As you did such a great job with your first homework, you're getting some more this time 🙂 I again marked the ones to focus on first. Post wherever you end up, we learn the most through problems, so you want to post those too! 🙂 So try to view other students' videos and my comments to them too!
1. experiment with different toys and ways to play with your dog. Tape his favourite game to give some new ideas to other participants (and me!!!). From my dogs, Le LOVES to chase things on a string, especially squeaky toys, plastic bags and everything else that makes sound! La hates squeaky toys, but goes crazy for real fur and ladder. Bi loves tugging - on anything BUT real fur, she finds it really gross and won't touch it. - Not that I would be trying in that direction either, only extra durable toys can handle her bite! Bu doesn't care so much about what toy we use, but she definitely wants ME involved: running and making silly noises. She also loves when she has a toy and I'm pretending I want to steal it from her, but am afraid to do so.
2. instead of a plate, find something a little higher this time to give them a better feeling of where to keep their front legs, click first for two front feet on an object (should be easy, you want the same thing as on a plate) and then observe hind legs and click for ANY movement (even just a weight shift) and then shape from there for more&more steps around the object. I first click both directions and once I get half of a circle in both directions, start clicking one direction only and reward with a head away from me in order to get a full circle - turning the head away from you in the hardest part, that's why you want to reward with head away at this point. The final goal are full circles in both directions, with you static (don't help the dog to circle with your movement!) - I think those that have my heeling video can already do that exercise, though 🙂
3. take the plate and hold it in different positions to see if the dog understands it's the same thing even when you hold it higher, under the angle, even vertical, to his left/right etc. Try when he is standing, sitting and lying down. If you didn't name touching an object with a paw, it's time to do it now! Also, try to change objects for this exercise, sometimes also use a hand as a paw target. Once he can do all that, you're ready for next two tricks we will get out of the paw touch:
- crossing paws: tell the puppy to down (or shape it if he doesn't know it yet), then hold the plate (or, you can use another, smaller and more convenient object, like a plastic lid or a piece of paper) close to the left paw and only reward touching it with left paw. Then hold it closer and closer to right paw, still only reward left paw touches, then hold it on right paw and eventually on the other side, jackpoting the touches of left paw on a right paw now in order to eventually get rid of a target.
- sit up: tell the puppy to sit (or shape it if he doesn't know it yet), then put the plate (or just use the hand if he will recognize that as a target) low enough first that he can reach it with a paw, but then every next time, hold it a little higher - not that high that he would stand up, but high enough that the other leg leaves the ground a little bit too. Jackpot. AGAIN, don't do too much of this exercise, it's great for building muscle, but it can also make them sore if you do too many repetitions every day!
4. observe your puppy and try to find situations when he would back up - it usually happens when they're moving out of your way - or sometimes when you're working on ignoring the food in the hand. You can try to sit down on the floor with treats in your hand and click first step back with hind foot. Don't wait for more than one as they usually sit down then. Click&reward the first step and reward by throwing a treat towards the dog. Rewarding at distance (by tossing a treat instead of giving it from your hand) will help you add more&more steps and more&more distance from you. At one point, switch to rewarding with a toy, it's easier to throw.
5. 2on2off - find an object big enough for the dog to go on with all 4 feet easily - maybe just put your first 4in object upside down? - Click for 2-3 legs on and then don't click the fourth one, you don't want any duration standing there! Only click again when the dog is leaving the object, try to catch him with 2 front feet on the ground and deliver the treat while he is still in this position. You want them go on an object and off immediately, stopping with front feet on the ground. Click&reward several times for a position, then say "go"/"o.k."/"free"/whatever your release word will be and throw a treat away so that he needs to leave the position to get it and click for leaving an object too. Do this enough times that the dog starts to expect the thrown treat after "go", so that then you don't need to throw it in advance, but only after he leaves the position on "go". Do not help with body language that you want him to leave after "go" - if he doesn't know it yet, go back to throwing a treat and progress more slowly.
Last call for 
Some more progress on pivoting -- she now occasionally turns the head away from me, but mostly, I only get full circles, when I reward behind her. I guess it is more the movement of my hand delivering the treat that makes her turn further…
The video is on 1.5x speed as I think you can still see what happens. At the end, there is her first full turn without me doing anything, only rewarding after it.
Should I now click only one side or continue both until I get more full circles in both directions?
Bisous has one direction she likes better -- turning counterclockwise seems to be easier for her, no idea why. Is it the same with all the other dogs here?
Great!!! That was real fast to get full circles, great job! As you are getting so much of both directions, you can keep clicking both, always marking the moment she turns away from you. It’s normal she prefers one direction, they have one lead leg so one direction is easier. If you’ll be getting just her favourite direction, stop clicking it for a session or two to work on the other direction more, but you’re getting really good movement in both directions already, very cool!
Yes, I just did a short repetition with her dinner and she offers full circles only counterclockwise. I will work on the other direction first…
Shall I put it on cue? Different ones for each direction?
You can name it yes, but yes, you need two different cues. Being a lazy training myself, I don’t really name this phase, but you can of course do it.
Silvia, do you have any suggestions for this cues?
Hm… Maybe left&right in another language? Gauche and droit in French or destra and sinistra in Italian?
A note to let you know I have been without power, internet and phone for nearly a week here after our October surprise snow storm. Just when I was trying to get caught up, I came down with a bad virus keeping in bed for a few days. Sigh! Hope to post some video of Levi soon.
Oh, crazy, a week without power! I hope things go to normal now and we can see Levi soon -- just post whatever you have, you can finish the tricks later!
Hi Silvia, this is a video with 2 trick for this lesson homework, I´m getting circles to the left and beggining with a quarter of circle to the right, also we are doing 2on2off and few repetitions of the tricks from last week.
Astro loves to tug and chase the ball but he is not retrieving very good, I have to video tape him 🙂
Thanks
Wow, full circle already! Great job! Astro is so handsome! I love his confirmation. How old is he?
I’m also having problems with retrieving. 🙂 Zephyr will go get whatever I throw & then run away with it, looking so proud of himself 🙂 I’ve tried tugging with him then letting go & taking a step away & encouraging him to follow but he’s having none of it… 🙂 He just wants to run the other way. Do you have anymore suggestions, Silvia?
Thanks!
How about two toys: try throwing one, then showing him another and running away with it -- would he come after you to get the other toy? The third option would be to teach it as a tricks, with treats and not that exciting object that he would take it away (maybe a spoon or something similar that he can’t chew on it), put it on verbal cue to bring it to your hand, then try it with more exciting objects and finally toys.
Thanks Silvia, I have tried with 2 toys, he sometimes is coming back very happy, but some times is running away very happy too 🙂
Thanks, Silvia. We did try 2 toys & he has no trouble coming back to me but he drops the other toy way before he gets to me. 🙁 So maybe teaching it as a trick will help. I’ll give it a try.
Thanks!
You can actually do all that was suggested… Running around with him when both holding a toy, a bathroom play :), teaching it as a trick and two toys. Coming back to you, even with a toy, is actually not bad at all, you can reward with the second toy, run to the first one, reward him with that one etc. Le was also dropping her toys as soon as he saw the new one at first, but then started to deliver them closer&closer to me 🙂 The important thing is that he sees that after getting a toy, there are more exciting options as taking the toy away to play with it on his own.
I start my puppies in a hallway and use a toy they really like to tug with. At first I’m only a few feet away from the end of the hallway (all doors are closed so pup can’t really go anywhere but down the hallway). I use a longish toy the pup loves to tug with and toss it down the hallway. I’m usually close enough to grab the end of the toy and start tugging. I slowly move further down the hallway, calling the pup to me once he/she gets the toy for a great game of tug. If the pup ignores me, I go grab the toy and tug while pulling the pup towards me. Usually in just one session they are taking at least a couple of steps in my direction. Then I keep adding distance.
After that I might go to another room, in a corner so the pup has a bit more room but still can’t really get away from me. Again I gradually increase our space.
When I first take it outside, I do it in a corner of the yard again, and use a long toy so I can easily grab it if the the doesn’t come. If the pup does come I might grab the end and run a bit with the pup chasing me while holding the end of the toy.
It has happened on occasion where a pup has gotten away with the toy and won’t come back. I say nothing. I just walk away, go back into the house and start playing with another dog, right by the door, making a LOT of noise so the pup can see me. The pup is alll alone outside with nobody to play with and can see me through the patio windows having fun with another dog. Then I go outside and try again.
I end up with great retrievers :-). Hope this helps.
Thank you 🙂
Cool, I never tried a hallway, but I do lots of running around with both me and the pup holding a toy, that’s a very good idea that I forgot to mention, so thanks! It teaches them running after me with a toy is way more fun as taking it away to chew on.
Thanks, Louise! Now I just have to find a hallway to use 🙂
Or use the bathroom, or any room where your dog can’t get away from you. They like to run around with their prizes so set him up so that any running he does is towards you 🙂
Hi Kathy, Astro is 5 months old, he is very sweet, I had never had a male, I was afraid about educating a male dog, untill now I`m very happy with him:)
Great job with pivoting!!! Nice 2on2off too! Try doing it in both directions (also to your left, not only to your right) so that he stops in a position on that box every time he passes it. Make sure you use a release word every time when you want him to leave the position.
Silvia,
I have three short training session clips here in the video below. Can you help me with some answers to questions/additional feedback please?
1) Hind end rotation
Hurrah, my dog can go in both directions now. He can offer both directions. I wanted to have some sort of cue for it so for now the placement of my clicker hand either to the right or left of his head is what I am using to indicate which direction to rotate. Do you think that is ok? He can offer either direction without my hand in the air but wanted to have some sort of easy cue for now.
2) Paw target/paws crossed
Should the paw target behavior be on stimulus control with a verbal cue before beginning? In this video Petey often tries to paw the object before I have cued “mark”. Really the cue for paw the target is the presentation of the target at this stage. Will that make this and future exercises easier?
3) Backup
My first time training a backup; any feedback welcome.
I love this dog. He’s a great little worker. How old is he?
Thank you! Petey is estimated to be 7 years old. I rescued him two years ago at the estimated age of 5.
Hello Andre,
you and Petey are a very nice team! I like your training. 🙂
Great job! Petey is so cute being so much in a hurry to touch the paw target! It’s no problem if the target as such is his cue to touch it, we’ll soon switch to another target: touching the other paw and then we’ll fade this target and name the new behaviour. I don’t see well from that angle but if you are getting the touches on the other paw already, that’s what you want to click now. Backing up is going great too, slowly add more distance. Nice pivoting too, but I don’t like that hand above him all the time as he is learning to look at the hand -- when we’ll actually want them to ignore the hands and look at the face. I think it’s better if you just show a direction with a hand gesture to the left or to the right, but let him do a circle without keeping eyes on your hand.
I have a question about the recall, i have problems with the recall, when My is playing with Irma and Blackie, who are my other dogs, the recall is also difficult for me,when she is out in the yard with the other dogs, then she tends to start herding them, because her herding instinct is so big… soo how can i get her to come when the distraction is to big?
Oh, this should be easy if the other two have good recalls! Just call them all and reward them all! I do tons of those group callings as it really teaches the puppy that me calling means to leave it all and come running to me! Recalls is something that they can really learn quickly from other dogs. Once they learn that it has a priority over everything else, it gets really easy calling just one of them (despite normally they all come 🙂 )
Great, thanks for yourquestion, I have thatp problem too
Back up : I had difficults to get backing up, because each time I wait for it, Garlic was always sitting or lying down. I get it since yesterday, when Garlic stand up after a paw touch and gives me back up just after being rewarded. Now it is like a play in sequence paw touch then repeated back up, then back to me with a paw touch, etc … !
It sure looks great now! You can name it already now so that you can eventually get it without a paw touch first 🙂 Also, try rewarding by tossing a treat towards her as that will make adding distance easier as when she needs to come back for a treat.
I have a question about the pivot. I have taught it to my other dogs so that they can eventually start from heel position on my left and swing over to my right side, back and forth. I usually pivot with them by turning into them, then they swing around. But I see on the videos many people are getting their dogs to do a complete 360 in front of them. Which one do we want in the end?
We want full circles (even several in a row) without a handler in a picture first as it’s a great hind feet awareness exercise and gives you really nice speed and fluency on pivots: something you often don’t get if you go directly to only asking him to come to the leg (and I think that was exactly a problem with Pascal’s Garlic and Mary’s GSD if you saw their videos). Pivoting all the way around is harder, so we first want that -- to then have an extra nice and fast pivoting to both legs 🙂
Hello,
I´m sending you three videos.
1) So far I´ve only tried the circle in one direction (With command). Tomorrow I will start turning on the other direction.
2) Plenty of homework this week!!, so I haven´t had time to train the 2on2off. But before starting to practice, I wanted to show you what I have done (before starting this course) re “2on2off” so far . I have a word for going to the “zone” and another word for getting off. Can I use something of this trick in our 2on2off homework?
3) PLaying: Trono is changing his teeth so sometimes he bleeds and it problaby hurts. Anyway loves playing with me…
I´ve been practicing the crossing paws (I don´t have video yet), but each time I try to put the target over the paw, he moves his full body…. (I will show you soon)
thank you!!
Great job with pivoting!!! Very independent, fast and fluent! Try clicking the moment he is turned away from you -- you sometimes click when he is stopping already. You can also try two circles in a row now without a reward in between. And yes, definitely time for the other direction! He also plays really nicely and knows the position really well already. You can try it next on an object that he can go on&off, without turning on it as he does now -- see Ana’s video. But yes, you can use the same cues, it’s the same thing. You can try crossing paws next to the wall, so that he can’t move his whole body!
My progress with puppy Tat is slow going. I can’t train her for very long before losing her. Here is a perfect example of what most of our training sessions are like. I should have ended it sooner. As it is, she ended it before I did :-(. Here we are working on the pivot (she is finally starting to offer me some side movement), and back up which I actually use as a reward because she likes this game.
Getting there with pivoting! Try rewarding off the bowl more often, she gave you really nice side movement after she got back on the bowl at 0:12. It was good to do some backing up in between, she sure seems to love that one! And well, if she decides to leave, no hard feelings, just take the next dog and play with him. Ideally, you end it even before it happens, but it’s sometimes impossible to predict, she looked perfectly happy and animated here, so it was hard to guess she has enough. Le was like this too, she wandered off often as a puppy, so I just called the next dog to play and she soon changed her mind and decided to not blow her 5 minutes with me.
Our “Sit-Up”. A work in progress….
Great, she seems to really like that trick too! It’s good to have a long list of tricks she likes so that you can use them after working on something harder for her. Soon, you can try starting to reward in a position.