Constantly offering tricks

ryleighgirl

ryleighgirl

New Member
It is not that big of a deal, but Ryleigh offers tricks all the time when I don't ask for them. It is kinda dangerous when you're walking and she is constantly trying to do peekaboo to you. Or when you want to get something out of the cupboard and she keeps closing it on you while your arm is in there. I also want to eventually teach her to speak on command, but I'm afraid she will offer this all the time too. Especially because right now she hardly ever barks. I also don't want her "peekabooing" someone who comes over and isn't expecting it. Any idea on how to stop this? I also don't want to cause more harm than good. Like I don't want her to stop thinking on her own which is kinda important for clicker training...
 
atkaeskie

atkaeskie

New Member
I'd love to get the answers to this, too, since I also have not taught Atka how to speak on command for the same reasons you have. Atka also offers unsolicited tricks, but not nearly as much as Ryleigh does. Most of the time, it's when he wants to go outside and we're watching TV and ignoring him, or when we're in the kitchen and he thinks he's going to get a treat from us. Out of the corner of our eyes, we'll see him sitting and waiting (which is usually how he starts), and then we'll see him either doing his "wave goodbye" trick, or his "take a bow" trick - lol. How does Ryleigh do her peekaboo trick?
 
atkaeskie

atkaeskie

New Member
Oh, I remember who you are now - you had subscribed to Atka's videos on YouTube!

OK, I have a better understanding of the peekaboo trick, and can clearly see why an unsolicited one would be surprising at least, and dangerous at most. Maybe you can either totally ignore that unsolicited behavior for those 2 tricks (even to the point of walking away from her completely immediately), or correct her w/ an ah-ah each time she does it. Then, redirect her to a trick you give a command to, and reward that. ???

As an aside, Atka's brain was very spongy today, so I took advantage of it, and decided to teach him how to speak after all! It had been limiting us with some assignments with his agents anyway, so I figured, why not? I had never been sure how to go about doing it, but took advantage of him wanting something from me and barking and shaped it from there. He learned 2 other tricks today, too! I think joining this site has inspired me to do so much more with him.

Can't wait to hear the advice of others on here on unsolicited tricks...
 
ryleighgirl

ryleighgirl

New Member
Yeah small world! Great job on learning three tricks in one day! Impressive. Atka has agents? Tell me how he does with the barking trick. If he offers it more now that you taught it to him. I'll try to completely ignore her when she does it. She doesn't respond too well to any kind of correction though...
 
jackienmutts

jackienmutts

Honored Member
Thought I'd throw in my two cents on the barking/speak. Years ago I had a big GS girl with a very big mouth :msngiggle: (she's gone to The Bridge now). I finally decided to try teaching 'speak' in hopes that maybe it would help curb her constant barking (and not create an even worse monster) - she was the most vocal dog I'd ever had, she just barked at everything, 'talked' all the time. She caught on to 'speak' really quickly, and it really did help. She soon figured out that if I asked her to 'speak', she quite often got a treat, toy, attention, etc - but her constant barking got nothing. Of course she barked when she felt necessary - strangers at the door, etc - but not so much just to hear herself. I think if anything, it really helped her figure out she shouldn't just bark to bark.

I wouldn't hesitate to teach 'speak' (and haven't) - it's fun, you can add "whisper or sshhh" if you can get them to bark really softly, all kinds of fun stuff. My vote: go for it! :dogtongue2:
 
fickla

fickla

Experienced Member
i think your puppy is really smart and has learned quickly that these tricks pay off big time! We encourage our dogs to offer behaviors for clicker training which is how they can be shaped so quickly to do many tricks. But now you are at the point where she needs to get them under stimulus control.

How well does Ryleigh know, and I mean really know, the hand signal/verbal cue for her tricks? If you are still working on perfecting a trick then you shouldn't be naming it and need to just work off the offered behavior, but once you have the trick the way you want it you need to start cueing it and then when you think Ryleigh knows your cue, alternate working on several tricks at one time and only rewarding the one that you asked for. Since my Vito is pretty crazy and loves to cycle through behaviors, I often ask him to "wait" during little downtimes so he learns to listen to what I just said/did instead of guessing. I also click/treat this stillness sometimes so he knows that at times just being still and listening can earn rewards.

Outside of formal training sessions Ryleigh needs to know that tricks aren't going to be rewarded. Even if you're not giving her a treat she is getting your attention somehow whether it's positive (laughter, petting) or negative (yelled at, pushed away) it's feeding the behavior. So you have to think of a way to either teach an incompatible behavior for Ryleigh to do when your busy or when she wants attention (like maybe telling her to "go to mat" or simply reward her when she offers a calm sit or down) AND/OR completely ignore the behaviors. I wouldn't tell her no as not only is this attention but you don't want to have a negative association with her tricks.

As for the barking on cue, it is a risk but it's still about stimulus control. I debated a long time about teaching it to my corgi since he is also not that big of a barker. But I haven't had any problem now that I have taught him. Once your dog knows how to bark on cue then you can teach him quiet. it's so much easier to teach quiet by teaching it as the opposite of speak!
 
ryleighgirl

ryleighgirl

New Member
Ok everyone talked me into it. Teaching barking has been added to the list right after I get what she knows solid. She does know some of her tricks better than others. Some you can see she has to think about. She can do several different tricks at a time, and gets them all right when I ask for them. Her attention span just goes out the window if I do too many different ones at once. It seems like the answer to all my problems for her is to ignore her :dogblush:. I guess I'm just afraid that if I don't put a name to a behavior as soon as I can then she will forget what I want and I will have to start over.
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
Fun thread to read....I taught Buddy how to bark on cue, i used "Buddy--Wanna Beer?" for his cue, it is HILARIOUS!! :msngiggle: Especially for my family, who know NOTHING about dog tricks, my brother once said, "no way, he'll bark for any question----Buddy Wanna sandwhich?" .....of course, Buddy sat there and looked at my brother blankly:doghuh:..which amazed my brother.

It is WAY MORE FUN if---instead of "speak" you come up with funny question. In the beginning, when Buddy was a lil sporadic with performing his cue for company, i'd just chuckle, "Well, Buddy isn't much of a drinker, i guess." :dognowink:

Someone on this board warned my about re-inforcing/teaching my previously almost barkless dog to bark, it can create a very bark-y dog, and i did not heed their warning.


Now, Buddy, who hardly EVER EVER barked before, does bark regularly. He then escalated to a barking fool! Became a problem!!

I then had to teach Buddy the cue, "Shhh!" to stop barking, which he does understand now. NOw he is pretty normal, does not bark nonstop like he once tried to do, when he first figured out barking was a-okay with us afterall.

I don't know what peekaboo means, but, like if you are bringing in groceries or something, and the dog is underfoot, well, you could teach "stay" or something, and have the dog lay down somewhere outa the way til you are done?
but yeah, ignoring wrong tricks/offers of tricks is maybe best way to reduce that happening. Any att'n for that behaviour WILL re-inforce this trick-offering to the dog.:msnohyes:
 
atkaeskie

atkaeskie

New Member
Oof. I was afraid of the more barking thing. Atka is barking more during our training and performance times. I'll have to add "Shhh" to his training sessions now, too. I like your idea of the cue being something other than "Speak". For most of his speaking requirements, it would be better if it was done with a hand cue only, and he got that down pat, so that's good. Maybe we'll introduce a different verbal cue down the road. Thanks for the idea!
 
ryleighgirl

ryleighgirl

New Member
That's what I was afraid of too. I think I'll work on getting quiet or shh down first then teach her to bark on cue. Even though it might be hard to teach quiet. The only time she barks is at her reflection and when there is someone at the door. I think she tries to convince the dog in the mirror to play with her. Then she gets all confused when she sees me in the mirror too.
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
Yeah, your dog, like mine, MAY go overboard barking FOR A WHILE, but, Buddy did even himself back out. But, it's true, he does bark more now. No, not a lot, but he almost never ever barked before getting rewarded for it.

But teaching "Shhhh!" isn't really too hard. Buddy barked his head off at a rottweiler next door, and i'd sit with him, and say "Shhh!" and reward any moment of nonbarking, and distracted him, praising that. It didn't take Buddy too long to understand "Shhh!" means stop barking. That was way easier cue for him to learn than to bark at doorbells.

Buddy, never having lived inside a home before, did NOT bark at door knocks or door bells at all. :dognowink:NOpe. and we wanted him to do that.

so, i would knock on the inside of the door, Buddy sat there looking bored, :dogwub:and i'd ask him, "Wanna Beer?" = BARK! And from that, overtime, he learned to bark at door knocks.

But he only barked at door knocks TO THE INSIDE of the door---that he could witness happening, as he had "been trained" to do...:msngiggle:....He still would not bark to knocks on the OUTSIDE of the door!!???:msniwonder:


so then, i had to get people to knock on the OUTSIDE of the door, and start all over again,:msnrolleyes: with the "Wanna Beer?" =BARK, and overtime, Buddy learned, he was expected to bark at door knocks, but Buddy would wait, fairly excitedly, for me to get to the door, and THEN, when i was standing where i stood all during his training--THEN he would bark, and look very proud. Like, "Look Mom, i waited til you stand right there, and THEN i bark at the door knock! Great, huh?":ROFLMAO:

Overtime, Buddy learned, to bark to door knocks, even if the knock is on the OUTSIDE of the door, even if i am not at the door yet. Hilarious!!

Some dogs are very very specific,:msnohyes: aren't they!!?? ha ha!!
 
ryleighgirl

ryleighgirl

New Member
Haha thats hilarious! Dogs are so funny sometimes. I've never heard of anyone having to teach a dog to bark at a door knock.

Maybe I'll give the paired cues a try. Have you ever had problems with excessive barking afterwards?
 
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