New to Training

Brittany

Wow! I have been browsing through the forum and see you all have alot of amazing tricks you teach your dogs. I really want to be able to work with the dogs and get them to focus and learn new things. What are some of the simpler tricks that I should start with? And how do I get them to focus completely on me? I am signing Kimber up for basic obedience class that starst Oct 31st.

fawkese1

training is both easier and more difficult than most people think...

classes are a great way to start...usually...do you know anything about them? what the methods are etc?

i like to use positive reinforcment methods...i think that some corrections have a place, but if you make positive reinforcement your goal, it really opens up a lot of options for dealing with "problem behavior" and corrections need to be done right or you can damage your relationship with your dog.
the book "the power of positive training" was recommended to you i think...i second that for sure...pat miller, the auther is pretty good at breaking behaviors down and she incorporates training tricks into "obedience" training...using a clicker or a reward marker speeds up the process quite a bit too and this book talks about it...

i used capturing to get "take a bow" and "speak" from my dog, so those were easy to train...i used shaping to teach "down", "roll-over", "play dead"...those were not difficult to shape...just a bit more work than capturing...some dogs pick up on some tricks faster than others...is there anything you are interested in trying to train? we could help you work out how to break it down and get started....

we also have a "friendly competition" thing going that is posted in the training forum...this month's trick is "say your prayers" you may want to check that out....it isn't a serious competition, more of a tool for helping us all to learn how to shape a trick....

Criosphynx

Two magic words.

Marker training.

You condition the dog to understand a word (i use "yes") or a sound (a clicker) to mean food, toys, praise, open doors etc (primarily food tho) once the dog is conditioned to your marker you use it everytime the dog does som'thing you like. They sit...you mark (yes or click) you deliver the reward. The marker allows you to have a second to get the treat to them, otherwise you would have to reward the instant it happens...which is hard if not impossible with som'things

YouTube - Introduction to ClickerTraining - PART 1 (by Honey the Great Dane)

YouTube - Introduction to Clicker Training - PART 2: Teaching Tricks (by Honey the Great Dane)

YouTube - Introduction to ClickerTraining - PART 3: Teaching DOWN & STAY (by Honey the Great Dane)

most tricks are pretty simple, doesn't really matter where you start...personally i teach the dog to touch my hand as one of the first things...

Hand targeting?

what do you want to teach him first?

and what fawkese said :P

Brittany

What do you mean when you say capturing and shaping?

Right now I am working on the basic sit and down which are going pretty well. He is having trouble with Stay but is definitely making progress. I don't have a fenced in yard so I would like to train him to Come. Those are the main ones I can think of that are NECESSARY. Are there any others?

Brittany

What is the point of this? I have heard a lot of people doing this. Is it to get their attention or just for fun?

Brittany

Oh I have started using a clicker during our training sessions too.

Criosphynx

capturing is, well....capturing a behavior...dog sits (on his own) and you click....

shaping is say...you want the dog to turn on the light switch...so you click for looking at the switch...then for touching it...then mouthing it...then turning it on. You are rewarding pieces towards your goal.

stay and come are definetly must haves.

Targeting is simply a skill that makes teaching the other things easier....and its fun. I virtually never have to touch my dogs to move them.

how are you teaching him to stay?

Brittany

I have him sit and then put my hand up and tell him to stay...he was staying for 10 seconds but today he kept flopping around LoL like sitting and then laying down and popping back up...out of excitement I guess....what do you suggest?

Criosphynx

are you standing in front of him during the ten seconds?

the biggest mistake people make is raising two criteria at once...for example you want to work on duration separate from distance...so lets say hes staying for your ten seconds with you right in front of him...when you decide to train him to stay with you further away...take ONE step (or part step) and reduce the time of the stay to say... One second instead of ten....then build back up the time with the new distance.

personally I work on distance first...because time is kinda built into it (takes a few seconds to walk ten feet away for example) but it doesn't really matter which way you do it.

oh and always return to the dog to deliver the treat.

Mikey

Welcome!!!


Capturing, simply, is catching them doing what you want. Shaping is shaping it into what you want...CCSC Dog Talk: Capturing, Shaping, Modeling, Luring nice read


Easy tricks:
High five How to Teach a Dog to High Five | eHow.com
Roll over How to Get Your Dog to Roll Over - wikiHow
Sit pretty Sitting Pretty Dog Trick: Dog Tricks | eHow.com

Start small-work up. Your dog wants to suceed. Reward what he does best!!!

For instance, Mikey always 'wipes his feet' after peeing....thats a natural behavior for him. So we named it 'wipe your feet!' and we keep saying it while he does it, and when he comes in dirty we tell him 'wipe your feet' and physically do the same ....he'll soon come in and wipe his own feet. The easiset thing to train is something they already do-name it and reward it