Hi From Seamus, Teaghan, And Joe

[stdpoodad]

Seamus is the apricot dog, Teaghan is the black dog. Both Standard Poodles.
Seamus is 7 1/2, Teaghan is 4 1/2 I do a lot of clicker training with Teaghan, not so much with Seamus.
Teaghan is a challenge behaviorwise, she shows a lot of fear aggression, so I don't have her around other dogs very often. I hike quite a bit with the dogs, but otherwise they're big couch potatoes. I live near Home Depot, go there almost every evening to wlk them. I walk them one at a time so I can train them, and that way it doesn't turn into a rodeo if Teaghan sees a dog. . My dogs are locally famous there..:-)

 

[MaryK]

Hi and Welcome to D.T.A. Just love the photos of Seamus and Teaghan, they're both adorable

It's tough having one dog who is fear aggressive towards other dogs. You'll find plenty of help on this site, so check out some of the related threads. Keep working with Teaghan she will come good but it does take time. Good to walk her by herself, street Rodeos are not the best LOL oh dear, I take it their fame isn't quite what you want them to be famous for - more infamous perhaps

 

[stdpoodad]

[quote="MaryK, post: 7242: LOL oh dear, I take it their fame isn't quite what you want them to be famous for - more infamous perhaps[/quote]
Oh no, everyone at home depot loves them! If I go in there without a dog, jaws drop.:-)
I'm told over and over that I have, by far, the best behaved dogs in there (I never bring them in at the same time lol )

 

[running_dog]

Welcome to DTA
What gorgeous dogs you have! It's no wonder they are popular .
What have you trained them so far?
Do you do a lot of shaping (I don't) or use the clicker as more of a marker? I know standard poodles can be highly inventive!

 

[stdpoodad]

Thanks RD! I train them totally differently. With Seamus, he's older, when I trained him when he was little I did a lot of "training with a clicker", i.e. clicking for the finished behavior. With Teaghan, I do way more marker or clicker training, lots of shaping, free shaping, luring, and capturing.
When I go to train Seamus, he just sits down in front of me and waits for me to tell him what to do (result of me doing a lot for him when he was little)
However, Teaghan will run around and start offering behaviors, seeing which one will elicit a c/t.
I was reading a book one evening, the author had been working with a rescue pug and was having nothing but trouble teaching him down on cue. Finally she decided to try this new (to her) clicker training. It was incredible how well it worked!
I got out of bed, put the book down and went downstairs with a clicker and treats and Teaghan. I just stood there as she stood there looking at me. If she looked towards the floor I would c/t. if she bent a leg I would click/treat. I never said a word during this time, never lured her or showed her what I wanted. After 2 sessions totaling maybe 5 minutes, she was consistently going down when I asked for a down. Another couple minutes and I'd put a hand signal to it.
As to tricks both of then know...Sit, down, nose touch, targeting with a target stick, shake, high five, heel-side, spin, twirl.
Teaghan also knows paw and both. Meaning if I tell her "paw", she puts one front paw on an exercise disk I have . If I tell her "both", she jumps on it with both paws.
I have an extendable magnetic pick up stick that I use for a target stick. This is very useful, for whatever reason Seamus *loves* hand touches, but Teaghan is all over touching the target stick.

I"m teaching her a couple new behaviors now, -Sitting up and waving, using a target stick, and
-touching a Staples "Easy" button and making it say "that was easy" The issue I'm having with the easy button is she touches it no problem, but I'm not sure how to get her to consistently press hard on it so it will make the sound.

Joe

 

[running_dog]

I've got to go offline now but hope to reply properly later... in the meantime... a few ideas for the Easy Button...

• If Teaghan ever gets the easy button to talk does jackpotting this increase the frequency?
• What about hyping her up a bit, more excitement so more force in the paw?
• Or you could try adding frustration. Some dogs will thump harder if you withhold a treat the first time - you have to be careful as some dogs like Zac will just switch off, you know your dog, it depends on how confident they are of the behaviour too.
• Or what about using the easy button sound as the marker, even if she doesn't press with enough force when she makes the attempt you press it and give her the treat, she might make the link from that.

 

[MaryK]

[quote="MaryK, post: 7242: LOL oh dear, I take it their fame isn't quite what you want them to be famous for - more infamous perhaps

Oh no, everyone at home depot loves them! If I go in there without a dog, jaws drop.:-)
I'm told over and over that I have, by far, the best behaved dogs in there (I never bring them in at the same time lol )[/quote]
Oh that's fabulous, I just love it when my two are praised as well. LOL wise man, don't want to spoil their reputations. It's grand when everyone loves your dogs and comments on their good behavior isn't it.

 

[MaryK]

The clicker is just amazing isn't it. Love all the tricks Seamus and Teaghan can do, very talented dogs

Leaf learned to 'thump' the easy button by me witholding the treat for a second or two. LOL she gave me 'that' look and whacked the button so hard she almost scared herself!

 

[running_dog]

Thanks RD! I train them totally differently. With Seamus, he's older, when I trained him when he was little I did a lot of "training with a clicker", i.e. clicking for the finished behavior. With Teaghan, I do way more marker or clicker training, lots of shaping, free shaping, luring, and capturing.
When I go to train Seamus, he just sits down in front of me and waits for me to tell him what to do (result of me doing a lot for him when he was little)
However, Teaghan will run around and start offering behaviors, seeing which one will elicit a c/t.
I was reading a book one evening, the author had been working with a rescue pug and was having nothing but trouble teaching him down on cue. Finally she decided to try this new (to her) clicker training. It was incredible how well it worked!
I got out of bed, put the book down and went downstairs with a clicker and treats and Teaghan. I just stood there as she stood there looking at me. If she looked towards the floor I would c/t. if she bent a leg I would click/treat. I never said a word during this time, never lured her or showed her what I wanted. After 2 sessions totaling maybe 5 minutes, she was consistently going down when I asked for a down. Another couple minutes and I'd put a hand signal to it.
As to tricks both of then know...Sit, down, nose touch, targeting with a target stick, shake, high five, heel-side, spin, twirl.
Teaghan also knows paw and both. Meaning if I tell her "paw", she puts one front paw on an exercise disk I have . If I tell her "both", she jumps on it with both paws.
I have an extendable magnetic pick up stick that I use for a target stick. This is very useful, for whatever reason Seamus *loves* hand touches, but Teaghan is all over touching the target stick.
Joe

Was that the first time you did free shaping with Teaghan?

Zac will free shape but I led him a lot earlier on in training so he's a bit more like Seamus. Zac tends to get stuck on certain behaviours when free shaping. Basically he offers sit, then lie down, then cross paws, then licks his nose, puts his head down... and then he closes his eyes and falls asleep . I guess I should work on engaging him a bit more and keeping him active as he will never offer a more vertical position from a reclining position so once he's down he's down - unless I cheat and tell him to get up or throw a treat to get him moving. Gus is much more actively engaged, I started a bit of free shaping with Gus when he was very small but I don't know whether it is partly due to a difference in their characters.

A fun thing I tried with Zac one evening was with a skateboard and I told him to put one, two, three or all paws on the board. I wouldn't say he knows it as a trick but he got it right more often than wrong. I use a lot of hand targeting with Zac, I've regretted not having trained target stick as Mary has used this very effectively training Leaf for the Wide Circles Trick Challenge.

 

[MaryK]

I've tried free shaping with Leaf, we have to at Dog School, but for some reason she will just sit there and wait for me to direct her. For example, put a hat down on the floor, nothing happened. Sat for ages in front of the hat then finally she did put one paw on it and that was i! Click/treated and she walked off in disgust and refused to do anything more. Guess that's a start though.

Am going to work with Blossom more on the shaping now because I think School starts a little too late, we use luring first and it's not until Second Level shaping is introduced. By then I feel the dogs are used to being lured, especially dogs like Leaf who is very food motivated, and find shaping difficult. Noticed a lot of dogs have problems when switched from luring in the First Level to shaping in the Second Level.

Target sticks are great! I made one because for ages here we couldn't buy them and trying to get one on e-bay, the postage YIKES, over sixty dollars for a ten dollar target stick - and that was the best of them! I used an old car aerial with a soft ball on top. Works well, but is a bit 'bendy'. They do have them at School now, but the price is quite high for a piece of plastic.

 

[stdpoodad]

Odd, I wonder why Dog School has luring before free shaping. In my experience, it's not so much the age or experience of the dog that dictates luring or free shaping, it's the task being taught.
Seamus is very much like Leaf. He just sits and waits for me to direct him.

I love my target stick! I bought a magnetic tool/screw pick up stick for $4 bucks or so. As I said, Seamus isn't all that with it, but Teaghan LOVES it! I've taught her several behaviors using the target stick.

Joe

 

[MaryK]

Odd, I wonder why Dog School has luring before free shaping. In my experience, it's not so much the age or experience of the dog that dictates luring or free shaping, it's the task being taught.

I think its because people find luring easier, less time consuming etc. why luring is taught before shaping.

Seamus is very much like Leaf. He just sits and waits for me to direct him.

Glad someone else has a dog who just sits and waits for directions.

I love my target stick! I bought a magnetic tool/screw pick up stick for $4 bucks or so. As I said, Seamus isn't all that with it, but Teaghan LOVES it! I've taught her several behaviors using the target stick.

Joe

I found it impossible to buy one anywhere here! Not till the school imported them could we buy a 'proper' target stick. But as my make do one works fine, so far I've stayed with that. Couldn't live without it and Leaf LOVES it too. LOL maybe it's all the lovely 'treat' smells but she's after it straight away. Blossom, well some work needed there, so far she's chewed the end and that's about it. But she's still very young and everything goes in her mouth!

 

[stdpoodad]

I found it impossible to buy one anywhere here! Not till the school imported them could we buy a 'proper' target stick. But as my make do one works fine, so far I've stayed with that. Couldn't live without it and Leaf LOVES it too. LOL maybe it's all the lovely 'treat' smells but she's after it straight away. Blossom, well some work needed there, so far she's chewed the end and that's about it. But she's still very young and everything goes in her mouth!

I use a magnetic pick up stick for getting screws that have fallen down, etc, it's expandable.
http://local.sears.com/Craftsman-Te...948000P?st=2259&sid=IDx20141117x00001xlpla#!/
Certainly not a "proper" target stick. A trainer friend of mine pointed me in that direction after I looked at places like Karen Pryor's online store and saw basically a plastic stick for ten or twenty dollars.

I LOVE the fact that it's extendable!

My dogs know when I have a stick in my hand and i tell them to "touch", that it means to touch the end. I found myself in a training session with Teaghan. I wanted to work on some target stick stuff, so as I recall I grabbed a nearby ruler and worked with that, she knew exactly what to do.

 

[kassidybc]

Sorry I'm WAY behind the game, I haven't been on the forums in what seems like forever! I just wanted to welcome you to DTA! Your dogs are beautiful!

 

[stdpoodad]

thanks I've been busy the past two days. We haven't had school (I'm a teacher), cause of the nearly 2 feet of snow we've gotten. I spent most of yesterday shoveling, then making dog treats. Today I cleared off part of my roof and dug out my car. (the city hasn't plowed)...sigh...