And here comes your last list!
1. add duration and distractions to heeling – try it in different environments, reward a lot there, but apart from that, start adding more duration: reward every couple of steps with a small reward first, then do a really long distance and big jackpot for it – then a couple of steps for a small reward and long distance for a great reward again – vary it a lot for them to be able to see the pattern that the longer there is no reward, the better!
2. pick up the object to hug it – if the dog can already hold an object independently, put it on the floor and see if he can solve the problem and pick it up with a muzzle to get a hold of it with a paw
3. get a ball for kids, hold it with your feet so that it doesn’t move too much at first and click for front legs on – then release your feet a little bit so that it starts to move and the dog needs to balance on it. Now click for little steps on the ball, the final goal is the dog walking ahead with hind feet on the ground and front feet rolling the ball. Great for balance and coordination and for getting used to objects moving under the feet.
4. “sit up” to “stand up” and back and “down” to “sit up” and back – great for strength in the back, especially important for those who will be doing agility. Down to sit up and back should go easy, use a hand signal together with your verbal cues. First, reward even if the dog goes into sit for a second, but then try to get rid of it and go for direct transitions from one position to another. Sit up to stand up is easy too, you can use a lure for that one. Going back to sit up (without falling in sit first) is hard, so offer your hand as a support so that the dog can lean on it and then click for any knee bending until actually going into sit up. This is conditioning exercise, so you can help some more with lures if necessary, but as always – don’t do it so much that the dog would be sore after, you need to build muscle and balance gradually.
5. another great warming up exercise to stretch the dog before the run: spins to left&right and figure 8 forward. I teach it with a nose touch, putting a hand for a nose touch on the right spot (somewhere at the dog’s hip) to get a spin, then getting more&more spins in the same direction in a row, fading the hand and putting it on verbal cue left &right – very useful also on a course! I also do figure 8 forward with a nose touch, putting a hand so that the dog comes between the legs, rewarding at the side and then again the other direction. Fade the hand then into hand signal and then completely, using just a verbal cue. I simply use cik&cap.
And yes, sure, that nose targeting is almost as luring and if you wanted, you can also shape it instead. I will sometimes lure as sometimes, it is the easiest way to the goal. I never lure at the very beginning stages as I want a puppy to understand the concept of shaping first because many things simply can’t be taught by luring, so at one point, you need a dog who will offer behaviors. If you always help with easy tricks and then count on simply going to shaping when needed, you’ll get in trouble. But I don’t have a problem with going the other way around: first only shape, but later on do some luring or targeting when teaching something like figure 8, spins or sit up to stand up.
6. limping: click for one paw in the air (front or rear, whatever you prefer), add a little bit duration and then start clicking for any movements or weight shift of other 3 legs. Shape towards a real step and slowly add more&more to get limping on front/rear foot.
You again have 2 weeks to work on those exercises and post videos to comment and suggestions for improvements. Then, I will open a new, "graduation page" and this will be your very last assignment: making a video of everything you learned in this class – without training sessions as such, but finished version of tricks, some breakthrough moments, some playing, city walking and everything else you did with your dog for this class (using what you already taped or taping some more). Those videos will be your graduation work, you will get a “LoLaBuLand puppy class graduate” certificate and as a gift, a download link to a training DVD of your choice (see the training videos website to choose one). Auditors are more than welcome to post graduation videos too!
I hope to see many of you also in Foundations, starting 17th of October! And mid-November, "More Tricks" class will be starting too!
Here’s my first video for lesson 6. I’m very pleased with Echo’s increasing enthusiasm in these games. Our challenges are these:
Backwards figure 8 -- that tight turn at my leg to head back the other way -- as you can see, going from my right leg to my left leg is the challenge -- she wants to collect the treat as she finishes backing through and I’m trying to use that moment to lure her around to set her up for the next step. Is this the best way to go about this?
Spin, Twist, Weave-Legs -- I’m pretty happy with how these are proceeding, but welcome any advice you might have.
Heeling -- I’m slowly adding duration as we had trouble with being glued to my legs as first. I’m pleased with her moving with me now, but I’m looking for a really tight glued-to-me as one of my goals is competition obedience. Should I start to add duration now or get an even tighter position first?
Rabbit (Sit Pretty)-Stand is going well but I’m finding it hard to get her to fold her legs back to sit pretty. Any advice?
Thanks, as always!
Rachel
Very cute spinning! Try two or three in a row now before rewarding, it challenges their coordination some. Nice figure 8s too, also backward one got really good, it’s only coming to your right leg that still need some work. Did you try to simply use your right leg heel verbal cue? Maybe you could even use a target for that side? OR stand in a corner so that she can’t move so far away? The luring thing doesn’t make much sense to her. Very nice sit up to stand up and sit up to down -- some more practice needed for down to sit up. Stand up to sit up is the hardest, you can try asking her for a stand up , but then immediately change your mind and tell her to sit up again: before she stands up all the way, just so that she raises some and sits back down. The hard part is to catch them fast enough, but it’s much easier for them to sit back down when their legs are still folded some -- and once they get the idea, it’s very easy to progress from there. If you can’t catch her in the good moment, try to just continue like this and click for any attempts at folding -- they do get it eventually. Very nice happy heeling too, but yes, I definitely like to spend some more time on precision before focusing on duration, especially with such a young dog. Great job with all the tricks, she sure is a fast learner!
OK I tried multi-spins and twists -- nice! She did very well and the next rep she offered two spins in a row when I didn’t click the first. Gosh, I’m crazy about this dog. I can’t believe how much she’s changed in the last 3 months we’ve been taking this course. She’s getting things quicker and quicker.
I also did the backwards figure 8 with my right leg near a corner -- THAT worked great. She looked a bit startled, but she curled into my leg much better. We’ll work on that for a while and see how it goes.
I will work on your idea for the stand to sit pretty -- I’m going to have to be REALLY quick. We’ll see if I’m up to it with Echo. Might have to practice with the zois first!!
Thank you, Silvia. This class has been so great, I’m sad it’s almost over.
R.
Cutie pie missy E!! She seems more and more enthusiastic, lovely 🙂
What fun to watch! Great job! Gives me incentive to keep at it! Stacey, Rocket and Heidi
Hello silvia,
Ayoka loves the ‘pee’Trick, but she still wants to stay near an Object with hind legs. She can do it now about 2 steps away from the object.
How can I add duration for the limping trick? Just trie to feed her twice and look that she holds the hind leg a little bit longer?
And she always wants to go backwards with the pee’trick’. It is hard to get a forward movement from her for a limping trick. Should I better learn her to lift a front feed and than limping with front feet high?
I actually am having the same problems with Cosi. I try to move her away from an object for side legs and she will move back to the nearest object before she will do side legs… I don’t think she feels confident she can balance that way… should we just keep working and she will eventually be able to balance with confidence and time… Also, same limping question as Sandra -- COsi will do a right front “limp”, but when I try to have her take a step and then limp again she runs over to do some side legs -- LOL …its funny, but not correct 🙂 Any ideas to fix this?
Many thanks Silvia!
Try to make objects smaller vs. moving her away from an object. For limping, train for duration with one leg lift first and then start to click for movements of other feet while one leg is still in the air. It can look somewhat similar to side legs at the beginning, but I’m sure she will get it soon.
To fade the object, I find it easier to make objects smaller as to take the dog further 🙂 Meaning that when she can do it on a thin pole, make it smaller&smaller, eventually just put something like a lighter of the floor, then a little leaf or something… -- just to make her see she can do it like that too. And yes, to add duration to holding a leg in the air, click&reward as quickly as it goes the whole time she holds it up. Stop when she puts it down. When she understands she needs to keep it in the air to keep treats coming, lower the “reward speed” and also start looking for other legs to move to jackpot it. Then, stop clicking for just holding it up in the air and only click for movement of other legs: even backward is o.k. to start with.
OK -- Thank you so much, this advice is really helpful for us… We will follow the steps you suggested 🙂
Thanks Silvia,
I think making the target smaller may bee very helpfull. For the limping we will need lots more time, but with your advice I think we will get it!
Yesterday I had a Show in an other Shelter with my students. It was such a great performance and many peaple have been interested in our work with the dogs after it. If somebody likes to see some pictures , you can follow this link 😉
httpv://hunde.anamcara-tiere.de/bilder/fotoalbum/DogDance%20Hamlar%20Sept2011/fotoalbum.html
http://hunde.anamcara-tiere.de/bilder/fotoalbum/DogDance%20Hamlar%20Sept2011/fotoalbum.html
Yes, limping can take a while. I actually got it real fast with PyrSheps, but it took quite long for my BCs to get it. Great photos of happy dogs!
Hi,
Heeling: We have lowered the target, and I’m trying to teach her to heel without the target. We haven’t learned to heel to the other side. So we will work on that next week. Any other suggestions?
Hug: How do we move on from here?
Sit-up: I find it difficult to teach her to sit up by herself without her leaning on me. What is our next step? When she is trying to stand up, should I go with it and reward her?
Spins: You can see the shadow of my arm that I’m showing her, what way to spin. Is that allright, or is it better to shape it?
Mia & Lara
Heeling is going well, just pay attention to her position, she is sometimes too much in front (her paws should be where your heels are, not toes). Keep circling away from the target and add more&more side, forward and backward steps too. The hug, I prefer to teach on a pole as it’s more independent from how you hold it and you can see better if she is just pawing it or goes to the side some: I would only click for gong to the side now and then shape for more of a hug. To get rid of leaning in sit up position, stand up so that you can bring the hand from up down and she can’t catch it with front feet. I would first teach her to sit up on her own, before rewarding any standing up, as you will otherwise get too much standing up as you try to fade a hand and keep it higher… For spins, you can show some for now, but try to show less and less. You should also try several spins in a row -- and show less every next one. Great ball rolling and skate boarding!!!
Hi Silvia! What is the best way to get a stand up? Maybe I worked too hard on teaching Heidi not to jump on me -- anyway do you lure, use a toy, or? Thanks, Stacey
Sure, you can use a lure: a toy or food, whatever you think will work better.
Hi Silvia,
here is Els with some questions about the training from Revi 🙂 First of all, Rebekka wanted to know how you teach your dog to jump on the bottom of your shoes when you lay down and put your legs in the air…she loves this trick very very much and wants to teach it to Revi and Pipa…
During agilitytraining, Revi has very much handler focus and passion and so she often bites Rebekka in the hand or leg from excitement. How to solve this ? For example when Rebekka sends her to an obstacle, it happens that Revi takes her hand in stead of running to the obstacle. We do nothing, just try to send her again until she does and then reward. Are there other things we can do ?
Rebekka is busy with the new lesson and we taped already some things..she still has to make to “pasted” video to send it..it will come soon..
Thanks !
Els
Hi Els!
I first teach jumping on other smallish and somewhat shaky objects… I used a variety of different small objects to give them confidence -- first low, then tall. Once they were fine with my bar chairs that are shaky and about as tall as my legs when stretched out, I tried jumping on somebody’s feet, but first so that the person was lying on his belly, so that the height was lower (only from the knee to heels). When they were fine with that, I tried with a person on his back and higher feet and once they were o.k. with that too, we switched so that I was on my back and another person was helping first to reward in a position and give them confidence and then we faded the second person.
For biting, I just ignore or, if it hurts, I do say “au” and stop for a moment. But usually, it means the dog doesn’t have enough information where to go next… -- OR enough motivation to go forward… I think rewarding with a thrown ball would really help with that… -- If she can fetch the ball for a treat by now?
thanks, Silvia, for your advice and telling how to teach the jumping on your feet. We will start with that as Rebekka would love it and I think Revi also !
With the biting, I think she has the information soon enough, as she looks to the obstacle but chooses not to take it and starts “snepping”. We ignore it, as I think also this will fade away with experience. Rebekka now focusses on the tricks for the puppy class and as school started again, she doesn’t have the time to do so many things…Revi already takes toys for a treat, but not run after and bring back, that will be the next step 🙂
Thanks again !!
Els
Yeap, I think the ball will really help. For now, just try to not reinforce the biting, freeze to not make it any more fun and calmly send again.
Hi Sylvia,
Lovely course and lovely videos to watch, everyone is doing such lovely stuff!
I am auditing only, I think I’m allowed to ask a question -- if not, then please delete it.
I was wondering how much time you allow a new puppy or growing adolescent to spend playing with your other dogs? I have four dogs, three grown up girls one of whom is a bit guardy and the others are not too keen on pups either, and the only way I could get them to be happy about my new puppy (he’s now 21 weeks old and such a lovely character) was to have supervised free play with him outside, first one at a time then two (one is 14 years old and she doesn’t like playing).
I worry that he’ll be too fixated on other dogs, so I do lots of play/training with him on his own as well as having them all in a group doing things to earn rewards. He meets lots of other dogs and people and is pretty crazy for them all, but should I restrict his access now to my dogs to get him more centred on working with me? He is happy to spend time in a crate but really, I want to have a happy group of dogs who can play together too as well as work well with me. I would love to know what you do about this.
Thanks, Caroline
Sure, I think playing and spending time together with the whole gang is an important part of puppy’s life and I actually don’t limit it in any way. I let my puppies play with my other dogs as much as they want -- but I also make sure they have many opportunities to see how happy adult dogs are to finish the play and come play with me when called 🙂 I will sometimes put them in a crate, when I really think they need to rest (or the adult dogs need a rest 🙂 ) -- but never to limit their options to have fun. I want them to choose working with me because they love it more as anything else -- NOT because they wouldn’t know anything else -- I don’t think that would be fair to them. All my friends raise their puppies like this (crates are not very popular here) and I never saw a problem, I only saw problems with pet dogs who don’t get any individual attention, don’t do anything fun with their owners and their only amusement are other dogs… -- That of course is calling for trouble. But nothing to worry about in your case I think 🙂
Thanks Sylvia,
I love watching the wonderful relationship you have with your dogs. Thanks for your answer: now I won’t feel guilty when I watch my dogs playing!
Caroline
No need to feel guilty! I actually think that the dogs who live with other dogs value play with other dogs even less as those with limited access to other dogs -- provided of course that the handler does fun stuff with them too!
I look forward to working on these lessons in a couple of months . Unfortunately Biz , my 6 month old BC has OCD and is having surgery today . I expect a full recovery . Thanks for a great class Silvia and I will send video when Biz is better .
Michelle
Sooo sorry to hear about Biz’s OCD… Eva told me he is limping so we were afraid of this… I hope he is back to tricks soon! Send me a mail then and I’ll give you an access to October Puppy class so that you can finish this class with October group.
Hi Silvia,
Here is our 1st video for Lesson 6. My goodness, these tricks get harder! And some of the “progressions” don’t feel like much progress. Please let me know if you have ideas for how to move these along! 🙂
Here are my thoughts/questions on this submission:
1) Heeling: Perhaps we just need to get outside where we have more space? I’d like to see more enthusiasm and drive for this exercise. Suggestions?
2) Front feet on ball: I had a hard time thinking of ways to make it “a little bit” wobbly. Silvia, how do you introduce this one?
3) Beg to stand: I thought she did this pretty well, and I’m guessing it will take a bit more strength to be able to go back to sitting. Any other suggestions?
4) Weaving thru legs/Spins: She just started these. What would you do next?
5) Limping: I’m starting to get some back foot movement. Do you think it’s just a little time before she “hops”? Anything you do in particular to give them the idea? I tried holding the front paw and clicking the “hop”, but I’m not sure how successful that was.
6) Hugging her toy: Any tips for getting her to hold it herself? She’s getting really good at grabbing it!
Yeap, the heeling definitely needs more enthusiasm… Try outside and make it really active, changing speeds and directions all the time: most dogs prefer it over just plain walking. If possible, try to do it after some playing and try to reward it with a play, that would give you more energetic performance too. Mix in some spinning and other active, happy tricks.
I think she just needs to find her balance on that ball. Maybe you could limit its motion some by putting it in a bowl or a box that would allow it to spin so that you can practice walking on it, but won’t roll away under her feet? Don’t know if you saw my answer ta Rachel, but the easiest way to get sit up from a stand up is to lure a dog from sit up a little bit up, but then immediately change your mind and tell her to sit up again: so that she lifts a little bit up, but as little as possible -- not so much her knees would stretch out. It’s hard to catch the moment, but if you do, it’s very easy to get them to sit up again and once they get the idea it’s easy for them to do it from real stand up too.
Spinning and figure 8 are going great, slowly fade a nose target into a hand signal and then replace it with just a verbal. For limping, it takes a while before they try to hop, but once you get enough hind feet motion, she will once need to move front foot too to correct the balance and then you can jackpot it. But I think you need more hind feet movements first. Great duration with sit up! -- But I think it would still be easier to teach an independent hug in sit position so that you don’t have to deal with two things at the time. Once she can do it with one leg, she will be able to do with two too. I first go for duration, then for firmness and once you feel she is really holding it, you can try releasing it.
I will try more this weekend and see how it goes, but it seems that when I move faster, then I lose her??
Try… If not working, you can for a while actually use a lure (a treat on your hip) to keep her in the right position and her head up. She seems to think it’s about wrapping her neck around somehow, so getting the right head position would be the most important I think.
OK, we did some heeling outside of our hotel tonight. I “cheated” and mixed in some high value treats from Austin’s trial stash, and I mostly rewarded head up/eye contact. It started off a little rough, but I’m thrilled to report that she actually did some pretty animated heeling! I kinda let go of position/closeness (funny, she actually wants to be far away, maybe drifting into a little outrun), but overall it went well. The best part, was I think she was really having fun!
I’m afraid our car anxiety issues are bleeding over a bit into our “new environment” training. She is getting more and more likely to refuse kibbles, and I can’t tell if she is anxious or nauseated or just not hungry/distracted. She does seem to get better as she acclimates to a new place, and eventually is able to eat kibbles, but it certainly takes longer than it used to.
I do find that she much prefers to eat in the evening rather than morning. Does anyone else see this? I’ve never had a “time of day” preference with any of my other pups.
Great for heeling! You can always fix the position later, I think fun part is the most important part to work on right now. So she is happy with kibble at home but after a car ride refuses to eat kibble -- also after a car ride home -- so it’s connected to car ride and not new environment? But takes better things? I think it’s o.k. to use better treats in new environments -- I think that once she gets used to new environments, she will be happy to work for kibbles there too, so I think it’s o.k. to use something better for now. But if she is not feeling well after a car ride, then maybe working with her is not the best idea anyway… Hm.
We had a similar session tonight, but she added occasionally jumping up, which I took to be a good sign. 🙂
As for refusing kibble….I’m still figuring it out, but it seems if she is stressed or distracted in any way, she refuses kibble. And honestly, it doesn’t take a lot of stress for her to refuse all food.
She happily eats kibble at home (or in the hotel room, for example). Hmmm, at home right after a car ride? Probably not. Right after a car ride, she is suspicious that we will go for another again soon, so it takes a while for her to relax. Definitely when she relaxes, she can eat kibble anywhere. She was funny yesterday…she would offer a behavior, for example 4 feet in a bowl, but then wouldn’t take the reward.
I really don’t think it’s about not feeling well, exactly, just feeling very anxious. I am finding that as her toy drive increases, this is something easier to do at 1st, and it helps to relax her so that we can then do some things with food.
Yeap, toy drive can do wonders, so it would be my priority to get that! I’m sure anxiety after car drives will get away soon… I think it’s still better as anxiety about new environments as such!
Grit gets serious cuteness points for that sit up to stand!
Hi Silvia and classmates,
I enjoy all of your videos so much and learn a ton from them, it really amazes my to see how smart all of your puppies are (well you’re all smart too obviously).
We seem to be haunted by unfortunate events though. Early in class Penny dislocated her shoulder and today I just got a call from our vet, confirming her suspicions. Penny got diagnosed with an ulcer caused by the bacteria Helicobactor Pylori, which is now to be treated.
The vet first thought she had canine addisons as she for the past months in periods has been very lethargic and almost depressed and most of the time wouldn’t eat. She started to loose weight as well 🙁 She would sometimes train with me with a toy, but I quickly lost her when training with food (now I know why, it must have hurt 🙁 ). Some days she seemed just fine (as in our video from last week outside) and other days she was so ‘down’ I could hardly recognize her. The first vet and many people told me it was just hormones or growing, but I just knew something was wrong and went to another vet who took me seriously. After a zillion blood tests and a ‘look in the stomach with a tiny camera’ (sorry don’t know what the surgery is called in English), could finally come with a diagnose: An ulcer, no wonder she tried to avoid to eat.
I’m so happy as I just KNEW something was wrong (she had lost that crazy fire in her eyes most of the time) and that she can finally get treated, but at the same time it just makes me so sad that she’s been in pain for so long, poor baby.
Sorry, just had to share with someone who’d get me. Looking forward to get my happy, crazy puppy back and to get as good with all of the cool tricks as the rest of you. Hope we can manage to catch up somehow or maybe we will repeat puppy class.
But thanks to all of you for being an inspiration and for sharing!
Hugs Emily and Penny
Hello Emily,
I’m Els, the mother of Rebekka and stephmother of Revi 🙂
I’m so sorry to hear about what happened with Penny….but I react because I have one dog who had an ulcer too and she recovered very very well. She is a bearded collie from now 13,5 years young and when she was about 12 she started to refuse food more and more. But as she was always, since her puppyhood, a bad eater (she prefered playing and barking), I was not alarmed in the beginning. Until one day she started to vomit blood…so the ulcer was perforating the stomac. An urgent surgery was needed, she was already 12,5 at that moment. Maybe “old”, but not for this dog who loves to live, play and walk….the recovery was very difficult the first ten days, but after it went very well. So I can imagine what you are going trough and it’s just fantastic that you discovered the problem soon enough !!
I wish you a lot of strength and hugs for Penny ! I hope she will be soon the old one !!
Els
Hi Els,
Thank you so much, that’s very comforting to know!!
Hugs Emily
Oh, sooo sorry to hear about Penny’s stomach problems! It’s really good you found it out in time. La got very bad ulcer (never had a stomach problem before!) when we were on vacations on Corsica and they set wrong diagnosis, treated her wrongly and it ended with a perforation and she almost died before we were able to get to Slovenia to get the right diagnosis and operate. So right diagnosis is definitely the most important part, I’m sure she will feel better soon now. So she is on antibiotics and anti-acid drugs now? Can you already see improvements?
Thanks! And poor little La, she’s a fighter for sure!
Just started Penny on the treatment of anti-acids and two different antibiotics yesterday afternoon. She’s going to have it for 3 weeks + a special diet, hopefully I’ll see some improvement soon, but some of the side effects of the drugs are nausea and lack of appetite, so I guess I won’t know for sure before she’s done with the treatment. She ate all of her dinner last night though (for the first time in weeks), so I’m full of hope 🙂
I hope she will handle antibiotics well and will be back to normal soon! It’s sure comforting to know what’s wrong and you can now help her!
Hey Emily,
I hope Penny is on the mend. How is she feeling? Did they rule out Addison’s too? Sure sounds like she’s been a sick puppy! I look forward to seeing her wild and happy self on videos again soon.
Rachel
Hi Rachel,
She’s ok now, but to early in the treatment to really tell. She had almost every symptom of Addison’s but her ACTH stim test fortunately showed that her adrenal glands worked just fine. All of her blood work was fine as well (no tick diseases or other infections). Then the vet thought it might be pain caused by growth (don’t know the exact term in English), but pain killers didn’t help and she had no signs of OCD + it didn’t explain her bouts of diarrhea and vomiting. After a lot of other possible diagnoses we finally got here. Spend more time at the vets than in puppy class/doing tricks 🙁
Hopefully that’ll be the other way around now 🙂
Dogs usually respond really quickly to the helicobacter treatments. Ulcers really suck, but man when they get treated you have a diffferent dog. Sounds as though she’s already doing better. I’m glad the ACTH stim was normal. and yeah, panosteitis doesn’t cause vomiting and diarrhea. Did they pretty much rule out bone pain?
Poor dear Penny. Not much fun for her… thank goodness she’s a resilient girl. And smart enough to catch up really quickly!