Can You Train One Dog In Multiple Disciplines?

[Podengo]

Each discipline trains differently, sometimes even within each discipline there are different methods of training and handling a particular exercise or sequence. Where you may have issues is if the method you are using for one discipline conflicts with the method you are using in another discipline. In mindset for the handler as well as for the dog. So the best thing is to try to understand your chosen method and make sure you don't have conflicts in your chosen sports.

Yup gotta carefully check these conflicts! On a Doberman board I am on there is always a bit of talk about IPO going on, and while it's very similar to Working Trials here in NZ, there are some differences. For example in IPO tracking they want the dog slow and precise with a very deep nose, a lot of people use a prong collar to keep the dog tracking this way, but in working trials we are after something quite different, and our tracks are a lot longer, so that precise, slow, deep nose tracking would mean your track would end up taking an hour to finish LOL.

Another little thing I saw mentioned was fronts in obedience, in one venue the dogs are as close as possible (often with their chests sticking through handler's legs out the back!), in another they need to be 6 inches away... Little things to think about :)

[piper]

I agree it is harder for the handler.

Piper is titled in obedience, agility, herding on 2 different courses and 2 different stock types. Everything there requires different skills from her but there are also things that cross over.

The important thing is a good bond with the dog. My first herding instructor was very much an older farm type bloke and told me obedience and agility would ruin her as a herding dog. And she would never succeed if I let her do things like sleep on my bed. Then after sometime he modified those comments and used to say "most dogs and she is just different". And I always felt a lot of that was the bond we had, the mutual respect between us and the trust and I think that came about through training using positive reinforcement. Piper was encouraged and rewarded for doing new things and doing anything with me so was prepared to give anything a go. She is 11.5 now and I am just about to tackle Rally-O with her.

[huski]

Would you use the same method for a complex behaviour chain though? Like service dog skills? Sorry about all the questions, just can't picture it :)

I'm not sure what you mean? :) It would depend on what I was training. How I communicate with the dog wouldn't change, I might use food to shape something initially instead of prey if I was training a primarily driven dog, but it depends on the dog and what I was actually training.

Edited September 10, 2012 by huski

[PAX]

Just been thinking about this as I am thinking about what training adventures I would like to pursue in the future. Chester is my trick dog. I always had that planned for him - tricks and canine freestyle type moves. He loves it!

Lola doesn't specialise in anything in particular but if she did, I would pick scent work as she loves it and is good at it. Chester doesn't seem to use his nose as much but I haven't tried training him in any scent work.

Can you teach one dog multiple disciplines successfully without confusing the dog? Or is it better to have each dog specialise in one area? Is this affected by whether the dog is performing the skill as a career or for competition?

For example, could a dog which is a schutzhund prospect also be trained tricks or service dog skills without becoming confused? Would it make the dog less reliable? Would it matter more for serious competition dogs than for pet dogs who don't compete?

I think so, the visual cues are different and easy for the dog to understand. Its not likely you would be training tricks next to a blind. Same as you wouldn't be training tricks in the middle of an agility field or in a paddock full of sheep.

Or what about a dog who you are just training obedience too but sometimes you wanted to use clicker training and other times you wanted to use training in drive for the same or similar skills?

Still works, the click is just the marker, you can reward with what ever your dog finds rewarding, food, tug, balls. If you have a high drive dog it is often faster to teach new skills with food, where the dog is calmer, then switch to a higher level reward when the behavoiur is learnt. Sometimes if the excitement is too high it makes it harder for them to learn, a bit like getting the kids to do homework at Dreamworld:)

For me the more boring the task (like heeling) the greater the reward.

From what I've heard, it would confuse the dog but I am interested to hear of other people's experiences and opinions :)

Edited September 10, 2012 by PAX

[PAX]

Would you use the same method for a complex behaviour chain though? Like service dog skills? Sorry about all the questions, just can't picture it :)

If you mean house hold duties, turning lights on, opening doors etc, I think these would need to be calm behaviours so not something you would train in drive. TID is going to make things faster and sharper so probably not the right reward for service dogs.

If you mean scent detection dogs etc, then TID is perfect for the hard effort they have to put into it.

[Nekhbet]

Of course you can. As always how far the dog actually gets at polished performance in the disciplines will depend on the handlers skill and time put in.

I have had multi disciplined dogs, but then my dogs have been drivey and the rotation between jobs was good for them. I think assess your dog and its capabilities, better to master one first then move on if you have not done it before.

Edited September 12, 2012 by Nekhbet

[Vickie]

He's awesome Nekhbet

Love the tricks you have trained. Very cute & very nice dog!

[Lollipup]

Of course you can. As always how far the dog actually gets at polished performance in the disciplines will depend on the handlers skill and time put in.

I have had multi disciplined dogs, but then my dogs have been drivey and the rotation between jobs was good for them. I think assess your dog and its capabilities, better to master one first then move on if you have not done it before.

Thanks Nekhbet! I was hoping you would reply in this thread and your video is exactly the type of example I was after. Awesome dog!

[Nekhbet]

This is a Malinois from europe (yeah I wish I was that thin, but thanks for the compliment )

Check out the rest of this girls youtube channel he also does agility, frisbee and protection. The sky is the limit but remember not to burn your dog out if it is not suitable for everything, or try and teach too much at once and confuse the dog.