Taking Turns

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cues, dog bed, Dog Training, good dog, impulse control, learned relaxation, obedience, patience, teaching, Tom, training humans, Zora

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I adore using mats or dog beds or other place type spaces to teach and then remind dogs about taking turns.

Tom & Zora both lying on a white and checked donut style dog bed

Tom and Zora have both been getting rather nudgy, pushy and whiny lately around the concepts of sharing my and other people’s attention so I realized I needed to be much clearer and consistent with our taking of turns during training as I’ve slacked a lot on the criteria for that.  I’ve been really lax on where the non-working dog is to be in space.

We’ve now done 2 sessions where I went back to clear and consistent criteria that the working dog was active with me and the non-working dog was quietly lying on the dog bed.  Then they swap on cue.  And already I’m seeing a positive difference.  Calmer, quieter, more focused work from both of the dogs.

The non-working on the bed dog is remembering to stay on the bed until I give their name and release cue.  Even when the working dog and I are doing some rather active, movement based and enticing things.  The working dog is getting my undivided attention and we’re making some great progress on things.

An interesting observation is each dog has asked to be the on the bed non-working dog at times when they want a break from the active more precision based training we’ve been doing.  I respect that and we do a dog swap when ever either asks for that.

Tom & Zora both lying on the large tan rectangle dog bed

In the past when I’ve been consistent about non-working dog is on the mat during training sessions, I see really nice fall over to other areas of life, such as when people are at the door, leave it exercises and meet and greets in general.  As those too have deteriorated in ways I’m less than thrilled with lately, I’m including practice and clearer consistent criteria on our greeting manners using their ‘on the bed’ behavior too.

Push the Ball

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ball, cues, Dog Training, fun, games, students, toys

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Teaching dogs to push round objects with their noses is often such a fun training exercise and game.  The Advanced class had a great time with it last night, and as I just typed the instructions for it up for their homework, I thought I’d share it here as well.  These exercises are great mental as well as physical exercise.  Most dog’s history with round ball type things involves grabbing them with their mouths.  With these exercises we are asking them to think about ball type objects in entirely new ways!

Zora and I practicing her pushing a large grey physio-ball in the yard last summer

 

Exercise 1:

1. Start with a dish with a couple of round ball type objects in it.  Usually tennis ball size is great.  You want a dish with a high enough lip that the balls stay contained within the dish easily.
2. Place a few treats under the balls in the dish, and have a number of treats in your hand ready to go
3. Let your dog begin to sniff out and eat the treats under the balls
4. Each time your dog’s nose pushes a ball out of the way praise and drop a treat into the dish further encouraging more pushing of the balls with their nose
5. As your dog gains confidence shoving the balls out of the way with their nose, gradually remove balls one at a time until just 1 ball remains in the dish and your dog is consistently pushing it around the dish.  Again reward with a dropped treat into the dish for each nose to ball shove.
6. You can place your treats strategically to encourage more pushing if that helps your dog.
7. If your dog picks up a ball with their mouth, it’s ok, simply place the ball back into the dish and sprinkle some treats under it once more.  Then make sure you have a very fast, very high value treat to toss in the moment your dog’s nose makes contact with the ball.

Exercise 2:

1. You will need a ball about a soccer or basket ball or a beach ball size, and a dish.
2. Place the dish so the ball rests on it as a pedestal.  Most dishes this means you flip it upside down so the bottom is facing up
3. Place a treat under the ball, positioning it at first so it is easy for your dog to smell and know is there, then progressing as your dog is successful to the treat harder to know is there and more a reward than lure for pushing the ball.  You can stabilize the ball by resting your finger on the top of it
4. As your dog pushes the bottom 1/3 of the ball with their nose to get the treat, the ball rolls forward.  The first 1-2 reps you can help the ball roll if your dog needs as your dog’s nose makes contact.  But if you do that only do it 1-2 times then progress to your dog doing the pushing without help
5. After your dog is consistently pushing the ball off the pedestal by pushing the bottom 1/3 of the ball cleanly with their nose and muzzle (no feet, no teeth) begin to add your verbal cue as they make contact with the ball.  Mine is ‘push’ but you can use whatever makes sense to you
6. You want your dog to push the bottom 1/3 of the ball as it helps discourage the dog from trying to bite at the ball.

Exercise 3:

1. Using a yoga mat, towel or bath mat, roll the mat with treats embedded in each roll
2. Encourage your dog to push the mat open using their nose
3. As your dog pushes the mat unrolls revealing treats
4. After your dog successfully unrolls the mat a few times and is understanding then do a repetition using your ball.  Have the mat fully rolled out and your dog pushing the ball the length of the mat.  Place a treat under the ball for each push to begin with.  And use your ‘push’ cue
5. Vary between your dog unrolling the mat and pushing the ball the length of the mat
6. The mat exercise can help the dog build up sustained pushing and strength to the push

As your dog understands that push is to make a round object move forward with their nose, vary the objects you have them push.  You can use different size or type balls ex: tennis, racquet, beach, yoga, softball, etc, or things like soup cans, get creative!

Work on generalizing that ‘push’ means to use their nose to shove an object.  You can even use this cue to teach them to turn on light switches, push the switch up.  Or to shut a door or drawer.  Push the door/drawer forward to close it.

Work on cue discrimination.  If you cue ‘push’ you are asking the dog to push the ball with their nose.  “Take it” or your grab cue means to grab it with their mouths.  “Chin” to rest their head on it.  “Kick” to use their feet to move the ball.  And so on.

Also work on direction of the push.  You can set up a couple of cones or other markers and teach your dog to push the ball through the ‘goal’.  Or to push it directly to you.  Or up a ramp.   Your dog will be a soccer star in no time!  😉

 

Toy Play & Cooperative Care

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cues, Dog Training, fun, games, husbandry skills, play, toys, Zora

*As of Feb 1, 2019 We’ve moved!* If you like this post please come on over to the new blog at https://www.maplewooddog.com/blog/  Where you can find all the archives you’ve read here plus new posts nearly every week! Hope you’ll join me over at the Maplewood Dog Blog. Thanks!

I teach a cue to my dogs that means reach your head through the hole extended.  Primarily I use this for putting leashes, collars, and harnesses on.  Though it has proved useful if they need to wear an Elizabethan cone or muzzle for medical recovery.  They are to shove their head through what ever opening I hold up.  This is part of cooperative care for my dogs and I.  As I do not reach toward the dog to put the gear on, if they aren’t willing to come toward it and place their head through the opening, I know we need to work on increasing their comfort with it before moving forward.

And it’s a really fun trick.

This morning Zora, Tom and I were playing around, being silly with their doughnut toy.  And I thought “hmm, can Zora fit her nose in it?”

Yes, yes she can.

I play a lot of cue control games with toys.  Working so they can interact with their toys in different ways based on which cue is given.  “get it” to grab it with their mouths, “push it” to push it with their nose, “chin” to rest their chin on it, and so on.  This is the first time we’ve had a toy that we could do “put you’re head in” and it was a fun addition to our games!  Poor Tom though, his nose is way too big to fit in this toy!  LOL

Timing of Discrimination Cues in Agility

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agility, cues, Dog Training, lessons, students, Video, Zora

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A new to me student and I have been breaking down the challenges she’s had consistently with her dogs surrounding discriminations on the agility course.  A discrimination in dog agility is where 2 obstacles are placed rather close together and you have to communicate to your dog which one to take based on the numbered course.  Depending on the nature of the discrimination and the course path leading up to the challenge one obstacle may be more obvious to your dog than another, even if it’s not the one you want them to take.  Some dogs will also have a preference for an obstacle and be more likely to pull to a tunnel, weaves or a contact obstacle if you don’t give them clear enough information in a timely manner.

A challenge she’s had is the timing of cues.  When and how to give the dogs enough information so that the obstacle she’d like them to take is clear to the dogs far enough in advance for them to not question if the off course obstacle is the desired one.

So an exercise we did in our last lesson was to break down in slow motion some video clips of her with her own dogs and seeing where she cued on course in relation to where her dogs thought they had been instructed to go, along with breaking down in slow motion some clips with Zora and I running discrimination sequences.  It was an eye opening exercise for her.

I find such an exercise often is eye opening for many students.  Thinking about the discrimination and giving the dog information over 1 obstacle before the actual discrimination challenge.  Not waiting until the dog has already taken off, or landed and is approaching the discrimination to give the dog cues as to where you actually want them to go.  Thinking about how you can give the dog information as they approach the preceding obstacle so they take that obstacle in a way that sets them up for success with the discrimination.  Looking at how well it works, how clear and confidence building it is for the dog when the handler is clear in communication, along with how the dog slows, has to work to change path, guesses or goes off course when the handler is late or unclear in communication.

When you watch the video clips, where do you think Zora will be heading based on the information I give her vs where she actually goes?  Which ones am I cuing her on time, which ones am I early, which ones am I late, which ones do I micromanage and did I really need to?  A tip:  watch my feet, and my shoulders and arms.