Luring For Small Dogs When Human Is Standing

Appy

Appy

Member
Hi there

I've just found your site - wow, loads of info, tips and vids!!

I have a question around luring with smaller dogs - mine are mini schnauzers. If you are training spins, turnaround, switch etc where you want to be standing, do those of you with smaller dogs a) use a target stick or b) start bent low and gradually stand?

I'm leaning toward using the target stick but it does make the transition to a hand signal (should you want one) a little more difficult - unless you gradually shorten the stick?

Thanks!
 
Welsome to the DTA! I have 4 small dogs, (and one medium) two of which are really small (mini Dachshunds) and what makes it all the tougher, 3 of them are deaf, so I HAVE to use a hand signal. and the 2 dachshunds are also sight impaired. I have never used a target stick, but think it may be useful. However, I need one hand for signs, one for the "clicker" (a light or a thumbs up, depending on which dog I'm working with), and one for luring. so the target stick is kinda out. Basically, I work on my knees at first, with something I wish to do standing. Once the dog has the trick down cold, I move to a standing position.
 
Hey Appy,

I usually stand in front when I'm training a spin and just turn the hand motion into the cue after I approximate it away from the dog. You can do the same thing with a target stick if you like, just start approximating the stick away from your pup and then just fade it to a hand cue. Happy training:)
 
//"Greta is starting to get bark on cue"//

that is great, but, let me pass on a warning to you, that i got when training exact same thing....be careful what you reward!! My dog is NOT a barker, but, for some time after he got treats + praise for barking (on cue, but, still--- i was rewarding barking) he did become a barking fool for a lil while. bark! bark! bark!! alll the time!! rofl!! I said, "oh no, what have i done??"

I then had to teach him the cue, "Shhhh!" (which incidentally, was harder to teach than barking...)

good news, he did stabilize back out again, and did give up being a barking fool, but, when i noticed he was doing that, i smiled remembering someone else from here warning me that can backfire with *some* dogs now and then!!

But i still think, he does bark easier and longer now, than he ever did before i praised him for barking....
 
Thats a very good point Tigerlily. Ironically my dog is ALREADY a barking fool and I really need a 'shhh' command, so we are going through the steps of talk on cue and then quiet - luckily my dog trainer is helping me with this :)

I've tried many other ways to get her to be quiet - she unfortunately is a typical schnauzer but is also very nervous and sound sensitive, so I am doing this together with habituation to noise.

Glad to hear it stabilised; I do hope it helps and that we aren't one of those with whom it can backfire.......:unsure:
 
I usually sit down on the floor to train my Chihuahua. As she is small, looking up will be a tiring job for her so she doesn't like to look up to me. She will also get easily distracted as we do not have eye contact when she does not look up at me. However, if I teach tricks like weave or peekaboo, I will start by bending low and stand gradually.
 
tigerlily46514 said:
//"Greta is starting to get bark on cue"//

that is great, but, let me pass on a warning to you, that i got when training exact same thing....be careful what you reward!! My dog is NOT a barker, but, for some time after he got treats + praise for barking (on cue, but, still--- i was rewarding barking) he did become a barking fool for a lil while. bark! bark! bark!! alll the time!! rofl!! I said, "oh no, what have i done??"

I then had to teach him the cue, "Shhhh!" (which incidentally, was harder to teach than barking...)

good news, he did stabilize back out again, and did give up being a barking fool, but, when i noticed he was doing that, i smiled remembering someone else from here warning me that can backfire with *some* dogs now and then!!

But i still think, he does bark easier and longer now, than he ever did before i praised him for barking....
Click to expand...

Ooooh,its soo much easier to teach "Speak" or "Bark" when a dod barks anyway,giggle!! I had to jump in quickly,as Dodge does not normally bark at all . . .and had to "rile" him up to teach him "speak" but once they know how to bark,its easier to teach them the "Quiet" command,I think,as they know "Ok,now I bark . . .now I m supposed to stop!" brill!!! :D (what I m trying to say is,its sooo much harder to get a dog that does not bark to actually bark,then a barking dog to be quiet,giggle)
 
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