School time for our puppies! Here is your first to-do list. The first task might sound a little silly for those with adult dogs, but in fact, it's never silly to make a recall even better!
Also, there are lots of tasks waiting for you in this class as I like to keep it interesting also for those dogs who already know some of the tricks. HOWEVER, make sure you're not focusing on teaching too much as fast as possible, to the degree of trying to help/lure - but instead take the time and focus on the fun part. In order not to make you feel under pressure, I will be underlining the tasks you should focus on in each lesson. The rest you can do if the underlined exercises are going well, but we don't need those for the next lesson, so it doesn't hurt if you address those later.
1. call your dog at least 10 times a day to do something fun together: to play, to go out, to get a treat, something to chew on or a new exciting toy
2. put a plate (or another object, but I like to start with a plate as puppies can't chew on those too easily) on a floor and shape a puppy to touch it with a front paw: you can first click for head movement in the right direction, then one/two/three steps, then stepping over it or close to it and finally for stepping on it
3. sit on a floor and put a fist full of treats or dog's favourite toy right in front of their nose, wait till they stop sniffing and click for anything they try other than getting directly to the food/toy or staring at it. It's very important the dog understands staring at food/toy doesn't get him anywhere as it will later on allow you to work with food/toys in your hand without distracting the dog's focus from the job at hand.
4. find a box or a drawer that is as long as your dog and not too high and shape a dog to put 1-2-3-4 legs into it. Then try with smaller&smaller objects, final goal is the dog can stand in a small bowl.
5. observe your puppy and see if he sometimes stretches his legs out when in down position, puppies often do that when relaxed or playing. Name it (I call it "frog":) and reward. It's a nice stretching exercise and very easy to get it on cue if the dog does it naturally (some dogs do it as adults too, but mine didn't and it was much harder to train it as with puppy Le who was doing that naturally). If not, put a dog in a down position and reward from the floor and so far ahead that the dog needs to stretch out to get it - but not so far that he would crawl ahead. Watch the hind legs and click for moving them back OR out, but NOT for crawling step forward. It usually helps if you try to get them stretch over a pillow as it reduces crawling.
Looking forward to see your videos! You can send them in one or more pieces, but keep the total length of the videos sent per lesson under 10min.
Hi,
We have started 2 tasks, Paws on Plate & Stop Staring.
Questions:
Paws on Plate -- how far do you want us to go? we currently have 2 paws on plate.
Do we name it?
Do we send to it?
Are we asking duration? (sometimes she will offer other stuff if I wait, usually a laydown on plate)
Or is it supposed to be a stationary task?
Stop Staring:
She is OK with this, however I have earlier taught her to focus ahead to a toy on the ground, so to use the toy and wait for her to not focus on it is sort of contradicting what I have taught her.
So we are using the food in hand. She is Ok but does offer me a wave,or a laydown once she looks away from food. Is this OK to C&T the other behaviors she is offering so long as it is looking away from the food?
thanks
Stacy & Tegan
ps, should I post my notes here, or at lesson 4 where the rest of the class are up to?
Take a peak into lesson 2 to see why we need a paw touch 🙂 Looks like she knows it well enough already, now name it and continue with lesson 2 paw touching tricks 🙂 -- See, you’re already catching up! It’s pretty easy with the dog who knows the concept already.
I want my dogs to focus on a toy on the floor too when I restrain or put them in stay and put it there. Still, I want them to be able to focus on me and do something even when their toy is in my hand as I always run agility with a toy in hand (to be in time with the rewards), but of course I don’t want them to stare at it or try to steal it. I also carry a toy behind their head when heeling to be able to reward in time and in the right position, but expect them to ignore it. And yes, of course offering behaviours in order to get that food is a good thing, you definitely want to reward that! All we want to achieve with this exercise is to teach them that food/toy is yours -- until you say she deserved it 🙂
Thankyou, Have printed out and will read Lesson 2 tonight in bed :o)
The Plate/target -- for task 3 -- what should I call it? Is it appropriate to call it “Touch” although that is what I thought I might be calling her 2020 behavior as I often hear handlers say “Go touch”
or with our 2020 lessons are we not giving it a word?
Sorry, not had to train contacts before, my little Paps just sprint through so this is all new to me and it seems so mixed with handlers over here in Aussie what they say and do.
Went to club to train my Paps tonight and did some Call your Dog task while she had distractions of:
sniffing, dogs running in course near by, my Papillon barking nonstop from the crate.
All went well, will do more tomorrow and post our video progress of Plate and Calls.
Stacy & the cutedogs
Very cool that the recalls are going so well!!! The tricks, you can call any way you want, you can also call a contact any way you want 🙂 But yes, if you go for “touch” for 2on2off, the that’s not a good cue for front feet target, you need another one! I call it “tap”, you could also simply call is “paw/s”.
Yes, Tap ! how perfect.
Call Your Dog --
here are some calls from last night and today.
The Club with distractions of Buddy my Pap barking non-stop from the crate, dogs running in course nearby and lots of smells from other dogs (we train at an off lead dog park).
At home distractions -- horses in the paddock next door and rabbit smells all over the yard.
I am very happy with her speedy returns to me
I have been doing a bit in the house but she tends to slip and slide too much on the floors.
Hope I get a “pass” on this one.
Plate/Perch foot “Tap”
Oooops, here’s the correct youtube code
Looks ready to start with perch work (lesson 2)! She is actually doing some really nice hind feet circling as she steps on it already, you definitely want to start clicking that now!
OK, am reading up notes today while at work and will start as soon as I have viewed the other class mates video’s from Lesson 2. This is such a great way to learn !
Yeap, I love those long-distance classes too, it works so great!
Stop Staring
Those head turns were too cute! You can take it further and teach her to say no! Good idea to take it further and put the food on the floor too!
Thanks, wasn’t sure about the food on the floor, just sort of did it out of interest to see what she did.
Call your Dog
Wow, really nice and FAST recalls! Very cool! Love her drive and speed!
Me too, very happy with the recalls myself also.
Hi,
We just got home from beginner-agility-training. It went well, apart from Mia running around and making a scene, because nobody wanted to play with her.
Here are where we are at with 4in and froggy legs.
Is next step a smaller bowl and froggy legs on cue and without a cushion?
:o) Mia&Lara
Great, I’m sure Mia will love agility! The tricks are going well too, you can name the frog now and then make a cushion lower, then maybe use a folded blanket, then flat blanket and finally nothing. The bowl you can make smaller yes and at this point, for both frog and 4in, you can reward in a position too to get more duration. I suggested throwing treats at the beginning to provoke more action from her part, but at this point, you can definitely reward in a position too.