Post by Rowan on Oct 1, 2004 15:50:07 GMT -5
Love learning form other people their ideas and experences. I was teaching my first GSD detection work when a good friend told me I talk to much and how distractive it was becoming to the dog that was doing just fine without me.
LIGHT BULB: I took the thought further. I will spend one or two days a week in complete silence around the dogs. Am I smart enough to without saying a word to gain my dogs attention, direct them to what we are doing ect ect ect...... Over the past 9 years it has been an excellent fun training tool from young pups to the elderly as well as me in developing attention skills and communications skills of the non verbal. You don't have to set up direct training activities, just do your normal routine in and around the house advancing as you gain in skill and experience. Be creative !!!!!! ;D use hand signals, body language. example If you bend to the ground and open your arms wide most dogs know it's a wonderful invitation to come. or slap the side of your leg, it just teaches the dogs to work with you in other ways always lots of praise yes shakes of your head, applause, hugs, petting or the thumbs up gesture just no talking.......
The other one is things and places. Any dog knows which vehicle is theirs. Some people say "ride" I say "truck" and when said they go right to it. So the concept of learning ability and applying is there. Learning simple ob skills helps but not needed to start, you can teach them how to respond as you go along. Is based on repetition.
Places: every room in the house has a name, introduce it anytime you enter the area directing it to them. Same with front yard back yard garden shed the list is endless. If I am in the kitchen and need to go to the bed room I say " bedroom go" and I go to that room dogs follow by nature once there I praise click what ever you do for reward. Repetition is the key and when you are going about the house anyway it's not like you training just a matter of involving the dog. Learning ability is endless and it is expandable. I can send any of the dogs to any room, take the check book with you when you go, to my husband that needs it in the bed room lol... The great thing is while at my Parents house and I was out walking one of the dogs and the others are pacing back and forth my Dad told them to go to their room and wait and they did lol lol...... And I had only told them once " our room" when we got there.
the other one is Things. I always show the dogs items and name them I know it means nothing to them any time I introduce something for the first time maybe not even the 6th time lol. But I keep doing it. Shoes, egg, box, anything I touch and pick up I name it, let them see it examine it smell it touch it. Once the activity of attention and examining is strong for things. I then play a shuffle game on the floor with 3 items in plain view. Find, or show me what ever you decide to use for an action command. YES we do cheat when we first begin LOL !!! WIN WIN WIN is the name of the game to build confidence and self moitivation. I say show me "EGG" with a huge point of my finger to the egg to draw their attention to go sniff it.lollollol with a huge praise for sniffing or poking at it I pick it up and let them re examine it then be repetitious about the egg before I move it around the other 3 items for that session... I want to motivate the action of the game first. In time with that first foundation of motivation you don't have to cheat for them they learn what things are as individuals and will beable to pick them out by name no matter how many items they ahave to chose from. I used a clicker training example (touch it) for their response.
They use touch it to poke at something they want, nothing like a dog stareing into a group of things and you as the owner don't have a clue what exactly they want (sigh) a simple "show me" they lean over to poke a single bottle out of a group of items. The bottle was joint response which they think is a treat lol.... I would of never guessed what he had wanted in that clutter if he hadn't of been able to shown me.
Have fun be creative, any suggestions comments are always welcomed
LIGHT BULB: I took the thought further. I will spend one or two days a week in complete silence around the dogs. Am I smart enough to without saying a word to gain my dogs attention, direct them to what we are doing ect ect ect...... Over the past 9 years it has been an excellent fun training tool from young pups to the elderly as well as me in developing attention skills and communications skills of the non verbal. You don't have to set up direct training activities, just do your normal routine in and around the house advancing as you gain in skill and experience. Be creative !!!!!! ;D use hand signals, body language. example If you bend to the ground and open your arms wide most dogs know it's a wonderful invitation to come. or slap the side of your leg, it just teaches the dogs to work with you in other ways always lots of praise yes shakes of your head, applause, hugs, petting or the thumbs up gesture just no talking.......
The other one is things and places. Any dog knows which vehicle is theirs. Some people say "ride" I say "truck" and when said they go right to it. So the concept of learning ability and applying is there. Learning simple ob skills helps but not needed to start, you can teach them how to respond as you go along. Is based on repetition.
Places: every room in the house has a name, introduce it anytime you enter the area directing it to them. Same with front yard back yard garden shed the list is endless. If I am in the kitchen and need to go to the bed room I say " bedroom go" and I go to that room dogs follow by nature once there I praise click what ever you do for reward. Repetition is the key and when you are going about the house anyway it's not like you training just a matter of involving the dog. Learning ability is endless and it is expandable. I can send any of the dogs to any room, take the check book with you when you go, to my husband that needs it in the bed room lol... The great thing is while at my Parents house and I was out walking one of the dogs and the others are pacing back and forth my Dad told them to go to their room and wait and they did lol lol...... And I had only told them once " our room" when we got there.
the other one is Things. I always show the dogs items and name them I know it means nothing to them any time I introduce something for the first time maybe not even the 6th time lol. But I keep doing it. Shoes, egg, box, anything I touch and pick up I name it, let them see it examine it smell it touch it. Once the activity of attention and examining is strong for things. I then play a shuffle game on the floor with 3 items in plain view. Find, or show me what ever you decide to use for an action command. YES we do cheat when we first begin LOL !!! WIN WIN WIN is the name of the game to build confidence and self moitivation. I say show me "EGG" with a huge point of my finger to the egg to draw their attention to go sniff it.lollollol with a huge praise for sniffing or poking at it I pick it up and let them re examine it then be repetitious about the egg before I move it around the other 3 items for that session... I want to motivate the action of the game first. In time with that first foundation of motivation you don't have to cheat for them they learn what things are as individuals and will beable to pick them out by name no matter how many items they ahave to chose from. I used a clicker training example (touch it) for their response.
They use touch it to poke at something they want, nothing like a dog stareing into a group of things and you as the owner don't have a clue what exactly they want (sigh) a simple "show me" they lean over to poke a single bottle out of a group of items. The bottle was joint response which they think is a treat lol.... I would of never guessed what he had wanted in that clutter if he hadn't of been able to shown me.
Have fun be creative, any suggestions comments are always welcomed