Foundations Week 5
Polite Walking - Distractions
This is the trainer's first time working with this dog. She knows the dog has been taught a verbal cue to start walking, but she doesn't know what it is. The owners are not present, so she tries a variety of common words. You can see that it doesn't really seem to matter which word she uses. The dog is very well trained to move with the person holding the leash. The dog does so well at ignoring the toy on the floor indoor that the trainer decides to move outside. She finds the dog still isn't really distracted by the toys, but either a squirrel, a bird, or the neighbor's barking dog really caught her attention! Just like treats and rewards, the dog will tell you what is distracting.
Sit - Duration
The method to add duration to the Sit behavior is the same as the other behaviors. This dog knows what to do when he hears the cue, but has never been trained to stay sitting. The trainer has to work in very small time increases. Right before the 16th Sit cue the dog starts indicating that he needs a break. See how he starts spinning, panting heavily, and pointedly looking to his left? You can't see it in the video, but he is staring at the container of yummy treats. He is being very clear that he needs a pay raise or a break! Watch your dog for signs that he needs a break during training. Stop even if you haven't reached the goal you set for yourself.
Leave It - Ignore Food
Two very different dogs are trained with the same method in this video. The first dog is so crazy for the food that the trainer has to wait quite a while to click. Also, she must set her criteria for a small look away from the food. She can't wait for the dog to fully pull back and look up at her. She has to match her criteria to the dog's ability.
The second dog finds it much easier to pull her head back from the food. She advances quick enough that the trainer take it a step further. The trainer begins offering the food in an open hand.That's a big step up from a closed fist of food, but this dog was obviously ready to take that step. You will also notice the trainer has gone to using a clicker she can operate with her foot. This frees up both of her hands to hold treats and the food to be ignored.
The second dog finds it much easier to pull her head back from the food. She advances quick enough that the trainer take it a step further. The trainer begins offering the food in an open hand.That's a big step up from a closed fist of food, but this dog was obviously ready to take that step. You will also notice the trainer has gone to using a clicker she can operate with her foot. This frees up both of her hands to hold treats and the food to be ignored.