Trick Of The Week 4/4-11/4/04

[whatevah]

Teach Your Dog to Close the Door/Drawer

Uses - good for assistance dogs, can lead to open doors/drawers, good for us lazy people who forget to close doors/drawers.

Prequisite -

Dog must know Targetting - Read Up and teach this trick for a week first.

http://forums.dogzonline.com.au/index.php?showtopic=8044

Method - there are three methods, you can use one or try a combination

Equipment Needed Clicker, Treats, Light weight door (such as kitchen cupboard door)

Target Method

Get a small target that the dog is interested in, could be a yellow sticky note, piece of carboard etc. Stick this to the cupboard door.

Dog is off lead in distraction free environment. Dog is in front of the cupboard door and it is slightly open.

1. When the dog sniffs the target, click and treat do this about 20 twenty times.

2. Now hold back and don't click for sniff the target, wait for a harder nudge. Then click and treat the door moving slightly about 20 times.

3. Now hold off and click and treat the harder pushes.

4. Now only click for the door closing. Do this twenty times.

5. When the dog is successfully opening a slightly closed door, open the door a bit further and repeat the above steps. Once he has been successful add the cue word, I use DOOR

6. Now cut the target to a bit smaller, and repeat the above steps, then cut the target smaller again, and repeat above steps and then phase out the target.

7. You can now teach the drawer using the same method, but choose a drawer at the dogs head height or lower. Use a lightweight empty or near empty drawer.

Shaping Method

Put dog in front of slightly open door, (lightweight small doors work best, kitchen cupboard, laundry cabinet door etc)

1. When the dog looks at the door click and treat. Repeat this 20 times.

2. Now wait for the dog to offer something else, such as a harder nose push, click and treat this 20 times.

3. Keep repeating step 2, and click for harder and harder nose pushes.

4. Once the door is being closed, only click for door closures.

5. Once successful add the cue word "DOOR"

Food Lure Method

This is similar to the shaping method, except you put a little bit of mince on the door, so the dog will nose the door and click that, then repeat the above steps.

Trouble Shooting

My dog actually ate the sticky note, so I did a combination of shaping and luring methods.

My dog also tends to push the door the wrong way, making it open more. I just let him keep trying and he pushes the door hard enough the wrong way that it actually bounces back and closes.

Dogs don't generalise too well, so when you go to practice on another door, you may need to go back a few steps. Don't click for paw touches only nose touches. You don't want the dog slamming that door, or scratching the door.

Make sure you add a cue word. I didn't and now when my dog sees an open door/drawer he has to go and close it. Some dogs can get fanatical about open doors/drawers.

Also I have taught my dog to open doors and drawers and when I first taught him he would open it, and then immediately close it. It was very funny to watch, so make sure you add a cue word. Open doors/drawers will be taught later down the track.

ADVANCED

Once your dog is successful at close the door, you can add in the drawer using the same methods. You can also open several cupboard doors and click the dog only after he has closed two doors, then three doors. You can also open several drawers and get the dog to close all of them.

Let me know how you go with this trick.

Edited April 3, 2004 by bigbum

[aatainc]

Well my dogs are all expert at these as they are assistance dog tasks.

However I would add a few pointers.

Firstly, a laminated business card is a great target. IF you teach touch on that, then you can just put it on the door and ask them to touch and click and treat.

I would avoid doing what you suggested above to click for harder and harder pushes. I find a lot of dogs then get confused about the goal. What I do is to click when the door actually shuts, not when the dog pushes, so that the dog realises the goal. This way, after a few touches on a shut door, I open it the smallest bit and as the dog touches I push the door closed myself. I then click as the door clicks shut. After a few repetitions the dog realises that it's the shutting of the door that makes the click happen.

then you can usually immediately progress to completely open doors and the dog will work out on his own how hard to push. Also, because the dog knows that the goal is to shut, and not to just push, they rarely get the direction wrong.

Also, a lot of dogs will refuse to do it with the nose, so some will need to use the paw. I find that unless the door is very old they don't usually scratch it. Keep this in mind if your dog seems very aversive to touching with his nose. Many will be quite happy with the paw.

Great trick big bum

[whatevah]

My dog also does the open the door and drawer. But I will save that trick for other time, as you don't want to rush the dog, and get him confused and have to go back to basics again.

The method I posted above worked for my dog. He did the trick in one session, but he is a very clicker savvy dog, and also very food motivated and a quick learner. I learnt the method above from the Bow Wow Videos by Sherri. They used the target and clicker for harder and harder touches and they did not touch the door at all. So horses for courses.

What other assistance dog tasks have you taught?

I am quite interested in these, as my dog learns very quickly compared to my other dog and is a real pleasure to teach.

I have also taught another trick where the dog targets a pedal on a rubbish bin and retrieves a toy. I have also taught my dog to go out a hit a few notes on a keyboard. This week I have been working on speak.

[Clicking Mad]

I'd love to say something on this trick... I tried it just to see what mine would do without any planning or following any method...

Tex and Jame got rewarded for it a couple of times. Chester was just confused. Hopeless effort by me really. Not happy with myself ;)

Have gone back to targetting with a stick/ruler.

Thanks for the challenge though, I need something a little more difficult to try my hand on. The dogs will do fine as soon as I get my act together.

Sam.

PS - will give an update in a week or so on how things are progressing.

[whatevah]

You need to plan, and follow a method. What did you actually do and where did you get stuck. Some dogs learn faster than others. Some dogs are more clicker savvy than others. You break up the trick into small parts, and reward the dog for that part. Don't rush the dog.

[Clicking Mad]

Bigbum,

Yes I've been slack as far as planning goes, too keen for my own (and my dogs) good. I know this !!!! I'm not doing very well at going slowly :rolleyes:

I'm just starting to realise that my dogs do learn at different paces, and trying to accomodate my training to their needs. I've been a little blind to how they have been responding individually. They do pretty good considering.

I video taped (I only just got a video camera) the first attempt at closing the cupboard door, I'll try and explain what I did and what the dogs did:

Texas: I sorta indicated with my hand at the cupboard door which was open a crack. He followed my hand, and once he kinda got what I meant he pawed the door and it closed. There must have been a lot of body language going on 'cause I really don't know how he knew what I meant. He got a click reward as the door closed. I went up in criteria too quickly and opened the door wider, he pushed the door further open after a little investigation inside the cupboard, then I got him around to the back of the door and just kinda encouraged him to keep trying as he was pawing at it (btw: I didn't mind the idea of pawing rather than using his nose to close the door). I closed it a little more and he pawed and it closed and he got a click/reward. I did this a couple more times, just verbally encouraging his attempts until the door closed and he got the click/reward. Then again another raise in criteria, I opened the adjacent cupboard door a crack. This was easier I think because of his positioning being behind the opening, easier for his paw to close it rather than open it further (if you know what I mean), and he closed it first go. Big praise, click/reward. A couple of times he got a little frustrated (due to the low reward ratio) and offered a few other behaviours like bow and wave. I cued a few of these as well so I could give him a reward.

Jamie: I stupidly went into it as a continuation of Texas' session. She was initially pretty confused. I tried to get her to touch my hand in front of the cupboard door, but the execution was really really bad on my part, I know I did this wrong when I watched the video. What I was doing was holding my hand in front of the cupboard, cueing a "touch" and then quickly moving the hand away so that her nose would close the door, but she just followed my hand. I should have kept my hand there, and with the touch, pushed the door with my hand, and click/reward as the door closed. At the time I didn't even realise. She jumped up on the bench, and offered other behaviours, and eventually got the right one, of pawing the door closed click/reward. Then I tried to get a couple of repetitions in at the same criteria (that is the door only open a crack). She did better when she was working quickly. I had the food rewards in the dining room so as I'd click and go and get the reward (only a couple of steps - I have a very small kitchen), give her the food and quickly go back to open the kitchen cupboard door a crack she would run up behind and almost slam herself into the door and close it. This happened a couple of times.

Chester: Tried to get a nose touch. I was all over the place, trying to get a "touch" away from the door, near the door. He thought the inside of the cupboard was much more interesting and kept opening it wider to get a better look. I suppose I kinda expected him to give the same response as Texas and Jamie, just move my hand around in the general area and he'll get it, but of course, it wasn't that simple. Then I tried targetting a piece of paper and rewarded for any nose touch of the paper that was attached to the door. I'd also rubbed the cupboard with a bit of food, and he licked it off. Then I changed again and did the same thing with the touch my hand and close the door as I'd initially done with Jamie, I did learn there and I kept my hand in front of the door so I finished off with a couple of touchs of my hand and my hand would push the cupboard door closed, click/reward. He walked off a couple of times, during the session. Upon viewing the video, giving a perspective from his point of view, I can see why he was so confused.

Another thing I thought of after was the fact that the kitchen isn't a place I normally train the dogs. They aren't really encouraged to even go into the kitchen, let alone do anything in there. My reward ratio for all the dogs was too low. All these things on top of my lack of a plan. Texas is happy to try new things. Jamie if encouraged enough will do things she thinks is a little out of the ordinary, and if she gets rewarded for it once she will happily repeat it. Chester needs to be rewarded all the time, almost, so would probably do better by shaping his looking at the door, click/reward, sniff the door, click/reward, lick the door, click/reward, etc etc. He needs the extra incentive.

The next day: I went back to basics and did a targetting session with a plastic card on the end of a ruler. I did this in the kitchen. Texas as usual caught on pretty quick, as did Jamie. Chester kept giving his open mouthed touch, wanting to bite the ruler, so I found it harder to reward him, I really didn't want to encourage a bite of the ruler, just a nose touch. A couple of times I accidently rewarded the bite and then tried to get him to go back to a nose touch. At one point he was just sitting there staring off in the distance - not a good sign. A couple of times he got it and gave a really nice nose touch but these were few and far between. He's a bit of a challenge when I have Texas and Jamie around following my body language.

I think I'll stick to the "targetting" for the moment. At least for a couple of weeks, a chance to move the target into different environments, and then onto different objects.

I don't do clicker training sessions every day either, so sometimes I have to go back a few steps over what they have already done, which takes time.

Think I will leave posting for a while until I have either made some progress or need some help.

Actually, any suggestions on how I can keep a high reward ratio going with Chester at the same time as discouraging the bite of the ruler, instead of a nose touch. His first reaction is to bite it, and sometimes I have waited for him to take his teeth off and until his nose is on, this can take a few seconds, and he seems to get frustrated with having to wait (like why didn't I get a click/reward for that?), and sometimes I have rewarded the mouthing (accidently - hence the question why didn't I get a click/reward for that? when I wait for the nose touch). I was also thinking if I am rewarding his bite then wait then nose touch, wouldn't I be rewarding that whole sequence, rather than the straight nose touch? I don't want to discourage him from interacting with it altogether - which happened. What would be your recommendation?

Sam.

[aatainc]

for chester's touch, use such a big card that he can't bite around it - like a book. I"d just allow the bite, knowing that he won't be able to bite the door once he's doing that.

It does sound like you went a bit fast.

Big bum, which dog is the faster learner - the toller or the flattie? ( I know which one I'd be guessing!)

[whatevah]

The toller is the faster learner. I taught him speak in one session. But he is really food motivated the flattie isn't. I spoke to clicking mad on MSN. Basically told her she needs to follow a plan, and not rush the dog. Needs to try out one method properly before trying another one. You don't try three different methods in one session. Also needs to teach the dog targetting to objects first, and practice it for a week before putting a target onto the door.

The targetting method is already covered in another trick on this forum. But least she is out there giving it a go.

Here are some photos. The open drawer. The scrunchie is on the drawer, because I have also taught him to open the drawer as well.

Edited May 10, 2004 by bigbum

[whatevah]

Closing the drawer, he does it very quickly.

[whatevah]

Finished closing the drawer, whats next?

[Clicking Mad]

What a beautiful good boy ;)

Inspiration for sure.

Update on the progress with my dogs and this trick:

They are successfully nose targetting a plastic card on the end of a ruler, and we have progressed to moving the plastic card to the cupboard door where Chester pushed it close (it was only open a smidge) but I was so happy and I jackpotted him and haven't done that trick for a couple of days now. We'll see how they go tomorrow.

Sam.

[whatevah]

That is excellent. That is how I started, only opened door a smidge and clicked when door closed, then repeated that a few times, and gradually opened door a little bit more.

[Clicking Mad]

I'm still working on this.

Have started each training day (not every day, maybe every third) with a really quick, maybe 2 minutes per dog, session of "close the door".

Chester is definately progressing fastest, he gets the nose target over the paw target much more solidly than the other two. I opened the door a little more without any loss of performance too. I even managed to sneak in a cue this morning "close" with a nice jackpot.

With Texas and Jamie I had rewarded too many times for a paw target early on. Those accidental (*after edit and reread of my prior entries* and deliberate) rewards take so much longer to extinguish than anything - like variable reinforcement

Although I did have a good session today with Texas and Jamie, who both closed the door (opened a smidge) with their noses. To start Texas was putting his nose to the target but not hard enough to close the cupboard door which I verbally encouraged but didn't click, he gave up doing that pretty quickly and closed the door a couple of times with his paw which I didn't reward (yeh for me, I got something right for a change) then just kept clicking his nose targetting attempts, then a couple of times after that he pushed hard enough to close the door YEH!! jackpot.

With Texas's session being first I learnt. So when I got Jamie I rewarded every nose target before she could think to lift her paw. I was surprised how quick she got it. Nose touch, click, reward... nose touch, click, reward... nose touch, click, reward... in quick succession. She wasn't pushing hard enough to close the door, but she got there after about 10 of those quick nose touch, click, rewards. Very happy big jackpot and let her go out and think about it for a bit...

So I'm learning just as much as my dogs, and it was a terrific stress relief for me to be interacting with my dogs in such a challenging and rewarding way.

That's my big happy achievement for the day

Sam.

Edited May 27, 2004 by Clicking Mad

[whatevah]

Thats great to hear, you are progressing. There is no need to rush the dogs, as you are not going to a "close the door" trial at the end of the week. ) But seriously you seem to going really well.

I would suggest trying a light weight door. I started off with a plastic laundry cabinet door. Do you have any lighter doors than the wooden one? Also try a smaller door, like a cabinet door.

Once the dogs are good on a light weight door then move to a heavier door. But you are definately on the right track.

Keep the updates coming.

[Clicking Mad]

I realise it's been forever.

I have been slowly hacking away at this with my guys.

Texas and Jamie, I kinda gave up with the nose close door, it was easier to reward for a paw close door - go with their strengths.

Chester does a good nose close door, very impressed with him.

Here are some pics from the other day:

Texas:

others to follow ...

[Clicking Mad]

and Jamie with her paw:

[Clicking Mad]

And Chester with his nose ... he'll do it from out of the room too, unlike the other two.

and waiting for the next go ...

Chester is definately the stand out with this trick out of my 3 :rolleyes:

Sam.