, using just one paw! I think it will be easier for Obelix to learn it that way. Once he understands it better, it will be easier to get it in sit up too. The 2on2off is going well, try both directions: on and off as you would do it in agility and directly back as we need for a handstand. I don’t know for which version you wanted to use an A-frame (la palisade), but I wouldn’t advise it for know anyway: for on and off, he is too young and the position is not yet good enough and for going on backwards, it’s better to use a box or something as it doesn’t allow climbing. And yes, #4 will take some more time if he doesn’t retrieve things -- but it can be shaped just as any other trick! Have fun!
ups, not see the video I’ll try again
thanks everybody- i will recommend the concrete block and am glad to hear that a telephone book would work- I am thinking we need Chicago size not Indy- ut of well 🙂
Thanks,
Mona
So, any recommendations for a puppy who isn’t getting the idea that toys aren’t just for stealing and running away with? I can get a few toy tosses which are returned to me (sort of…), then ‘keep away’ starts. I’ve been working on shaping her to pick up a toy and give it to me since I got her, but she still prefers to run away with the toy.
I have tried toys on lines, her on a line, swapping for food/for a better toy, tugging, chase games…lots of things. Sigh! Besides that, clicker and food have worked to train every other behavior with her, so I am officially stumped and out of ideas.
This little issue makes #4 verrrrry difficult for her!
Thanks for any thoughts.
Try to use something extremely boring, although that can be hard with a very playful dog :D. My little Terra learned a “bring to hand” from a shaped “take” and a nose touch. Work on taking and holding an objekt and nose touches to hand and then combine :). You can also walk or run away from him and click for following.
Yeap, sounds like some more work with #4 🙂 Apart from Lotta’s suggestions -- how about two toys game? Tossing one and then running away and showing her the second one, clicking and throwing a new one as she comes after you with the first one? They usually love this game! Meantime, you can try #4 with a spoon and a bowl or a box… Or would she play with a spoon too? Depends on a dog what object would be boring, Bi for example just LOVES spoons, aluminum bowls and everything else that is making that great LOUD noise when throwing it around… Hm…
cool, thanks!
Haha, she DOES play with EVERYthing (especially the noisy stuff). But I will try to use something that isn’t so obvious as a toy to learn the trick and for Lotta’s idea for shaping with the nose touch. Will try two toys separately. Good ideas, thanks!
I have a question about your magic word “ajde, ajde”. When I play with Leia and we’re running around and playing with a toy together I sometimes call her to my hand to tug the toy by saying “come, come, come” and other times I’ll throw the toy and say “go, go, go”. I think I got that from you, Silvia. Would it be okay to simply use “go, go go” as my magic word as Leia is used to accelerating to a toy or an obstacle when she hears it? or Is there a reason to choose a different word all together?
Thanks, Mara
Sure, you can use that word! My “ajde, ajde” is pretty much a “go, go” in my language 🙂 I use it for having them drive to a toy, chase each other, send them to a water or a friend ahead etc. They go crazy when they hear it!
So will the “magic word” be like a send then? Dog runs waay from you?
or can you use it in other situations too?
I use it in any situation I want them to run straight in full speed. So I’ll use it on straight parts of a course and for a dog-walk, with no relation to where I am -- I will say it even when I’m in front, so no, it’s not really as a send. I might be sending with cik&cap too, I don’t have a “send” word, depends on situation. “Ajde” is for any straight forward situation.
Here is a video of our pivot progress.. The first time she is trying without the foot target. I would like some comments and advice please!
How is the feeding position? I think I have to feed straighter and higher?
Her feet tend to dance forward a bit without the target.. what should I do? Go back to using the target? Should I be walking around her like there is an imaginary target? OR should i just turn on the spot and let her back and pivot? When do I know I am ready to start taking steps to the side?
Thanks!! 🙂
Looks good to me! The feeding position is o.k. and without the target, she doesn’t look down so much -- still more as you eventually want, but I think she needs some more time. Eventually, you can also start delaying the click and only clicking when she takes the position AND looks up. I think you can keep working without the target now and making the circles bigger and bigger so that with every step, you do less of a circle and more of a step forward or to the side, so that she learns to follow your leg in whatever direction.
Here is what we have untill now.
3/ 2on2off side version: she knows the Pee-trick, so it was not difficult to put her backpaw on the box. Now I’m clicking also when she start lifting her front paw… are shut I wait untill she puts the front paw on the box ?
4/ object in an other: I started this trick a few weeks ago, so I’m already this far that she can but the object in the bowl.
5/ hug: I think she will pick this up easly.
2/ circling: I still have difficulties to get some speed in her. She follows my leg, but I miss the energy.
1/ her you can see what energy she has for her ball, but when she sees the ball, she not thinking about anything else anymore. I tried to combine the circling and the reward white the ball, but than she only looks at the ball, and will not circle.
Heehee, my dog also immediately tried to climb into the bowl with all four feet!
Very nice heel position!
I think you should use the ball more, but for now, use it for very easy things that she can do even in the presence of a ball -- never throw it for her just like that, always ask her for a sit or down or sit up or a spin or back first -- anything she knows well. Also, start using it as a jackpot for new tricks too, keeping the ball in the pocket, working with food, but throwing a ball every here and there. A toy will definitely give you much more energetic heeling. Another thing to be really careful about with heeling is to change the position of your hand. I think she is cueing from your hand and you want to be able to hold it freely, so put it behind your back for now and then start moving it freely, NOT clicking if she looks at the hand!
For side legs, the easiest is to use bigger and higher or angled object and get both side legs on (but of course just lifting the front one is good enough for a start!), jackpotting when they lift them at the same time, preferably even before touching the object as that makes it easier to fade it eventually. Also, some more work for the object to a bowl trick to make it more on purpose, at the beginning she is just throwing it around, not really going for the bowl. Feeding in that bowl helped a lot, though.
But hey, you definitely had lots done in just few days, very smart dog!
Silly question — anyone have any recommended cues for the sidways 2o2o? I’ve been wracking my brain but no luck so far. I try to use cues that have something to do with the trick so that it’s easier for me to remember them, and cues that involve the right side of his body or going to the right have an “i” in them (ie circle, tick, swing) and the ones for the left don’t (ie turn, tock, waltz). I thought of “balance” for lifting the left side but I’m stumped for the right.
What about ‘tip’ or ‘tippy’ or ’tilt’? 🙂
Ah, “tilt” sounds perfect! Thanks! 🙂
Not a silly question. I’m stumped too. I’d also like to know what cue people are using for the “pee” trick. I need to name it still.
i use left leg/right leg for the pee trick but why not call it “go pee”? You could shock some friend and family by telling him to “go pee” on the sofa and having him lift his leg against it 😀
in both right/left legs I use the finnish words for left legs/right les to avoid confusion and for front legs I just use the finnish word for paw and “the other” if I want the other. I do not think he undestands the concept of “the other”yet but he is pretty young still 🙂
It’s kind of funny, I already have cues that are English, Finnish and Sweadish. I guess thats the greatness of knowing many languages 🙂