Cool Training Session This Morning

[Agility Dogs]

Had in interesting session this morning.

At flyball we taught the dogs to run away from us, turn tight around a stick and run back. It was shaped and was always the one way.

I thought this morning I'd do something a bit different and play that game in the park. I'd forgotten that I had taught Wikki (18 months now) to do that a long time back so all 3 of them were able to go to the stick, turn around and come back. (Rounding the sitck in an anti clockwise position.)

Then I thought I'd teach them to go the other way. X and CK were just hopless - after 10 goes at it they would still default to the behaviour they know. Wikki got the 'new' behaviour after one or two goes.

Interesting - I thought that the better trained dogs would pick it up more quickly since I was using a very clear agility handling cue that they both understand very well, but no. By the end CK and Xena were better at it than Wikki, but the actual learning was interesting.

They never cease to amaze me with the different way they learn! Part of me wonders if the older two have not 'learned to learn' or if it is because the behaviour associated with the stick is that much more ingrained in them?

[JulesP]

Some dogs are quite one sided too. They find it hard to go a certain way. You see it a lot in herding, the dog will prefer to cast one way and getting them to go the other way is harder.

[corvus]

You should see Erik trying to go around a pole clockwise. Anti-clockwise, no problem at all. Clockwise, though, and he repeatedly goes wide, turns towards me in an anti-clockwise direction, then rotates all the way around until he's at about one o'clock and then goes around the pole. Last week I was shaping both directions from scratch with no prior training and he really struggled with that clockwise turn. Even when I clicked it as he headed in the right direction and tried to deliver the treat to where he was heading, he was prone to turning in and ducking around the front of the pole to get the treat from that side. Crazy.

Kivi's laterality bias is on the other side, but I don't think it's as strong as Erik's.

[Agility Dogs]

All 3 of my dogs prefer to turn to the left which is unusual. (Sheesh, you'd think at least 2 of them they were related.... )

They are probably better than most at turning either way because of their agility training, but the older two especially are slower at turning the 'wrong' way.

[Casima]

I've noticed that as my dog training abilities have improved with each dog I've trained, when I go back to train one of the older dogs for something I always get a shock at how much slower they are to pick things up because they just don't have the same good foundation as the younger ones. It always makes me feel bad that I wasn't a good trainer for them but thankful for what they have all taught me along the way.

[Agility Dogs]

I've noticed that as my dog training abilities have improved with each dog I've trained, when I go back to train one of the older dogs for something I always get a shock at how much slower they are to pick things up because they just don't have the same good foundation as the younger ones. It always makes me feel bad that I wasn't a good trainer for them but thankful for what they have all taught me along the way.

Uh huh.

Woo has had better skills for several months than the other two did when they started trialling. Her foundations in everything are SOOOOOOOOOO much better than the other two.

[BC4ME]

I have also found that all my boys are more dominant on one side than the other this shows through in all their trick work.

Chook will pick things up very quickly.

Diddy is has a bit more of a thought process.

Styler experiements when learning something new.

Wizza (CK's brother) is a real thinker he seems to ponder and think things through before trying anything new, but once he does it he never forgets.

[Agility Dogs]

Wizza (CK's brother) is a real thinker he seems to ponder and think things through before trying anything new, but once he does it he never forgets.

Isnt' that funny!? CK, Wizza and Andy (his sister who went back to Tag's breeder) are all exactly the same.

Wikki (same Dad) is very similar as well.

Some people say it is a lack of drive, I think the drive is there, I've come to the conclusion that its just a matter of 'letting' them display it in their own time and manner. It's taken a long time, but CK is almost at the point where he is going ot overtake Xena in agility ability.

[Bull Arab]

Had in interesting session this morning.

At flyball we taught the dogs to run away from us, turn tight around a stick and run back. It was shaped and was always the one way.

I thought this morning I'd do something a bit different and play that game in the park. I'd forgotten that I had taught Wikki (18 months now) to do that a long time back so all 3 of them were able to go to the stick, turn around and come back. (Rounding the sitck in an anti clockwise position.)

Then I thought I'd teach them to go the other way. X and CK were just hopless - after 10 goes at it they would still default to the behaviour they know. Wikki got the 'new' behaviour after one or two goes.

Interesting - I thought that the better trained dogs would pick it up more quickly since I was using a very clear agility handling cue that they both understand very well, but no. By the end CK and Xena were better at it than Wikki, but the actual learning was interesting.

They never cease to amaze me with the different way they learn! Part of me wonders if the older two have not 'learned to learn' or if it is because the behaviour associated with the stick is that much more ingrained in them?

There ya go trying to confuse the kids again!!!!

Surely CK and X have done it a few more times than the Wooomonster so it would be a much more conditioned response for them than the new guy who has not done it as often or for as many years? Have you ever driven a European car? How many times did you turn the wipers on to go round a corner? Might it be a bit the same with these guys? That plus the improving training skills mentioned above!

[Agility Dogs]

Had in interesting session this morning.

At flyball we taught the dogs to run away from us, turn tight around a stick and run back. It was shaped and was always the one way.

I thought this morning I'd do something a bit different and play that game in the park. I'd forgotten that I had taught Wikki (18 months now) to do that a long time back so all 3 of them were able to go to the stick, turn around and come back. (Rounding the sitck in an anti clockwise position.)

Then I thought I'd teach them to go the other way. X and CK were just hopless - after 10 goes at it they would still default to the behaviour they know. Wikki got the 'new' behaviour after one or two goes.

Interesting - I thought that the better trained dogs would pick it up more quickly since I was using a very clear agility handling cue that they both understand very well, but no. By the end CK and Xena were better at it than Wikki, but the actual learning was interesting.

They never cease to amaze me with the different way they learn! Part of me wonders if the older two have not 'learned to learn' or if it is because the behaviour associated with the stick is that much more ingrained in them?

There ya go trying to confuse the kids again!!!!

Surely CK and X have done it a few more times than the Wooomonster so it would be a much more conditioned response for them than the new guy who has not done it as often or for as many years? Have you ever driven a European car? How many times did you turn the wipers on to go round a corner? Might it be a bit the same with these guys? That plus the improving training skills mentioned above!

LOL - definitely. The bit I found interesting is that they have followed the handling cue I was using even more times, but they didn't get that.

I like the analogy of the European car - sadly my experience there stops with a 1980 Ford Escort. ;)

[pie]

I was playing around with a pole wrap several months ago - Kyzer hadn't really done it very much before and it was new for Trixie. Because it wasn't for flyball there was no particular direction required, just whichever direction I sent them.

Both dogs were fine going clockwise from over ten metres, but had noticeable trouble going anti clockwise - I had to take it right back next to the pole - my boy dog would be 30cm away from the pole and he'd still twist his body at the last minute to go clockwise around it They both got it eventually but it took a while and it still isn't as strong as the other direction.

I thought it was interesting because I'd never done moch pole wrap work with them, hadn't really done any with Trixie at the time, so there wasn't an obvious reward history in place.

[corvus]

Wizza (CK's brother) is a real thinker he seems to ponder and think things through before trying anything new, but once he does it he never forgets.

Isnt' that funny!? CK, Wizza and Andy (his sister who went back to Tag's breeder) are all exactly the same.

Wikki (same Dad) is very similar as well.

Some people say it is a lack of drive, I think the drive is there, I've come to the conclusion that its just a matter of 'letting' them display it in their own time and manner. It's taken a long time, but CK is almost at the point where he is going ot overtake Xena in agility ability.

Ha, you would love my PhD project. I basically leave dogs with a machine that trains them for me and just watch how they learn. It's really interesting. Every dog seems to have a different way of going about it, but they all get there in about the same amount of time. I reckon the fastest are actually the ones that are the most pessimistic. They are less willing to try things and as a result, they make fewer mistakes. Some dogs patiently wait between cues and others spend most of their inter-trial intervals throwing behaviours at the machine to try to make it give them a cue. Some of them seem a wee bit anxious when they get it wrong and have to go and sniff the ground or get some distance and look away from the machine for a bit. It's fascinating.

Incidentally, a PhD student recently did a project on laterality and hair whorls in dogs with some really interesting results. Here's a quick report of laterality as a predictor of guide dog success: http://www.guidedogs.com.au/Content/upload/files/amc2010/presenters_papers/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20Lisa%20Tomkins%20-Association%20between%20lateralization%20measures%20and%20guide%20dog%20success.pdf

[Bull Arab]

Wizza (CK's brother) is a real thinker he seems to ponder and think things through before trying anything new, but once he does it he never forgets.

Isnt' that funny!? CK, Wizza and Andy (his sister who went back to Tag's breeder) are all exactly the same.

Wikki (same Dad) is very similar as well.

Some people say it is a lack of drive, I think the drive is there, I've come to the conclusion that its just a matter of 'letting' them display it in their own time and manner. It's taken a long time, but CK is almost at the point where he is going ot overtake Xena in agility ability.

Ha, you would love my PhD project. I basically leave dogs with a machine that trains them for me and just watch how they learn. It's really interesting. Every dog seems to have a different way of going about it, but they all get there in about the same amount of time. I reckon the fastest are actually the ones that are the most pessimistic. They are less willing to try things and as a result, they make fewer mistakes. Some dogs patiently wait between cues and others spend most of their inter-trial intervals throwing behaviours at the machine to try to make it give them a cue. Some of them seem a wee bit anxious when they get it wrong and have to go and sniff the ground or get some distance and look away from the machine for a bit. It's fascinating.

Would love to read that when you are finished!!!

[BC4ME]

Wizza (CK's brother) is a real thinker he seems to ponder and think things through before trying anything new, but once he does it he never forgets.

Isnt' that funny!? CK, Wizza and Andy (his sister who went back to Tag's breeder) are all exactly the same.

Wikki (same Dad) is very similar as well.

Some people say it is a lack of drive, I think the drive is there, I've come to the conclusion that its just a matter of 'letting' them display it in their own time and manner. It's taken a long time, but CK is almost at the point where he is going ot overtake Xena in agility ability.

I don't think it's a lack of drive, Wizza has plenty of that I think they just have a different thought process, they like to know the rules of the game before playing.