Training Contacts

[Heidii]

Those Cleanrun tugs look great! The other day I ordered one of those "Tug-It" things recommended by Susan Garret. Here is a you-tube video on it:

I have used so many different toys from socks, teatowels, kongs, balls, rope etc EVERYTHING. He seems to like anything that squeeks and is soft on his mouth (cos he is a pansy) so I rekon those sheepy ones from cleanrun would work great! The only problem with him is he gets bored of playing.... but thats what I'm working on! Thanks again Laffi! ...I'm going to have to get one of those now to try!!!

[laffi]

Kaos likes the real sheepy tugs though he will only tug at home and not when we are out on walks or training .

Laffi is like Kaos too, only recently she started tugging in the club (so it took us a year )

With Laffi I used two ways to get her to tug: 1) shaping the pull just like what you are doing and also 2) playing with toys she likes so eventually she grabs them and pulls. I got her to tug with me in our yard about a year ago. I had hard time getting it outside the yard.

I found that the food toys are OK but they never get her excited enough to really tug like she does with her sheepy toys.

However the food toys (like tug-it) helped HEAPS to get her to pull in more stressful situations (outside our home) and then we progressed to her fave toys (that she tugs hard on at home) quite fast.

She is not yet where I would like her to be but I feel like we are getting there.

Edited February 26, 2009 by laffi

[Kavik]

Well you got laffi tugging in the end - I guess that means there is hope for Kaos tugging

I mainly use his favourite squeaky toy at training and trials anyway - he always loves that. Problem is he won't look at the tug if he thinks he will get the squeaky toy

[laffi]

Well you got laffi tugging in the end - I guess that means there is hope for Kaos tugging

I mainly use his favourite squeaky toy at training and trials anyway - he always loves that. Problem is he won't look at the tug if he thinks he will get the squeaky toy

I think that as long as he cans work for a toy that's FANTASTIC

[Heidii]

Is it better to teach your dog on a board that is the same width as the real DW or doesnt it matter? If so, anyone know the width?

[leopuppy04]

i don't think it really matters heidii

took me almost 2 years to get Leo to tug in public..... keep at it - you'll get there.

I also have a friend who's dog tugs like the one of that video Kavik and her dog wouldn't even touch a tug initially

Edited February 26, 2009 by leopuppy04

[ness]

So I probably shouldn't post the video of my BC pup at 12 weeks at a trial playing tug . And nah trust me you don't want a BC you have to live with them 24/7 .

[laffi]

So I probably shouldn't post the video of my BC pup at 12 weeks at a trial playing tug . And nah trust me you don't want a BC you have to live with them 24/7 .

nope we don't want to see Kenzie tugging.. but we would love to see Ness tugging :cool:

[leopuppy04]

Ok, here is what I did last night:

This morning I did some training again and he got 4 out of 5 times right

Finally got to watch it

totally agree with what Laffi said - make sure you are facing in the direction your dog is facing - as this is our 'end behaviour' when running an agility course :cool:

Put some non-slip stuff on the board - you should be able to find some stuff from bunnings or Kmart pretty cheap - this will make him go even faster

Rev him up before letting him loose.... "readddyyyyy settt...... GO" and release him to get his 2o2o

He's doing really well - you should be so proud

[ness]

Ness does tug Laffi just only when it suits her .

[leopuppy04]

yeah c'mon Ness - want me to post a vid or my puppies when they tug

We are all just v. jealous of Kenzie and want to take her away

I think interaction with toys is vital when puppies are young - if they don't get it, it may take a while to build it up

[ness]

I will try and get some video of Ness playing tug for all those skeptic people who don't think Ness will tug .

ETA. LP I just bought her back from the park and for the second night running its resulted in me having to bath her cos she has rolled in something stinky. Maybe I'll just send her over to you .

Edited February 26, 2009 by ness

[leopuppy04]

I will try and get some video of Ness playing tug for all those skeptic people who don't think Ness will tug .

ETA. LP I just bought her back from the park and for the second night running its resulted in me having to bath her cos she has rolled in something stinky. Maybe I'll just send her over to you .

Express post is best

happy to do a trade btw :cool:

[ness]

ok - she is all yours. Should arrive tomorrow.

[Heidii]

Ok, here is what I did last night:

This morning I did some training again and he got 4 out of 5 times right

Finally got to watch it

totally agree with what Laffi said - make sure you are facing in the direction your dog is facing - as this is our 'end behaviour' when running an agility course

Put some non-slip stuff on the board - you should be able to find some stuff from bunnings or Kmart pretty cheap - this will make him go even faster

Rev him up before letting him loose.... "readddyyyyy settt...... GO" and release him to get his 2o2o

He's doing really well - you should be so proud

I have been doing as both you and Laffi said but I still dont think he really knows what he is doing. Last night i walked with him along side it and kept walking...and so did he. It seems he only stops in 2o2o just cos thats just where i stop. I am finding it very difficult working without giving him a command and my partner thinks its just stupid! He thinks I should give a command and then shape it without a command later on because he just doesnt think Jordi will understand it...Just like with obedience. When at the heel position, after a while the dog eventually sits next to you by himself...

Huff...i dunno, its too hard!

[leopuppy04]

Ok, here is what I did last night:

This morning I did some training again and he got 4 out of 5 times right

Finally got to watch it

totally agree with what Laffi said - make sure you are facing in the direction your dog is facing - as this is our 'end behaviour' when running an agility course

Put some non-slip stuff on the board - you should be able to find some stuff from bunnings or Kmart pretty cheap - this will make him go even faster

Rev him up before letting him loose.... "readddyyyyy settt...... GO" and release him to get his 2o2o

He's doing really well - you should be so proud

I have been doing as both you and Laffi said but I still dont think he really knows what he is doing. Last night i walked with him along side it and kept walking...and so did he. It seems he only stops in 2o2o just cos thats just where i stop. I am finding it very difficult working without giving him a command and my partner thinks its just stupid! He thinks I should give a command and then shape it without a command later on because he just doesnt think Jordi will understand it...Just like with obedience. When at the heel position, after a while the dog eventually sits next to you by himself...

Huff...i dunno, its too hard!

Getting a dog to understand to stay there while you still move is fairly 'advanced' in the sense that the dog must have a good grasp of what you want. This is where the nose touch certainly helps because the dog is given a 'set' behaviour at the end . Try and forget about walking him over the plank for the minute - let him offer you behaviours and anything to do with the plank you will C&T - later, you will nut down on this to get your 2o2o. Alternatively introduce a target plate for him to nose touch.

Perhaps try to raise the plank further (phone books etc) - you wan the 2o2o behaviour do be a 'defined' behaviour, not just a 'grass on 2 paws, wood on the other 2' feeling.... so if he physically has to step down the dogs understand that behaviour a little better.

Would another video help?! I could try and do one this weekend with a friend of mine and her dog knows nothing except a nose touch???

[Vickie]

Try and forget about walking him over the plank for the minute - let him offer you behaviours and anything to do with the plank you will C&T - later, you will nut down on this to get your 2o2o.

I agree, forget walking him over the plank for now & concentrate on the end. You are doing great, it is not an easy thing to teach for the first time. ( if it were...lots of us would not have to retrain it later and there would not be so many people who have not achieved reliability).

He looks like a very sweet boy and eager to please. Once he gets it, I think he will get it well.

[Kavik]

We had a successful session this morning I was able to put the target plate on the ground right next to the raised plank and he did 2o2o with nose touch!

Heidii - I have found both raising the plank and using a target plate has helped a lot. Raising the plank helps to give more defined boundaries to the dog, and having the target plate gives the dog something to drive to and something to do at the end.

I have also found keeping sessions very short and fast helps. I do 2 on each side and that's it. One with me behind so he has to drive ahead of me and one with me running and continuing so he has to hold position while I go ahead on each side. I do one click and treat where he has to hold position and then when he offers nose touch again I release forward with verbal release and throw food.

The nose touch behaviour is not difficult to get if your dog has a grasp of the clicker and can target something else already (such as your hand).

I will try to get video sometime when I can con my OH to help me.

[laffi]

Ok, here is what I did last night:

This morning I did some training again and he got 4 out of 5 times right

Finally got to watch it

totally agree with what Laffi said - make sure you are facing in the direction your dog is facing - as this is our 'end behaviour' when running an agility course

Put some non-slip stuff on the board - you should be able to find some stuff from bunnings or Kmart pretty cheap - this will make him go even faster

Rev him up before letting him loose.... "readddyyyyy settt...... GO" and release him to get his 2o2o

He's doing really well - you should be so proud

I have been doing as both you and Laffi said but I still dont think he really knows what he is doing. Last night i walked with him along side it and kept walking...and so did he. It seems he only stops in 2o2o just cos thats just where i stop. I am finding it very difficult working without giving him a command and my partner thinks its just stupid! He thinks I should give a command and then shape it without a command later on because he just doesnt think Jordi will understand it...Just like with obedience. When at the heel position, after a while the dog eventually sits next to you by himself...

Huff...i dunno, its too hard!

I agree with everything people said so far.

Here I would like to explain why not to give a command. I think we agree that the dog is still learning and therefore his behavior is not the end behavior you want. Let's say you do call it 'tomato' and I am your dog . If you say 'tomato' now I would think: "hmmm yes I know, it's something to do with the plank and stopping when you stop".

You will have hard time reshaping it if you start putting it on cue now and the dog has a wrong idea of what you are trying to teach him.

In obedience it works coz the dog is already in heel doing the right thing so you are not shaping it.

As for stopping on the end few things helped me:

1) the target plate (I did with it with one of my dogs)

2) releasing the dog from the plank (so the dog has to wait in 2o2o until released): I think it's the most important step as it lets your dog know that stepping on the 2o2o is not the end of the exercise. The end is to stay there until released.

[JulesP]

I tend to put commands on pretty much straight away but my dogs speak English