Clicker Training Archives - Page 30 of 46

Sunshine + Dogs = Stressbuster

April 15, 2010

I've been a little overwhelmed lately with Talos' impending departure and a workload that would kill a horse. I was hard at work on the computer today when I happened to see the dogs through my office window – they were in the yard, lounging in the sunshine, content with the world.

I'm always complaining that I don't spend enough time with the dogs, that I neglect their training, that I wish I could do more with them. So I took a cue from them and went out to enjoy the sunshine. I had some treats already chopped up in the fridge (cheddar cheese), so I grabbed their collars, my clicker, and a 30-foot leash.

Talk about excited! They're never happier than when they're working. We have about three acres, but less than an acre is fenced. Getting to walk across the unfenced field is a big deal to them – that's the wild-animal-freeway and the dogs love getting the chance to check out who's been where.

I took each one out and worked with them. Nothing fancy, just recalls, sits and downs, waits and stays. And lots of frolic! Sometimes they'd earn a piece of the cheddar cheese, other times they'd get the chance to run wild on that 30-foot leash with me. Here's the cool thing: I think their preferred reward was running with me!

I busted out of my work-work-work routine, the dogs got an unexpected and very rewarding training session, and we all enjoyed the beautiful weather — together. Does it get any better?

It's amazing how therapeutic our dogs can be. Go out and enjoy the sunshine (or sunset) with your dog today. You'll both be happier for it.

Advanced Training

April 11, 2010

I'm sitting in the Atlanta airport after a wildly successful Karen Pryor Academy (KPA) for Animal Training and Behavior workshop, thinking about how far the students have come since they started.
All Academy students start at the beginning, regardless of experience. KPA leaves nothing to chance, teaching the basics of dog training and behavior first, then moving into progressively more complex concepts.

In this third weekend, the students showed off their training success — they taught their dogs modifier cues. What's a modifier cue? It's teaching their dog the difference between left and right; high and low; large and small.
They also taught their dogs the names of objects, such as ball, leash, and phone. So not only could their dog go pick out the leash in a pile of objects, but they could even put several of the same objects in the pile and tell them to get the BALL on the LEFT.

You may not have any need to teach your dog such complex behavior, but isn't it cool to know that your dog is capable of learning such amazing skills?!
I'm looking very forward to our next workshop in May where the students will wow me again with their training accomplishments. Their dogs have a blast at the workshops, too, tails waggling enthusiastically the entire time they're working.
It's definitely poetry in motion.

I do love clicker training and KPA!

So the next time you think something's too complicated to teach your dog, think again! Get in there and see just how much you can teach your dog — it's so much fun!

Talos Rocks D.C.’s Metro Train

April 3, 2010

A service dog needs to be comfortable in many different environments. They've got to be ok with lots of different noises, locations, people, surfaces – nothing should surprise them when they're out in the world working with their partner.

Talos and I ventured to D.C. at peak cherry blossom time. And we went on the Metro system. I was a little apprehensive. Trains were new to Talos. They make a lot of noise. The stations are dark. They're a little like riding a roller coaster, pitching left and right.

Talos went through the card-reader gate (a narrow contraption with guillotine like gates that slide shut between passengers so only one person can get through at a time) without a hitch. Didn't even look crossways at it.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Time to board the train! We got on with a few families headed down to see the cherry blossoms. Thankfully, there were two little girls. There's nothing that Talos loves more than small children. As the train departed the station, he looked at me, his face concerned. I spoke softly, gave him a few pieces of cheese, and he decided it was not worth panicking about.

Another sigh of relief.

A few more stops and he'd completely forgotten he was on the train. The little girls, captivated by the big dog sitting right in front of them!!, decided to baby-sit Talos. For which I'll be forever grateful. Here's a picture of one of them telling Talos a story. He was paying close attention.

We had to change trains at Metro Center. For those not familiar with the Washington, D.C. Metro system, Metro Center is the station where all four Metro lines converge. It's the central hub. It's huge. It's loud. It's crazy. It's dark. I was scared because I didn't know where to go or how to catch my next train. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers – the mom of one of the girls held my hand through the entire trip, went out of her way to find (and ride) the elevator with us (Talos can't do escalators yet), and got us on the right train. Her five-year old daughter continued to baby-sit Talos – soothing him when the loud trains whooshed past us, frightening Talos.

Finally we made it to the correct stop and I bade my new friends farewell. I think the little girl would have had just as much fun sitting with Talos as seeing the cherry blossoms! Talos was sad to see her go, as was I.

We met up with three other dogs in training from Service Dogs of Virginia. Here's their blog about the day. We saw cherry blossoms. We saw loud, exhaust spewing buses. We were crushed in crowds of people. We saw the Washington Monument (Talos was unimpressed). Here's a quick snippet of our ride down, the cherry blossoms, and the ride home:

The ride home on Metro was a crush of people. The crowds were phenomenal. At one point, I couldn't see Talos' head because there were so many people packed into the train. He didn't even notice. Or if he did, he didn't care. It was if he did this trip everyday. On the way home, I swear he was bored.

The people traveling on Metro couldn't have been kinder. Not one person complained, squealed, or shied away from riding the train with a dog. He, in return, was a gentleman, although at one point he did lay down on a man's feet. I didn't realize it until it was the guy's stop and he politely asked Talos for his feet back. Like I said, the other train riders really helped us have a fantastic experience.

Another successful socialization trip for Talos and I. I think T's got the makings of a fantastic service dog. He's steady, even-keeled, and solid as a rock. I'm as proud as a mom when her child takes it's first step.

Get Your Dog To Notice You!

March 26, 2010

Does your dog dash out the door, pulling you along behind.

If you dropped the leash, would your dog even notice?

Does your dog pay more attention to the distractions outside than you?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, you're not alone! This is one of the most common complaints I hear from owners. Their dog doesn't even know they exist once the dog is outside. Thankfully, there's an easy remedy to this situation.

You'll need:

a clicker
delish treats
6' leash (no retractable leashes!)
regular buckle collar (no prong or choke collars!)

Leash your dog, put your treats in a fanny pack and have your clicker ready. Open the door, step outside and wait for your dog to look at you. Don't move any further than just outside the door. As soon as your dog looks in your direction, click and give him the treat. You may have to reach and put the treat in his mouth if he's really distracted. Then just wait some more. Click every time your dog looks in your direction. If you're using super high-value treats, your dog will start looking at you more often than he's looking at his environment.

Here's a video of my four dogs so you can get a feel for what this exercise looks like and how to do it. Each piece is only about two minutes long.

Return from ClickerExpo

March 22, 2010

Tango and I got in very early this morning (3:00a) from our 10-hour drive from Lexington, KY where we'd attended Clicker Expo 2010.

I Tweeted, I Facebooked, and now I'm blogging about the fun we had in KY. I traveled with three other positive reinforcement trainers and we talked the entire 10-hour trip. The subject? Dogs, naturally!

Tango traveled with us, laying happily at our feet. He trekked with me from seminar to seminar for three full days, never complaining, never causing any trouble. He's the perfect conference dog.

He even accompanied me on stage when I gave my talk Social Media for the Entrepreneurial Dog Trainer. You can't see him in this picture – he's behind the podium eating a rawhide. Later during the talk he came over and laid quietly. Until he wanted a tummy rub. Then he flipped onto his back and rolled with his feet in the air. Ever the obedient and well-trained person, I obliged him. I kicked off my shoe, rubbed his tummy, and never missed a beat in the presentation.

I found it extremely calming to share the stage with a dog. I gave this same talk at Clicker Expo – Portland and was much more nervous. It was a fun weekend filled with learning, fun, and catching up with training friends from distant states. Keep an eye on the blog for lots of ideas I picked up at Clicker Expo!

Targeting – Your Secret Weapon

March 10, 2010

Sometimes the solution to a dog's behavior problem can be as easy as teaching the dog a brand new behavior, then asking for that behavior right before your dog starts the old, problematic behavior. We teach targeting in Canine Building Blocks group courses because it's a nice, simple solution to many behavior problems.

What is targeting? Targeting is simply teaching the dog to touch his body (most often his nose) to a specific target (your hand, for example).

Because it's so simple, many people miss the importance of this behavior.

I hear this a lot:

"My dog lunges at other dogs, what do I care if my dog touches my hand?!" or "My dog pulls me off my feet, how can targeting stop that?!"or "My dog barks his head off when he sees another dog – targeting's not going to help me."

Targeting can do all that. And more. Targeting is a powerful tool. Here's what it looks like. (Lily's good at targeting, it's one of her favorite things.) After you watch the short video, scroll down to read how I use it with Lily, who's reactive when she sees other dogs.

When I take Lily to the vet, we're likely to run into other dogs. If I don't give Lily something to do, she'll lunge, bark, and jump at any other dog at the vet office. She's not aggressive, but it looks like she is. To prevent her from displaying those lovely manners <ahem>, I simply give her something else to focus on — me!

We run through the touch game, as seen above, complete with clicks and very high value treats (think: steak). She's happy to engage with me and I'm preventing her from practicing the very ugly and inappropriate behavior of reacting to other dogs.

Even if your dog is super-duper friendly, not all dogs (or people) want a dog coming up to them. Use targeting to keep your pal involved with you, not with someone else or their dog.

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