starting teaching a helper dog task

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Postby Malli » May 25th, 2011, 1:30 pm

"pull the towel off the oven handle and bring it"

so far we've had trouble with...

-"towel" sounds like "bow" and and when confusion sets in bow is offered - he is SURE I am asking for that

-the T towel kind of blends in with the stove when its on the handle, he targets well on the floor and when I hold it out, but when the towel is hanging off something and particularly when its hanging off the oven handle, its like it becomes part of the *entire* stove...

he'll occaisionally grab the towel with his mouth and I've tried to show extra approval and emphasis for these times, but I don't want to click only for those because I think that would be too much too fast at this point.

I'm going to try getting him to target it hanging out of my back pocket on my pants, maybe easier
I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either.
_______________________________________
"You didn't know of the magical powers of the break stick? It's up there with genies and Harry Potter as far as magic levels go." SisMorphine 01/07/07
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Postby Malli » May 25th, 2011, 1:42 pm

forgot to add, changed towel to "cloth" (figured it might be more versatile that way anway)
I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either.
_______________________________________
"You didn't know of the magical powers of the break stick? It's up there with genies and Harry Potter as far as magic levels go." SisMorphine 01/07/07
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Postby TheRedQueen » May 25th, 2011, 2:54 pm

Does he have a "grab and hold" cue yet, or a "tug" cue?

What you have to realize is while it seems fairly simple to us, it's a fairly complex behavior chain for the dog. They have to go to the towel, put their mouth on the towel, tug the towel off, keep it in their mouth and bring it to you. So you have a target, grab n' hold, tug, hold and retrieve. So just move slow and make sure he understands all parts of the chain.

So what I'd do is start with the towel in your hands, easy as pie...have him target to it, put his mouth on it, eventually tugging it gently out of your hands. When he's reliably doing the entire chain of behaviors on cue, I'd move closer to the stove...and keep working on the task/cue. Then hang it on the stove handle and give him the cue.

Once he gets it, the behavior will then be helpful for all sorts of things. Bean brings a blanket to John across the room.
"I don't have any idea if my dogs respect me or not, but they're greedy and I have their stuff." -- Patty Ruzzo

"Dogs don't want to control people. They want to control their own lives." --John Bradshaw
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Postby Malli » May 26th, 2011, 2:50 am

terrific. He does not have a grab and hold, he has a take it, but that just means, literally, take it, and then do what you want with it. So, he doesn't hang on to it. We've actually had trouble with this before, I'm sure exacerbated by the crappy dog trainer who had me shoving something (as I remember) repeatedly in his mouth and I think, using a correction or something? Oy.

It will be interesting to see if he is able to do it carefully or if he barrels through it like he does much of the rest of his life - bull in a china shop style.

Thanks for the tips Erin :) We'll keep trying.
I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either.
_______________________________________
"You didn't know of the magical powers of the break stick? It's up there with genies and Harry Potter as far as magic levels go." SisMorphine 01/07/07
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Malli
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Postby TheRedQueen » May 26th, 2011, 8:21 am

Found this nice video for you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDd3hRJCYwM

And my favorite for teaching a retrieve (what this all boils down to...lol)
http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/retrieve.html
"I don't have any idea if my dogs respect me or not, but they're greedy and I have their stuff." -- Patty Ruzzo

"Dogs don't want to control people. They want to control their own lives." --John Bradshaw
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TheRedQueen
I thought I lost my Wiener... but then I found him.
 
Posts: 7184
Location: Maryland

Postby Malli » May 26th, 2011, 4:06 pm

omd, if we used the basket in the first one for tug.... we wouldn't have a basket! Ah herding breeds!
watching the Icelandic Sheepdog respond to me at work, and the herder in the first video, its amazing what genetics will do for biddability!

Videos always get me all fired up! thanks :) Going to work on targeting the towel and mouthing while holding now :D
I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either.
_______________________________________
"You didn't know of the magical powers of the break stick? It's up there with genies and Harry Potter as far as magic levels go." SisMorphine 01/07/07
User avatar
Malli
E-I-E-I-O!
 
Posts: 6341
Location: CANADA EH?

Postby Malli » May 26th, 2011, 4:27 pm

:woowoo:

targeting the towel 99% when hand held! Always my problem with training, too much, too fast :doh:

Also...!
when Oscar eats he makes crumbs and they get stuck in his jowls, so we have a towel for indoor clicker training or after eating, I had it off to the side on the floor, and he touched it! "this is cloth, too, right?" touched it and turned around and looked at me :)

I'll have to remind myself to take more baby steps :doh:
I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either.
_______________________________________
"You didn't know of the magical powers of the break stick? It's up there with genies and Harry Potter as far as magic levels go." SisMorphine 01/07/07
User avatar
Malli
E-I-E-I-O!
 
Posts: 6341
Location: CANADA EH?

Postby TheRedQueen » May 26th, 2011, 6:56 pm

Malli wrote::woowoo:

targeting the towel 99% when hand held! Always my problem with training, too much, too fast :doh:

Also...!
when Oscar eats he makes crumbs and they get stuck in his jowls, so we have a towel for indoor clicker training or after eating, I had it off to the side on the floor, and he touched it! "this is cloth, too, right?" touched it and turned around and looked at me :)

I'll have to remind myself to take more baby steps :doh:


:cheer: :confetti: :clap:
"I don't have any idea if my dogs respect me or not, but they're greedy and I have their stuff." -- Patty Ruzzo

"Dogs don't want to control people. They want to control their own lives." --John Bradshaw
User avatar
TheRedQueen
I thought I lost my Wiener... but then I found him.
 
Posts: 7184
Location: Maryland


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