Training Methods

[Cheyenne_Fury]

Hi Guys,

This post is not intended to enflame or upset anyone I'm just curious as to what different training methods everyone use and what results they achieve with their dogs so I have a few questions

Do any of you guys use corrections at all? If so in what context/circumstance.

Do any of you guys lure with food? Is so when do you start to phase the food out? (Same for toys)

If any what other methods or equipment or whatever do you use?

I'm asking these questions as I am interested in improving the way that I handle and train my own dogs and am interested in what methods other people use :D

Thanks

Anne

[TURBOTERROR]

i use Clicker and food , i still use food now with my girl and she is in OPEn Obedience ( trialling dog ) , my boy i use clicker with food .

Guess you never phase food out , but just use less once the dog is reliable in what you have taught the dog.

[Cheyenne_Fury]

Thanks TT do you use the same methods in your agility training?

I'm currently in group 2 agility with my dalmatian...

[TURBOTERROR]

yes

[petmezz]

hi

i use what ever is needed to receve a result. i do use corrections at times, i use food, toy and voice rewords, i lure with food and toyes, i will bridge behaviours with a word "YES" or a clicker and i will simply ignore sertan behaviours.

depending on the situation depends on what i use and i will use a combination of things to get the results i want.

the main thing about training dogs is to make it fun for the dog, if they are not having fun try a different method. if they are having to much fun and deciding they can get away with anything again try a different method.

[TangerineDream]

With Tango the reward that works best for him in obedience is praise - he adores it...corrections are only as required and that is only after refocussing him hasn't worked. The corrections that I use are obedience based and not seen by him as corrections.... so I get a positive response every time and a happy pup.

When heeling I have the lead around the back of my legs and held against my right hip so that if he gets too far ahead, the action of my legs against the lead reminds him of where he's meant to be and that is the best method that I've found - I don't need to actively correct him, the lead does that for me. To refocus him I just do some very snappy about turns .....

He learns quickly and wants to please (most of the time).

[pawsaroundoz]

Hi Cheyanne Fury

I listen/watch everyone, think about how their methods would work when used with my own dogs and use the bits that do work, file away the other stuff in my head - you just never know when you are going to have a dog that it will work with!

I mostly use positive training methods, all of my excersizes are broken down into the tiniest little bits, taught to the dogs in a sort of 1 step back, 2 steps forward sort of way, with tons of praise/play and food behaviour shaping.

There are times when I will use verbal correction.....Carlin for some reason has always seemed more mentally comfortable with a slip collar....why I do not know, most of the time it is on the 'dead' ring anyway, but when he feels concerned about something, for instance walking over bridges, he's always hated the knowledge that there is nothing underneath! he will seem to be much happier if I change rings and walk him over on a collar that is not tight or choking by any means but that he can feel - perhaps it's just that he feels safer that way?

When I have a particular problem with an exersize I like to think about how I am training it and what is it about the way I am doing it that my dog doesn't understand....quite often it will be something very simple. The way I set up the jumps, the way the oval is shaped has made a difference at times. I always try to put myself at the dogs level to get a view of what an exersize looks / feels like....er does that make sense?

Good Luck anyway, and good on you, we should all give this some thought from time to time.

annie and her boyz

[Lablover]

This question is too difficult to answer. What someone may consider a correction with one dog is not with another. I have seen poor timing, with corrections and poor timing with praise. I have seen nagging (which I dislike intensely), when a well timed correction, would have been much easier for the dog to understand its failure to perform A KNOWN COMMAND. KNOWN BEING the important word here. I make damm sure my dogs know what they are been corrected for. Keeping a diary is a great help.

I try desperately to think like a dog and keep an open mind. I am happy to be alive at this time as so many new and proved training techniques are being developed, hopefully all good, so we can train our dogs fairly and using their great strengths.

[yogibear]

Many years ago i started training using traditional methods you know correct and praise but i didnt fidn them terribly great and began to ook at what ese was around Over the years i have experimented tested and tried many different methods one thing i agre with LL on its all in the timing whther you use clicker or traditional timing matters

these days i break things down into tiny parts set the dog up to succeed and use clicker and food toys if we hit a road block i go aaway and ask why and reset the exercise so we will be successful...

I dont use phyisical corrections or verbal when teaching but i will say oihh if my dogsa about to eat the garbage or chase a cat oih means stop what your doing thats about as aversive as i get i see training as rolercaster you work up and down the exercise not just go full steam ahead you needd to build really strong foundations most people are to quick to move up the criteria training should be fun and rewarding and at the end of the day if the dog ist doing it im the one to blame as im the teacher and i have to find a way to get through to the dog what i want.

Does that help or even make sense lol

[J...]

TD thats a great idea with the heeling! Will have to try it!!!

[Erny]

I agree with a number of responses where it's about finding the method that best suits your dog and also achieves your goal/expectations.

I will include aversives (ie verbal and/or physical corrections - ie +P) in the training phase of obedience training where appropriate. (There are, of course, exceptions in which case I will use -R, such as withholding praise/treat etc.) What I don't like is when handlers get 'fixed' on the idea that aversives only will train the dog, and they forget or get lazy about putting much energy into giving the dog praise and reward (fun) to counter balance. IMO, the level of praise/reward should far outway the level of any correction.

Edited May 4, 2006 by Erny

[lab and poodle]

I use clicker training and straight positive training, whatever suits. The main thing is to get the timing right and have a ball, both yourself and the dog. I am not much into writing things down or working out micro steps, but I sure do read a hell of a lot, watch heaps, and like to train on the fly.I always remember that dogs are specialists, and need to be introduced into doing behaviours in different enviroments.

I am right into being unpredictable, and using the enviroment as a reward. I don't take crap though, and will happily narrow down a dogs options very quickly by using negative punishment. (End of game, isolation etc). I will use relatively mild positive punishment once in a while (say every 6 months) on real hard heads like my old lab.(He is a real softie now.)

I can see places where training implements I don't use could be of service. One of them is not a choker collar. If I won lotto, I would go door to door to collect evry last one and throw them in the rubbish. They are bad news for handlers and dogs.

I would use an electric collar as a last resort on working gun dogs and sheep dogs. I would qualify as an expert (on the electricity side) on the perception of electric shock , and by gees they are way too unpredictable for my liking for ordinairy day to day use by amateurs.

I can see that with large high drive dogs in the hands of less well endowed handlers, a prong collar could be useful. But again, I worry about the training of the handler. I also wonder wheter they get used a bit quickly.

[BrunoBella]

I have spent four months going through all my training and trying to fix anything I was doing inconsistently - lots of things when you look closely. This has made a massive difference to Bella's behaviour and improved our bond. I have a few more things to fix, like pulling on the lead when seeing birds. Worked very hard this afternoon and came back with Bella on a loose lead even past birds. Bella gets disheartened if I spend all my time correcting so now say "Let's try that again" in a happy voice and she smiles and does a better job. Sometimes we cross the same road backwards and forwards three times

For pulling, I am trying to use stopping and 180 turns. Both work at different times for Bella.

I'm sure every dog is different

[Guest Clover]

Training is different for each of my dogs. Clover is into food and praise, but will work without food (Eg in a trial/ mock trial). El is into lots of praise and i have to keep talking to him and keeping his attention, he also responds well to click/ treat. I have not done much work with Tinny, she can "sit", "drop", "stay" and "come" thats about it, and she does not pull onlead well she never has. I did some puppy training with Tinny using treats and toys, she will now do a little work for a tennis ball .

The pup i am currently training (Not my bub, a friends) i am using positive training only, she works on a flat collar and her praise is food or a toy.

When i started out training Clover when she was a pup and i was only young, i did as i was told "Correct if she pulls, drag her up if she lags" and out of that i have a dog that does not realy enjoy working, but we are working on it (Want to get her CD before her 8th Bday in Oct ). We have been training together since she was 14 weeks old.

[Sparty]

I will correct bodie tho he rarely requires it, lol very mildy as he is a mummys boy usually a voice reprimand is all the is required. he mainly works in prey drive so that isnt a issue.

Sparty and Kira have to be encouraged all the time they too were as clover said jerk em back and drag them up and are bored stupid in normal classes so i now do short fun lessons usually 5 min or less a couple of times a day, been a bit slack with sparty now he has retired .... and im working up to Kira as she is a challenge to get motivated i cant very well wave sparty as a prey item and he is the only thing that seems to get her excited

[Cheyenne_Fury]

Thanks so much everyone for your replies

I think that I've learnt that it comes down to what works well for the dog/handler combination and what form of training we feel most comfortable using

[Vin]

With Tino i find that food works best. He does do basic stuff without food sometimes. I just dont want the commands i give him to become reliant on food all the time.