Trick Of The Week 25/4-1/5/04

[whatevah]

Teach Your Dog To Go Out and Paw A Target

Uses

Can be used in TV work, in teaching the box in Utility, Teaching Contacts In Agility, Teaching the Flyball Box,

Equipment Needed

Clicker and Treats, Target

Method

Get out a big target. I used Two Yellow Pages placed on the floor side by side.

Dog is off lead in distraction free environment. Prerably in enclosed area inside the house.

Step 1

Place the Yellow Pages side by side on the floor.

Look at the yellow pages and walk towards them (do not say anything to the dog). As soon as the dog touches the yellow pages with his paw, click and treat. The dog should come to you as soon as it hears the click, if you have charged the clicker.

Repeat the above step 10 times.

Step 2

The dog should be by this time going out much quicker to the target and returning to you for his treat. Now take one of the yellow pages books away. The target will be a lot smaller. I just stare at the target and wait for the dog to go out and touch it with his paw. Click and reward for every paw touch. I then add in the cue word "Punch". But you can add any word. Do this approximately 10 times. Say the cue word as the dog is hitting the target.

Step 3

Now move the target to another place, and repeat the above step. Some dogs do not generalise too well.

Step 4

Take away the yellow pages and exchange for a smaller target, I used a small picture frame. Repeat the above steps.

There you have it. This is the method I used to teach one of my dogs. I have heard that there is another method where you have some food in your hand and you give it to the dog when it starts to paw at it, but I didn;t use that method.

[Clicking Mad]

I started this trick with Texas at Pets As Therapy. We used a towel (big and obvious). We used it by placing the towel on a chair and have the dog put their paws on the towel so as to give the not so mobile residents in nursing homes a closer look and within reach for a pat. All that was required for this to work, was by patting the towel/on chair, and up they hop with their front paws (if you choose the right kinda chair with the right kinda dog they should not be encouraged to jump up on it completely. I was using a dining chair and there is no way Texas thinks he can jump on that ) Some of the dogs required a little luring help, maybe with the hand targetting. But if you don't want this kind of behaviour developing, I'd just stick to bigbums method. I just thought I'd add an alternative method that might be useful.

I taught my other two via the method as above with an ice cream lid.

Initially Jamie girl avoided the lid completely. I really had to position myself and it in a way so she would put just one paw on it by walking past. It was all about positioning. She is also quite receptive to where I'm looking, so a bit of staring at it, a quick look at her, then a big stare at the ice cream lid and she caught on pretty quick.

If you have an inquisitive dog like Chester, it should be easy, it's like he's asking "what is that funny thing on the ground over there?" and before you know it he's all over it, click and treat.

All 3 of mine now pounce at it from a small distance on the "paws" cue.

Sam.

[whatevah]

I really had to position myself and it in a way so she would put just one paw on it by walking past. It was all about positioning. She is also quite receptive to where I'm looking, so a bit of staring at it, a quick look at her, then a big stare at the ice cream lid and she caught on pretty quick.

Yes I also had to walk past the target with my dog and I used the stare method as well. I stared at the object, the dog looked at me then went out and touched the article.

Edited April 29, 2004 by bigbum

[Clicking Mad]

Chester demonstrating "paws" target with ice cream container lid.

[Clicking Mad]

more accurately, the previous shot is him waiting before targetting the ice cream lid, here he is actually doing it...

[Clicking Mad]

and here's Jamie doing the same thing - series of two shots..

[Clicking Mad]

The actual "paws" target in action

[casey]

I taught Casey targeting when he was about 5 months old. He is cued to 'touch' (with his nose)but anytime at training where we stand doing nothing for too long (if I'm busy talking ;) ) he starts touching everything in sight, usually starting with my knees, then my feet, a stick, the fence....... :D

[whatevah]

An example of what can be done with a paw target.

[shoemonster]

Eddie keeps dropping when he paws, I don't know if he thinks the drop is being rewarding or the pawing

I held the lid up and he paws at it, but when its on the floor he drops everytime

[shoemonster]

Any thoughts?

[whatevah]

Go back to basics, and try using a different target such as the yellow pages and walk him past it, and as soon as he touches it c/t before he can drop. After he has touched "yellow pages" click and reward him whilst he is in a stand, perhaps walk a couple of steps.

[shoemonster]

Cool, ta!

[shoemonster]

Tried this last night, its working well

I have him with both paws on the target, as my end goal is to get him to push the door shut

I walked him up next to the yellow pages and with paw command he will put both feet on it, but with no command he will sit as normal, he's a clever boy