Book With Some Of The Dummest Training Stuff

[bret]

now before i start, let me just say that there are some great things in this book, there is not an abundance of badly or incredibly vaguely thought out tricks, but i tell you what, i am getting a little tired of their explanation for some of the tricks. this is the second one i am looking at and just saying 'you have got to be kiddin'

the first was the trick training the bow, 'with the training used for a drop, there is no wonder i couldn't get her to bow'

but now i am on to the 'take it' command. again, the steps involved.

'grab an object not a toy something the dog is likely to pickup on its own.' well i picked up a beer cooler, foam light weight, doesn't feel funny in her mouth. if i threw it she would pick it up, moving object and all,

1)put item on floor abut three feet away, click and treat her for movign toward it

2) click and treat for touching with nose, repeat about 12 times

3) hold off on click, 'if he mouths the object at all, click and treat'.

IF he mouths the object, well i have just done 2 lessons at varying times, and we get to her touching it with her nose, i hold off on the click, she touches it 5 more tiems looking at me saying' what the hell do you want'. she has learned 'touch, touch lid, and touch stick, as well as 'paw, paw lid and paw stick'. this isn't working, so i tried to improvise,

i had the cooler in my hand and moved it a little, ( this is how i got her to catch the frisbee) when she opened her mouth on it, i mark and reward, again this didn't last long, i delay the mark for her to hold it, but she just throws it out of her mouth. i read in another book the forced hold, put the object in her mouth and gently hold her muzzle giving command, then mark and reward, nope not working.

i am trying to teach her to pick something up without it being a fetch item, ie: inanemate (spelling) object, then either bring it to me or put it somewhere else (later advanced stuff). anyone else done this and able to give me some instructions that work?

cheers

bret

[leopuppy04]

What book is this???

Ok - I would have used the same method they have used here except for ONE MAJOR THING!

You don't need to C&T 12 times for the nose touch! Your dog now thinks that is the behaviour! The one problem with clicker training and shaping is that if you stick on a behaviour long enough and reward that, it gets harder to move forward because of the 'reward success' of that behaviour! So every time they say however many times to C&T disregard that and do it until your dog seems to 'understand'.... if your dog is clicker savvy - maybe 2-5 times!

She is too eager to get the food if she is spitting it out IMO..... and also to get the click .

Sooo....

*try gradually increasing the time she holds it..... only by a mili-second.... you may be extending the time too quick.

*Will she chase it if you throw it? Pick it up? If yes - do a play retrieve and then run away so that she will (hopefully) run after you with object still in mouth - reward that

*get really excited if any interaction with mouth and object..... c&t if pick up and hold briefly

*while moving it around in your hand - perhaps try and introduce the word HOLD as she grasps down on it - C&T that - then gradually increase time between the command HOLD and the C&T

hope that helps