Trick Of The Week

[PAX]

Thankyou for your reply. I love your tricks so please keep it up, its my favourite thing on the forum. My dog is a 16 month old big Dobermann named Ruben. I cant wait to start teaching him other things but thought i will wait untill he has this retreive perfect.

Also my friend has a delta dog that i tell her your tricks which give lots of people great delight, so thankyou.

[shoemonster]

Hey, for those who have used the shirley chong method, and have dogs who have been taught to target, how do I get them to mouth the dumbell?

I have only started this today but think I am going to have a small problem

My two will only nose it, as they have been taught to target, should I smear food on it or something? (I am not using any cue either, they just know they aren't meant to grab things)

They are reliable with nosing it but I don't know how to get that next step ??? Maybe I need to tease then with it or something to get them more obsessed with wanting it?

Its not a dumbell but a soft toy with a plastic band arouind the middle, which was a play toy but i will now take it away and put it somewhere they can't get it unless I let them

Thanks

[whatevah]

Use a dumbell and follow the plan, and just wait the dog out and if it offers the tiniest mouth or lick or nose nudge, c/t that.

[shoemonster]

Thanks ;)

I can't use a dumbell cause I don't have one, but I have got them mouthing now which is great

[kateykateykatey]

We've been trying this the last few days. I am getting a much quicker and stronger response from little Lil, while Scrimp mouthed his dumbbell a couple of times he's also just as likely to not look at it. I think I need to work on "Very Important Object" more with him, and stop looking just for mouth interaction... I guess.

I'm having trouble getting Lil to do anything other than a touch (as in a target) or at best a lick. Anyone got any clues for this? Waiting her out currently, but she gets bored and frustrated.

[whatevah]

Keep reading the instructions and make sure you follow them to the letter. Here are a couple of videos that I did with Tia when she was a puppy.

Here she is just being rewarded for making contact with the dumbell. As soon as she touches it, I take it away and she gets her reward. Notice the date on this video, December.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=TNpDBuvY6u4

Here she is just starting to retrieve the dumbell. Notice the date is January, so has taken a few weeks. I just follow the steps exactly to the letter. She is being rewarded for dropping the dumbell into my hand. I didn't ask for her to sit, she just did. My criteria is for the dumbell to land in the hand.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=zr-l0rbOPik

I have used this retrieve training as a basis for other tricks. Notice in this video of Moses retrieving the trolley, that he puts the handle of the trolley into my hand.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=1tfHMqLveRo

Edited April 16, 2008 by whatevah

[kateykateykatey]

She's so adorable and cute and fluffy!

Tia's first video is pretty much exactly what I'm doing with Lil. I think I'm expecting too much progress too soon, and she'll figure out the mouthing with a bit of patience.

[FGM]

I am going to try this with my little Josie next.I have a question though.Do you think that actually holding the dumbell in your hand at the start helps to teach them to put it in there at the end? Also if you try a retrieve and they don't bring it to your hand,can you reward for them picking it up or would you go back to holding the dumbell in your hand again?Thanks

[whatevah]

Just follow the shirley chong method, all the steps are set out, wait until the dog has met the criteria for one step until going to the next step.