Crossing His Paws - But Not Really

[giraffez]

Hello all,

I need help with teaching my pup to cross his paws. I've been watching kikkopup's youtube video and have successfully taught my pup to do it, however, he undos it straight after he crosses his paws. He also waits for my hand to point to the ground before he does it... i think he is associating touching my hand and crossing his paws as the command I'm asking him to do. As soon as he crosses, the paw below slides out and undoes the crossing (if that makes sense).

Any ideas how i can fix this?

[BC4ME]

Use a marker like a lid or small object for him to touch this elimnates your hand

[giraffez]

Use a marker like a lid or small object for him to touch this elimnates your hand

i did but he won't cross unless my finger is pointing on the lid.

[BC4ME]

He doesn't understand that he needs to touch the marker and not your hand.

Go back and reteach using a good size marker plate don't use your other to point to the plate. Take each step slowly and Let your pup think about what he is doing. If you need to cue him you've gone to fast. Each step must be understood before moving on.

[giraffez]

He doesn't understand that he needs to touch the marker and not your hand.

Go back and reteach using a good size marker plate don't use your other to point to the plate. Take each step slowly and Let your pup think about what he is doing. If you need to cue him you've gone to fast. Each step must be understood before moving on.

Okies, i'll give that a go, thanks. Will let you know what that goes.

[giraffez]

He doesn't understand that he needs to touch the marker and not your hand.

Go back and reteach using a good size marker plate don't use your other to point to the plate. Take each step slowly and Let your pup think about what he is doing. If you need to cue him you've gone to fast. Each step must be understood before moving on.

Ok i brought back the marker and he definitely associates that to a cross without me having to point at it which is good.

There are 2 things:

1) For one side, he undo the crossing as soon as he crosses (ie bottom paw is lifted out as soon as the top crosses over)

2) As soon as i take away the marker, he doesn't know what to do

Any pointers? thanks

[BC4ME]

He doesn't understand that he needs to touch the marker and not your hand.

Go back and reteach using a good size marker plate don't use your other to point to the plate. Take each step slowly and Let your pup think about what he is doing. If you need to cue him you've gone to fast. Each step must be understood before moving on.

Ok i brought back the marker and he definitely associates that to a cross without me having to point at it which is good.

There are 2 things:

1) For one side, he undo the crossing as soon as he crosses (ie bottom paw is lifted out as soon as the top crosses over)

2) As soon as i take away the marker, he doesn't know what to do

Any pointers? thanks

Q1. No reward is given when he just uncrosses his legs. Reward is only given when he waits with his legs crossed for a split second, then maybe 2 secs then 3secs and so you will build duration.

Q2 This is telling me he doesn't understand the command go back using the marker slowly reduce the marker size so your dog understands the command this will take time don't rush.

I would work on Q2 before I start trying for duration one thing at a time so as not to confuse him.

[giraffez]

He doesn't understand that he needs to touch the marker and not your hand.

Go back and reteach using a good size marker plate don't use your other to point to the plate. Take each step slowly and Let your pup think about what he is doing. If you need to cue him you've gone to fast. Each step must be understood before moving on.

Ok i brought back the marker and he definitely associates that to a cross without me having to point at it which is good.

There are 2 things:

1) For one side, he undo the crossing as soon as he crosses (ie bottom paw is lifted out as soon as the top crosses over)

2) As soon as i take away the marker, he doesn't know what to do

Any pointers? thanks

Q1. No reward is given when he just uncrosses his legs. Reward is only given when he waits with his legs crossed for a split second, then maybe 2 secs then 3secs and so you will build duration.

Q2 This is telling me he doesn't understand the command go back using the marker slowly reduce the marker size so your dog understands the command this will take time don't rush.

I would work on Q2 before I start trying for duration one thing at a time so as not to confuse him.

He touches the marker effortlessly everytime i say cross. I will reduce the size of the marker and try again. Thanks for the tip, will try again.

[pipsqueak]

He doesn't understand that he needs to touch the marker and not your hand.

Go back and reteach using a good size marker plate don't use your other to point to the plate. Take each step slowly and Let your pup think about what he is doing. If you need to cue him you've gone to fast. Each step must be understood before moving on.

Ok i brought back the marker and he definitely associates that to a cross without me having to point at it which is good.

There are 2 things:

1) For one side, he undo the crossing as soon as he crosses (ie bottom paw is lifted out as soon as the top crosses over)

2) As soon as i take away the marker, he doesn't know what to do

Any pointers? thanks

Q1. No reward is given when he just uncrosses his legs. Reward is only given when he waits with his legs crossed for a split second, then maybe 2 secs then 3secs and so you will build duration.

Q2 This is telling me he doesn't understand the command go back using the marker slowly reduce the marker size so your dog understands the command this will take time don't rush.

I would work on Q2 before I start trying for duration one thing at a time so as not to confuse him.

He touches the marker effortlessly everytime i say cross. I will reduce the size of the marker and try again. Thanks for the tip, will try again.

Can I hijack this thread for a second - as I think you might run into a problem which I had when teaching this. I taught one of our dogs to cross paws with a metal disc target. Slowly decreased/faded target size down to size of 5 cent piece. I *think* I put behaviour on cue at this point. Dog was fine to cross paws and target 5 cent piece (couldn't fade it any further). Removed 5 cent piece and cued behaviour, and dog was clueless - seemed to have noooo idea of what was being asked. replaced 5 c piece, no problems.

My suggestion would be if dog can happily do command with you pointing, that you transfer the behaviour to a verbal command, and then fade out the pointing. Transfer it to a verbal cue, but giving verbal command, waiting 1 second, and then cueing behaviour by pointing - the idea here is that the verbal cue becomes to reliability predict the physical prompt. At some stage, when you're doing this, hopefully he will hear the verbal cue, and anticipate the physical prompt - this is when you're getting close to getting it on verbal command. Then start to fade out physical prompt by making your pointing smaller and less noticeable until you make it disappear altogether.

[giraffez]

Can I hijack this thread for a second - as I think you might run into a problem which I had when teaching this. I taught one of our dogs to cross paws with a metal disc target. Slowly decreased/faded target size down to size of 5 cent piece. I *think* I put behaviour on cue at this point. Dog was fine to cross paws and target 5 cent piece (couldn't fade it any further). Removed 5 cent piece and cued behaviour, and dog was clueless - seemed to have noooo idea of what was being asked. replaced 5 c piece, no problems.

My suggestion would be if dog can happily do command with you pointing, that you transfer the behaviour to a verbal command, and then fade out the pointing. Transfer it to a verbal cue, but giving verbal command, waiting 1 second, and then cueing behaviour by pointing - the idea here is that the verbal cue becomes to reliability predict the physical prompt. At some stage, when you're doing this, hopefully he will hear the verbal cue, and anticipate the physical prompt - this is when you're getting close to getting it on verbal command. Then start to fade out physical prompt by making your pointing smaller and less noticeable until you make it disappear altogether.

Thats exactly what happened today, i got to the point where i couldn't reduce the marker and he was waiting for it and he didn't understand the verbal cue. I got to the point where i pretty much gave up and said the command cross one more time and miraculously he crossed without the marker (yay!), i clicked and made a big deal. He gets it now (tonight anyway, have to wait until tomorrow to really test it out). I now have to work on getting it to stay crossed, he pretty much undoes it straight away.