Wow, it's your 5th lesson already! Here is your new list:
1. heeling: make the "glued to the leg" exercise more like heeling: still do different kind of turns, but also some normal forward walking in different speeds (slow, normal, fast) to teach them to adjust and keep the right position in every situation
2. figure 8 backward: tell the dog to go into heel position and start spinning as we were doing on the target, then very suddenly stop and step back with the other leg (if the dog is at left side - with right leg), you can also make a gesture with left hand to try to get them to keep circling below the heeling position, eventually all the way around your leg, so that they come backwards between your legs back into front position. If the dog insists on staying in heel position, you can help with the hand a little bit, lure his head out (left for 90 degrees if the dog is on left side) and say back to have them back up in your direction. Step back with the other leg enough to have them back up between your legs. Reward and tell them to heel on the other side (right) and repeat the process. As soon as you get some smoothness with that, stop rewarding for coming in between, always first tell them to come to the other leg and reward at your side in order to avoid having them back up too far - they need to stay very close to your legs all the time.
You can see the steps at 2:51 of this video:
3. skateboarding: try to find a skateboard (kids department) and reward for making it move with front feet. Don't reward 4on, but 2 or 3, the criteria is they make a skateboard move.
4. cik&cap: find a table leg, dog-food container, traffic cone or similar and shape the dog to go around it - first just a step, then two or three circles, both directions (you can reward both right from the start if you are getting it - if not, start with just one, but then on one session, don't reward that direction anymore but wait for the other)
5. fade the object for side legs: if the dog is already heaving both legs up at the same time, click&reward that before he even touches the object, so that he understands the idea is picking them up, not touching something. At the same time, try changing objects as much as possible. Going to vertical objects shouldn't be too difficult, then go to "empty" objects like a chair that looks like an object, but doesn't really offer much support, so at this point, the dog is already free-standing, the object is just there for mental support. Next step in table leg and then you don't need an object anymore. For free handstand, you go through the same process, only that it takes longer as it's physically more demanding - you can start working on it, but do not rush it, especially not with young puppies!
6. don't forget on recalls and playing, stays with distractions (you can combine it all in a really fun game), try the hug on a plastic bottle or something similar that is light enough for the dog to hold it and have them hold it independently, add more steps to backing up from you, tape the 4in the bowl trick again so that I can see to what size you managed to get: the smaller the better!
And most importantly: have fun!
Hello everybody,
Here is our Lesson 5 video -- I am pretty late with it this time as school just started again (for my job) and I’ve had extra preparations, etc. so not as much time as usual for puppy tricks 🙁 One of the captions is messed up, but we are making progress, and Cosi is still enthusiastic about it all 🙂 Any suggestions for improvement are very welcome -- Thanks!
What a great distance with back up! Too funny when you say sit and she just keeps backing up! Very cute bowl to bowl trick, I love how she helps herself with a paw! Almost there with a hug and side legs, slowly try to add duration now -- but it can take a while as it requires not only understanding, but also great balance and strength. Great job with cik&cap too! For multi-wraps, it’s better to reward her closer to an object though so try to throw her a toy at the base of an object, a little further in a circle as she is when you click. Great heeling too, try it outside sometimes too as you have more options to move outside.
Thank you for the suggestions, Silvia! We will use your advice for cik and cap reward (a toy will be good for us to start using as reward as Cosi LOVES food too much i think) and closer to base, make some video of outside heeling, and work on duration for hug and side legs. Its good to know that it can take some amount of time because of the strength that is needed to build… Thanks for the encouragement 🙂
I have been so unstructured about taping our training. When Penny comes and asks to work I always forget to bring out the camera. Will try to record something later today though 🙂
Until then here are a little outdoor tricks, some of them related to this class 🙂
Our version of cik/cap was taught in a different way (I restrained her very close to a tree told her to ‘go’ and then rewarded her just at the other side and then started sending her from further and further away) , as I didn’t know cik&cap until a couple of weeks ago 😉
I just tested this morning and she can actually do nice tight multiwraps as well, but I still want to go back and teach it your way, guess it’s a fun shaping game.
Great job! Very nice and coordinated back! For stays, you can slowly stop rewarding in a position and only reward by releasing her to a toy, to make it more challenging. For left&right, try with less help from a hand now. Great sends to cik&cap! But yes, definitely so some multi-wraps too to work on tightness.
Here are the tricks on the list for Lesson 5… Most are still a work in progress, but I think she has come a long way on several of them. She definitely likes circling the table leg a lot more! Silvia, let us know how to progress… 🙂
Great job with cik&cap, I like that she is offering both directions! Some very nice bending too! At this point, I would try clicking just once per circle and then rewarding that far towards the next circle that you would get it immediately, without walking off some first. As it’s hard to reach so far quickly enough, it would really help if you could toss a treat. Or she still doesn’t like it? Almost there with side legs! Great job with figure 8 backwards too. You can soon start clicking less, let her do a bigger part of a circle and only reward the hardest parts of the 8. What a confidence on a skate-board now! Heeling is getting better too, maybe time to try to reward with a toy, maybe she will be o.k. with jumping up for a toy? Getting there with a hug! You need to hold it very close to her yes to get a real hug and she can still stay in a sit up. Great 4 in! Great backing up the stairs!
Primarily I’m working on building strength for side legs, working on shaping Cik Cap, doing recalls, and working on backwards figure 8. We’re working on the skateboarding, but it’s pretty boring on video since I’m mostly working on getting her to move it with her feet which she’s good at now. But somehow in shaping her for moving it, I also shaped that she pushes it with her toes and steps off so the skateboard rolls but she’s not staying with it. My plan is to shape her to stand on it with more weight and get some duration then look for motion again. Is that the best way to go about it?
With Cik Cap, when I say the word as she comes around the circle once, she’ll go around again, but there’s not a lot of speed to it. That’s why I went outside and went to rewarding for even 3/4 of the way around the tree. How do I now combine those?
For backwards Figure 8, she wasn’t tight enough to my legs behind me going from R to L in order to get under my leg. So I worked on her going behind me while I stood with my back to a wall and got better tight backing first without my leg. I look forward to your comments on this technique.
Crazy-wild has been fun. I didn’t have room for it on this video, but we’re enjoying it.
Cool, multi-wraps are going really well now, I especially liked the session you do with a toy, that sure was enthusiastic! You can of course practice sends to cik&cap too, that’s another exercise I do (as two separate exercises) once they know it on verbal some. After the send, I usually either throw a toy or run to reward in the direction that makes them do a whole wrap: about what you do at 2:31, just that I move even further away to make them more in a hurry to wrap and catch up. While the major goal of multi-warps is tightness and the technique of wrapping/jumping efficiently, the goal of sends is speed, drive to and out of the turn, distance and commitment.
Anyway, almost there with side legs! Great stays and recalls too! And nice idea to use a wall to get closer backing up! I used that before, usually together with one leg back, all the way to the wall, so they have no other option as to come through. That might be the shortest way to smaller and smaller steps back, so you can as well turn the other way around and still use a wall. But well, she looks almost there that way or another 🙂 Great job!
Thank you Silvia. I will try that with the Figure 8 backwards (keeping my back to the wall as I teach it). I didn’t appreciate the sends and the cikcap as two exercises -- I get what you mean now. And as soon as I’m consistent on using “Cik” for counterclockwise and “Cap” for clockwise I think we’ll be in good shape!! 😉
Here’s a very short clip of Crazy Wild! My poor downstairs neighbors. It’s especially wild when the borzoi are in the apartment and they all do Crazy-Wild together!
Oh, that was sure crazy wild! 🙂 Too funny! And well, I teach cik&cap through many different exercises to address all aspects, first one is multi-wraps, the second is sends, then I start with sequencing etc. -- but that’s already Foundation topic 🙂
I can’t wait!
Ha! That sure reminds me of my Heidi! Just think if we got them together! Stacey
Oh, wouldn’t that be fun?!
Too cute :o)
Hi, here is where we are at the moment. We have only been training af little, as I started new job/education this month.
I feel a little overwhelmed by “glued to the leg/heeling” and “stay with distraction”. I do not know, how I teach Mia what to do.
The skateboard is fun, what do I do next?
Can we start training “figure 8 backward”, or do we wait until we can manage “heeling”?
We went to a dog show in late August, and it went well. However I struggled to make Mia stand correctly with front feet apart, hind feet back, and her head up, and failed with that. How do I teach Mia to stand correctly with shaping?
I have a problem with Mias temper. She barks at small children and big dogs. The instructors at our agility team seem to think that it’s good with her temper. My question is, how do I turn the temper of when we are out walking? At home she is the sweetest thing.
:o) Mia and Lara
To get glued to the leg, keep clicking for following your leg, first on a low target, then completely flat target and then without the target. It’s only when she can do it without the target that you can start figure 8 backwards too yes. For stays with distractions, the key is to add them very gradually. Tell her to down, do one step, come back to reward -- then add more steps, make them look more like running, then start weaving hands, then try weaving hands with a toy in them, then drop a toy, then throw a toy etc. -- the key is to add them gradually enough that she is staying, so you have something to reward: go back and reward after every distraction she passes. When that goes well, slowly lower the frequency of rewarding in a position so that eventually, a release is her reward for staying.
Getting there with side legs and bowl into bowl! To make bowl into bowl easier, you can reward her in the other bowl and slowly introduce a stricter criteria of what you are rewarding. The same with a hug: don’t reward every pawing anymore, wait for a paw to the side. For skateboard, don’t reward just touching it, wait some more and reward for staying on it as it moves. For cik&cap, try rewarding by tossing a treat at the base of an object further ahead into a circle to try to eventually get two in a row without her coming to you first.
I’m no expert for show dogs 🙂 but I guess you could teach her the position by simply shaping towards standing in the right position (clicking when she stands close to what you eventually want) or by paw targets or by actually putting her into the position and rewarding her for holding it.
Barking is hard to cure without addressing the reason for it… Sounds to me like she barks from fear, so I would try to make her feel more comfortable in a presence of children and big dogs. Maybe take her to the other fence of a kindergarden, stay at the distance she is comfortable with and then slowly bring her closer, playing or doing tricks to keep her busy and happy about being there. The key is to not push her for more as she is comfortable with. If she starts to bark, immediately turn around and take her away from a situation. Fears always take lots of time and patience, so don’t rush her into it.
Hi Silvia, thank you so much. I will do as you advice :o)
I’m not sure what you mean with “reward her in the other bowl”.
For how long can we get advice in this course?
;o) Lara & Mia
By rewarding in another bowl I mean that when you click for picking one bowl up, you can toss a treat in the other bowl as anticipation of a treat there will make it more likely she will be throwing the first bowl in the right direction. This class ends on 3rd October: after that it’s time for graduation videos and of course if you have a quick question, you can post it too, but officially, it ends 3rd October.
Thank you :o)
About all the new classes. In Foundation: how much space is needed as a minimum?
I think, we will take Puppy Class again and the new More Tricks, if you are not overbooked :o)
:o) Mia and Lara
For Foundation, there is not much space needed as we do everything with a tunnel and three jumps, so even a small garden is enough. See you in the future classes then! 🙂
The measures of our very small lawn is 5,3 x 5,3 x 5,1 x 5,4 meter. Would that do?
Huh, yes, that’s really small… You could do some of the exercises, but would need to take the jumps to the park or another place with more room for other exercises… The good thing is that those stick in the ground jumps are very easy to carry, so you could just take them with you on a walk and practise some on a way.
Hi Silvia,
I have been doing a cik&cap with Agassi going around the pole and the jump ends and returning to me. Do I need to also teach ther circle repeating as in the Cosi video? multi rap? I would send a video but I cant use the camera and do it as well and I often find it hard to get someone to help me.
Lyn
Yes, try the multiple wraps too. It’s great he can go around it already, we’ll need that too, but we need several fluent circles around it too, so do try it.
Hi everyone
So, we are doing a pathetic job of keeping up with this class 🙁 Oh well, gives us plenty to do in the coming winter! Three classes is obviously too much for us. I made a fab video update -- and then accidently wiped it. Only remains was the skating exercise.
I think it will take us a while to get brave at skating. It reminded me of another good confidence game for nervy dogs, and so I put a demo on here. You basically reward them for making as much noise as possible by knocking over things.
I would think that this is our last post for this class, which means we owe a big update on this work in the future -- with all exercises completed! We have been enjoying all your videos very much!, but we really need to spend more time on shaping tricks!
Good luck to everyone!
Nicole & Sen (facebook: Nicolen Bigi)
Hi Silvia and Class! Well, we are still way behind but keep on trying!
Can’t wait for your feedback! Have had some better heeling sessions but still don’t seem to have the glued to the leg like I do when they are on the perch? Should I back up again to the perch or keep on practicing? Do I have to get both legs together often before fading the equipment for side legs? Do you think we can try backwards figure 8 with our heeling like it is? Help! Thank you, Stacey
Think there is a problem with the way my video loaded -- it is racing thru the clips, will check and re post! Stacey
Hi Silvia!
Well, this is what I was trying to post. Anyone using a Flip -- don’t hit Magic Movie instead of full length or it just picks random clips! Sorry for the mess up!
Stacey,
I made the same choice with the Flip at one point -- what a disappointment, it’s not the kind of magic I hoped for!!
I love Rocket’s Hug! I’m still working on an independent hold with Echo. Not quite there yet…
I had the same challenge with weaning off of the perch with Echo. What worked for us was going to a flat perch (mouse pad is what I used) and then I’d step one step away from the pad and when she followed me, I’d C/T and move back to the perch. I slowly added more and more “time” (steps) away. I’d also pivot close enough to her that I’d be stepping on the perch and she’d have to step off to follow me and when she did I’d C/T. With Finn, he mostly just followed my leg, but with my little Terv it was a bit different and I had to be more creative.
Love seeing your Tervs.
Best,
Rachel
Thanks Rachel! I love watching your dogs too! Think of you as I am dealing with one dog that was never shape trained (Rocket) and a young one that is now getting shape training! It is fascinating to see the differences! Rocket gets so excited about the food and starts offering everything he knows and when that doesn’t work he looks for me to help him! If you notice, I have to wait and hide the treats behind my back and then he will start using his brain! Besides working to much this is another reason we are so behind! At least we haven’t given up! I forget where you are located! I am in Washington State! You?
Oh, I know exactly how that is (with Rocket) because it’s the same with Finn. He has a hard time thinking if he can see the food.
I’m in NC. My husband and I love the pacific Northwest. If we didn’t have almost all of our family members on the east coast, we would have chosen to settle in Washington state or Oregon.
And I think your kids are looking great. Loved the skateboarding… Echo’s still a bit worried about it, but we’re getting there!
Looks great! The heeling, I would still try to make it look more like the same exercise vs. taking the target away and starting with completely different moves right away. I would start on a (flat) target and then try to slowly circle away from it, but still behaving exactly the same, not helping with hands any more and mostly still doing the circling, then slowly adding side steps and some forward steps, returning to the target to start them there again if necessary. Once they master the circling without a target, you can also start backward figure 8. Great hug! Getting there with cik&cap! Great job with a skate-board too, definitely no fear with Rocket and some really nice pushing already! Heidi looks somewhat more careful, try rewarding her lower too. I think I would keep an object for side legs for a while, to get more simultaneous lifts and more duration, holding both feet up (even if they lean on the object some).
Thank you Silvia! I will try what you have suggested! I am proud that we backed up and started getting some side legs! Two questions-
I got the side legs by starting teaching the pee trick. I never got to the pee trick without the 2o2o pad I use. What is the best way to fade the equipment?
Should I keep practicing the sitting hug with Heidi or can I progress to the sit up hug! I am always nervous about moving ahead too fast! Thanks Stacey
Oh yeah -- I am determined to have the glued to the leg heel! Owners and their dogs just look like such a happy team when I watch your class videos!
To fade an object for pee trick or side legs or handstand, you always go to thinner objects first, like chair legs, then one pole , then a smaller pole etc. It’s usually easy once they can do it on variety of objects. You can of course try the hug in sit up too, it’s actually easier (if the dog has good sit up), so I don’t even see it as a progression, it’s just another variation, I like to teach both.