positive reinforcement dog training Archives - Page 9 of 9

GPS navigation in dog training

Remember paper maps?

Back in the day before there was GPS navigation, we used to figure out where we were going by using maps. Paper maps. For those of us with a sense of direction, just studying those maps gave us a sense of the place we were going, what the area might look like, how far it was, and, vaguely, an idea of whether we were in the right place. Then GPS navigation came along and none of us know where we’re going anymore. Or how to get there if we can’t “acquire satellites.” How many times have we heard news stories about people driving into places they shouldn’t because their “GPS said” turn there?

Luring = GPS navigation

In dog training, “luring” is the equivalent of GPS navigation. Your dog will follow that treat anywhere – but she won’t know how she got there. And she won’t know how to do it again to get the reward.

An agility friend/trainer/judge tells this story: Pre-GPS, she was hired to judge an out-of-state agility trial. The host club sent someone to her hotel to guide her to the trial site. She followed in her rental car, turning where they turned, stopping when they stopped. And got to the trial site just fine. But at the end of the day, she didn’t know how to get back to the hotel! She didn’t know the route, she just knew to follow her guide!

Be patient

Your dog needs you to let him figure stuff out. Be patient enough to let him fail. And reward generously when he figures it out – YES! That’s it! What a clever dog you are!

Positive Reinforcement is a process

“Fun with a box” is one of the best games for getting both of you accustomed to the positive reinforcement process. By itself, it’s not a “useful” exercise. But it gets your dog to experiment with different actions and see how you react. And it gets you to pay attention to the different things your dog does, see the variations, and reward him for trying.

Freestyling

About once a week we still go back to a version of “Fun With A Box.” We call it “freestyling.” We put a random object in front of our dog and say “Okay, dog! Got any ideas?”

Whatever our dog does to interact with that “thing” is fine. We used a foam roller the other day. Torque got his front feet up on it and pushed it. Good boy! Then he tried to back up on it. Nice try, buddy! Tango saw a four-inch tall step stool. He bowed, he downed, he laid his chin down. It was adorable and all got rewarded.

Not all dogs are particularly creative at first. When they realize there’s no “wrong” answer, most will be willing to try more “stuff.” We love this part the most – when dogs realize your 2-Minute sessions are all about having fun and doing “stuff” together.

What does your dog’s name mean?

If your dog is ignoring you when you say his name repeatedly, there's a reason for that.

What would you guess is the most overused word in dog training?

No?
Here?
Leave it?
Sit?
Come?

All good guesses, but wrong. It’s your dog’s name.

Your dog’s name doesn’t mean much

By itself, after your dog has learned it, the name doesn’t mean much. If you’re just being goofy and making up silly songs to sing to your dog (like we do!), it’s a lyric you try to find lots of rhymes for. Just hanging in the air – it doesn’t give your dog enough information to work with.

Attention!

Calling your dog’s name should be used for attention as in: Hey Fido! Perk up your ears because I’m going to tell you something else! By itself, the name is not a command, and gives your dog no information.

But by itself it’s not a command, a correction, a celebration, or anything else. It’s the alert that should tell your dog that more information is coming:

Fido, come!

Rover, sit!

Spot, place!

Repetition becomes part of the behavior

One of the most common tendencies we see in our students is the habit of repeating themselves. Or adding an “oh!” to the dog’s name, as if that conveyed more information than just the name by itself. If there’s something you want your dog to do, just say it!

And give your dog a second!

And give the dog a moment to figure out what the word is and take action.

Saying it again, before your dog has a chance to process the conversation, will lead to your dog assuming that the repetition is part of the behavior. That’s why we don’t “correct” errors – we start again. Otherwise the error and the “re-do” become part of the behavior.

A friend of ours has a Viszla who’s a very good dog. But his “mom” says “dog, stay!” at least three times before she leaves him. Consequently, if he hears “stay” once, or twice, he doesn’t do it. Three times is the charm for this guy. Because that’s what he’s been taught. Not on purpose, but nevertheless, it’s stuck.

It’s difficult to catch yourself – we all do it. We call our dog’s names and expect them to do something – stop eating dirt, come to us, sit, whatever. But without telling them what we want, how are they supposed to know?

Dogs aren’t mind-readers!

If you want to practice getting your dog’s attention – call his/her name. And reward when he/she looks at you.

Whenever there’s something more you want your dog to do when you call, include that “something” when you call. Give him a chance to figure it out, and reward when he does.

Finding the fix

You know how you can overlook stuff that’s right in front of you? Like the time you searched all over for your phone and you were holding it in your hand?

Traffic jam!

We’ve been suffering with a traffic jam at our house forever. We have a very narrow entryway from the back door of the house. And when we come in from the yard, all the dogs congregate in that narrow entry, waiting for their “go home!” treats.

Needless to say, with four dogs and two people trying to get into a space that’s not more than nine feet square, it got a little crowded. And a little tense.

Oh yeah, we’re dog trainers…

Then one day we remembered we’re dog trainers. We had to think of a behavior we could teach the dogs that would solve the crowding issue. And get them out of the doorway before bad weather arrives and coats, boots, and parkas are added to the mix.

It was a perfect opportunity to put our own 2-Minute-Trainer system to work.

We thought about what we wanted to accomplish:

get the dogs to move further into the kitchen and out of the doorway.
We pictured what we wanted the result to look like:
all the dogs lined up, sitting on a yoga mat.

We decided what we wanted to call the behavior:

Line Up!

We implemented the plan on our next entry.

When we called the dogs into the house, we immediately moved over by the mat for the Line Up! We called the dogs over, saying Line Up! As each dog stepped on the yoga mat we told him to “Sit!,” gave him a treat, and said “Good Line Up!”

All the dogs lined up, out of the entry way. — Simon, Booker, Torque, Tango

All of the dogs still sitting on the mat got a treat each time another dog joined the “Line Up.” So the first dog on the mat got the most treats! Now all the dogs dash over to the mat when they hear “Line Up!” And we go down the line rewarding each dog multiple times. When everyone’s inside and we’re done, we give our dogs their “release cue” – “Go!”

We solved the problem in just two days. So far we haven’t asked the dogs to maintain a particular order in their “Line up!” behavior, but that would be an easy addition if we want to add it later.

Dogs love routine and love knowing what they’re supposed to do. Giving them a better choice has reduced the aggravation of coming in the house. Seeing them all lined up, sitting like good boys, lets us enjoy coming home every single time.

Don’t Wanna, Not Gonna

Training a dolphin is a lot like training a dog!

One of the doyennes of positive reinforcement training, Karen Pryor, is also the author of A Dog & A Dolphin – An Introduction to Clicker Training. At first, the similarities between the two species may not be apparent, but for training, they’re much alike – if you do it right.

Training = Training

At our favorite dolphin facility, the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, Florida, we’ve been privileged to watch and participate in training sessions with the dolphins. With dolphins, you have to use positive reinforcement. If the animal isn’t interested and engaged, willing to play with you – he or she just swims off. There’s not a thing you can do about it.

Should be SO MUCH FUN!

Dogs are sometimes “just not that into it.” If your dog disengages and goes off sniffing, it’s time to switch gears. We don’t “make” our dogs play training games with us. We make the games, and ourselves, so much fun that they want to play with us.

If you’re working on a “come!” and your dog doesn’t, think about what you can change to make yourself more appealing. Don’t beg your dog to come to you – run away from him! Or get down on all fours and call her to crawl under you. Slap a toy on the ground and drag it. Be creative.

Some dogs get over-stimulated during play sessions. If that’s the case and your dog is barking at you or excited and not listening, just sit down, without saying anything, and wait for a moment of silence. Then whisper something. Or gently blow on your dog’s face to get his attention. If he or she is too “amped up,” your dog may not be able to focus on what you’re asking.

One of our training mentors, when a dog is barking uncontrollably in class, yells “Goku needs a hug!” It stops the behavior and gives the dog a chance to refocus.

Sometimes a “time out” is needed

If nothing else works, either call it a day and end the session, or give your dog a little “time out” in the crate. It gives you and your dog a little break and hits the “reset.” The break doesn’t have to be long – less than a minute will do. He or she may come out ready to play with you again.

If that doesn’t happen, chalk it up to a bad day. We all have them. Even our dogs. You’ll have another chance later, or tomorrow.