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 Everyone,
Here is 11 week old Gemini working her plate touch and ignoring my hand full of treats. She typically offers a nose touch to the ground to ignore my hand (she thought of that--I didn’t teach it), but today was different. Her attention span and focus are really improving. We play between all attempts but I cut those from my videos to save time.
She’s a really funny girl. Her play is really wild and bold, but I can see she really puts her thinking cap on when we are training.
Carrie
Hi Everyone,
Here’s Gemini working getting all 4 feet into a box. I now realize that my reward placement was making things more difficult especially as she worked the smaller box.
Carrie
LOVE your puppy!!! Of course I have an IG also. I know what you are saying about wild playing, but thoughtful when training. My little boy is the same way.
Thanks Johanna. Its good to know yours is the same. He looks like he’s so much fun — how old is he?
Great job with all the tricks! Did you try frog too? Great job with a plate and the box is going really well too, but I think you need to do the same as I wrote to Rachel: stop clicking for 1-2-3 before going to a smaller box, to make it really clear the 4in is what you’re going for. But hey, what a cute cute little puppy!
Thanks Silvia. I will do that. Yesterday she got 4 in the smaller box 3 of 4 attempts. I’ll back up and work her bigger box to help make it clear. She’s actually starting to dance around and leap at the box when I reach for it and bring it out.
Yes, I am a bit behind with the frog. I did begin it yesterday along with downsizing the plate to a dog food lid and moving it around, holding it in various positions ect. Her favorite game is chasing a green fuzzy and feathered toy attached to a lunge whip. I started using that in between sets and it’s amazing how much letting her go nuts for awhile helps her to focus for the training. She likes her other toys, but she’s nuts for that green one on the whip. — Carrie
Sounds great! And yes, chasing games are great, not only for jackpotting and prolonging their focus, it’s also a great preparation for agility. Everybody is obsessing over tugging, but personally, I think chasing is even way more important as tugging -- o.k., maybe not for schutzhund 🙂 -- but definitely for agility!)
Here is our second video for Lesson 1. My older dog, Rocket, wanted you to know he is making progress too! Stacey, Heidi & Rocket
Wow, what a smart girl! She looks ready for a smaller box! I’m impressed by how well you’re all doing with a frog, both classes before have had quite some problems! Great hot dog refusal too 🙂
Hotdog. LOL. I thought it was a carrot!!
Ha ha me too !
Hi Silvia. Just gone through the Puppy III section and Lesson 1 section but can’t find my comments or video i tried to upload last night. Did it upload, or have i put it in the wrong section??? I posted the url in this comments box -- was i supposed to do that? Very frustrating. I will post url again. Is there a way tosend a message or email if i’m doing everything wrong?
hhtpv://
I think all you need to change in the above link you posted is httpv:, NOT hhtpv -- just a typo I think 🙂
again another go regardting Inca. One day i will get this correct. Sorry to everyone for this hassle.
Not sure where your comment and video went, I also didn’t see it in comments feed… Anyway, your puppy looks perfectly focused for that whole session! I also see you were able to teach her 4in and plate trick really well, that’s great! To get her even more into the tricks, I would try with even more active play… Or maybe throwing a ball? Don’t make sessions any longer as the one you posted, but do play even more in between. If she will like chasing a ball, you can then also toss treats, many dogs that like chasing will find treats way more interesting that way. Great job so far!
thank you for your comments. I am going to get another ‘special’ squeaky toy for her that is only used when training. She does like the ball, but tends to go after it because my other dog goes after it. We already do the touching the hand, but i taught her to do a nose touch rather then a paw.
No problem, tugging is o.k., just make it even more active, I would also have her chase it more. Nose touch is good to have too, let’s try to hold a hand differently for a paw touch. You can offer the other side of the hand for a paw touch for example, to make it easier for her to differentiate which one you want.
Oh, how fun is this???? LOVE watching my baby girl figure out how to learn! We’ve only had just a couple of sessions with each exercise, but I wanted to post now, before we leave for Europe for 11 days! Lucky me…part of that time includes a visit with Silvia, but sadly, Grit will have to stay at home, and we will just have Smitty with us.
Looks like you’ll catch up in no time! What a smart girl! Loved her frog, especially dead frog version! 🙂 No problems with the plate trick, looks pretty much ready for a perch work! Getting there with a box trick, would probably be even easier to start with bigger and lower box. As soon as she knows you want all 4in, you’re ready for a smaller one! See you soon! 🙂
Haha, yes, she almost fell sideways off the bed! 🙂 I can’t believe how much she is already learning, and she seems to just love it. We are only shaping with kibble, so I think I can put the food motivation concerns to rest. 😉 I told her to study her lessons while I was gone so we can hit the ground running when I get back!! See you soon!
Yeah, I think those concerns come with every puppy… -- and go after few sessions. When they find out how much fun it is, they don’t care so much anymore what is for the reward 🙂 And she sure looks to love it! Have a nice travel!
Hi Silvia, I am caching up with all… know I have problems with the frog is really difficult, I am trying with Lily and she is always crawling. I tried with a pillow, in the grass, but she always crawls… do you think I should try with a big pillow, any other advice? Lily is 4 years old… and I never seen her doing the frog before. Thank you.
Yes, try a big pillow and put her in down so that her hind feet are on the floor and a pillow prevents her to pull the hind foot forward bending the knee as in crawling -- and only allows stretching. Click&reward for the smallest stretching thoughts 🙂 It can take a while before she understands she can do it.
Thank you Silvia I will do thay tonight and I let you know tomorrow how it went with Lily
Hi Silvia… is me again with the Frog, I give up!!!!!! it dosent matter how big or high are the pillows Lily keeps jumping o crawling no moving back her legs…. is really difficult… =(. For me is not frog is a rabbit =)
Another thing I was wondering when you teach tricks and once they learn them, do you repeat them ofen so they dont forget about them? With lily for example she knows to touch the paws, to enter in the bowl, to be in top of something, etc… every time I am having class with her I do the new trick and then the 5 tricks she knows. What do you think, is this the way to do it?
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!