Trying To Get The Head Nod

[Gerberian Huskard]

I started working with Charlie on the head nod. At first, I was trying to click when he followed my hand up, but he was not getting it all. So recently, I have been doing something I saw on youtube, where he touches the ironing board above him. That part is going great because I can get him to nod a couple of times in a row before I reward. But I just can't get him away from the board. I tried moving it up higher, but he just wants to touch the ironing board. He is really smart, but easily frustrated. When he can't figure out what I want, he just does a roll-over (his least favorite trick and an act of desperation). Any ideas?

 

[sara]

LOL I really have no idea, I managed to get it with Mouse, but it was an accident, I was teaching her to back up between dog food cans, hoping eventually for a backwards weave... but I accidentally clicked for her throwing up her head! I tried to extinguish the behaviour, but she was determined that that was what she was supposed to do! I eventually gave up on the weave, and taught her to say yes! LOL

You can see the trick at 3:25 in this video

 

[SD&B]

Can you put a target above his nose where he touches the ironing board and then start moving it away? Maybe it will be easier to fade the target at a later time. Maybe you could use 2 nose targets after you transition him (one up and one down). Sundog doesn't have a real yes, but she can do one with a lure. That is one of those tricks I plan on doing later.

I haven't seen the ironing board video for that trick. How does that work?

 

[tigerlily46514]

I did this much like SDB says,
I actually rigged up a contraption of sorts,
using two bar stools, i taped a stick up high on one bar stool,
and another stick down low on other barstool.

At end of each stick, i attached a post-it note, which Buddy has been trained to touch with his nose.
When Buddy would move his head up, towards that post-it note, CLICK/TREAT.

Next day, i added in lower post-it note.
Next days, i began to make sticks higher, and other stick lower down.

Then overtime, i pushed barstools BACK behind me. At first, i tried pushing barstools out to the sides, but, that resulted in a really goofy looking, sort of diagonal-ish "Nod" so do push barstool back, behind yourself, not out to the sides.
GOOD LUCK!!

 

[Gerberian Huskard]

Thanks guys! Yeah, I hadn't thought of moving the target behind me. I'm going to have to get creative to make my own contraption. Here is the video I was watching:

 

[tigerlily46514]

Hang in there, i think you are on right track! I don't think this is one of the "easiest" tricks in the world, imo. This trick takes longer than most tricks, imo.
"Get a beer out of the fridge" was easier for my dog, than this one was.

I had to shelve this one, and wait a few weeks, and then RE-introduce it all over again, to help my dog "get it". My dog does not get "head" tricks that readily anyway.

This one, was somewhat easier for my dog, as he'd previously been taught "shake head no", so i think that experience helped Buddy grasp the concept a bit easier. but wow, i found his first head trick, (shake head no) extremely difficult! oh, i did!! mmmHmm. but the second go around, done much later in time, like a year later,
for "nod head yes", was less difficult, but, not quite what i'd call "easy".

so if you can teach this trick, G Husky, you can probably teach your dog most any trick at all!! KEEP US POSTED!!

 

[Gerberian Huskard]

Thanks for the encouragement. He's a therapy dog and the patients love to see his tricks. Thanks to this site, I now have an endless supply of ideas!

 

[tigerlily46514]

GOOD ON YOU, GHusky, for helping others with your dog! YAY! Love it!

 

[Gerberian Huskard]

Thanks! I'm a medical student so it's perfect! I hope to use animals when I practice. It makes such a difference, so it is very rewarding. As far as nodding goes, I did what you suggested and moved the board back. I'm happy to say Charlie is now nodding with no target! I'm working on getting multiple nods now, and then I'll add a hand cue so I can ask him questions. Thanks again! I'm so excited to get this one going!

 

[Dogster]

Wow!!!!! That's GREAT!!!!! AWESOME!!!!

 

[tigerlily46514]

DAWG, you are goooooooooood, wow, it took me wayyyyyyy longer than that to get my dog to do this!! WOW, AND KUDOS!!!

Btw, for tricks which may involve an entire sentence for the cue,
maybe, "Charlie, are you a good boy?"
or "Charlie, do you love visiting?"
or whatever,
train dog to nod for LAST WORD of the sentence or question.

If you use ENTIRE sentence as your dog's verbal cue, the dog will nod TOO soon into the question, and he'll be DONE nodding by the time your question is asked.
just use last word,
so for "Charlie, do you like visiting?"
you'd train Charlie to nod when he hears the word "visiting".
and so on.


turns out, over time, you can also change out the cue word, who knew. (i did that, i did change out the cue word for my dog's question)


or, you can train a hand signal, or a facial expression of yours, or a foot move of yours,
that Charlie nods to, so you have more freedom to use whatever question you want to use.
Do this move of yours, at END of question, so dog agreeing looks more real.

GOOD LUCK!!

 

[Figgy McNutty]

I found nod harder to teach than no (sway) as I call it, I had the same problem with removing the ironing board then Uschi would go into nod and sway together lol and looked totally demented. I carried on with ironing board and a post it Note on floor for few more days then I decided to make the floor marker greater than the board putting a plastic bowl down carried on using ironing board and bowl a few more days then removed the board altogether and waited for Uschi to target the bowl then treated her from up high I then gradually made the floor marker smaller she can now nod but occasionally she'll go into her nod and sway so I just go back to small lid on floor Hope this helps x