Online Partner (where We Create/set Challenges) Or Chicago Il

[kcmetric]

Hi I'm looking someone in the Chicago area or just an internet buddy. If we do internet partnerships we can just set challenges for the week and post on youtube or something, just to keep each other motivated.

 

[srdogtrainer]

I might take you up on that internet challenge. What types of tricks are you working on?

 

[srdogtrainer]

Are you working on Service dog training tasks right now? I went to school to learn how to train service dogs.

 

[southerngirl]

You could just post a challenge on the "Trick Challenge" forum and anyone on DTA could join in. You could say post a progress every 2 or three days depending on how challenging the trick is or something like that. I would be happy to join in. You could also p.m Dogster and see if she would like to join.

 

[kassidybc]

I also would take you up on the Internet challenge. Danielle also had a good idea, to post it on the trick challenge section.

 

[kcmetric]

I would like a partner that is gonna basically be keeping me in check though, ya know? Like I choose a trick or they do and then we rotate after each one. Someone that is going to be keeping me in check lol, so we can both train our dogs and I have more... motivation lol. I've been lazy.

srdogtrainer: My dogs are already task trained. One is retired and the other washed out though. So tricks, which can include tasks are all fine, whatever you want goes. PM me if you're still interested in being my trick partner or if you want to modify/add to the idea of how to go about it.

kassidybc: the same goes for you, I'd love to do an internet challenge with you! PM me if you'd like

 

[running_dog]

So how is this going? For those of you doing this and the Trick Challenges how does a private challenge compare with a challenge through the forum?

 

[srdogtrainer]

It hasn't really been, we only did one challenge. It was actually 2 different tricks. River learned wipe your paws and got better at 'Say no'. Then we lost touch with kcmetric and I haven't heard how it went with her dog(s). I think it is better with a group so there is always a few people to motivate everyone.

 

[running_dog]

Thanks for the reply. I thought a private challenge might be better as it might have more accountability but I see what you mean about more people keeping the impetus going. I find it very challenging setting the challenges because when I set the challenge I really feel I should be able to train it! Zac is coping with crawl but Gus, LOL

 

[srdogtrainer]

Thanks for the reply. I thought a private challenge might be better as it might have more accountability but I see what you mean about more people keeping the impetus going. I find it very challenging setting the challenges because when I set the challenge I really feel I should be able to train it! Zac is coping with crawl but Gus, LOL

I understand what you are saying and you are right it should create more accountability, although if more people are posting their progress it may increase the likely hood of people getting motivated to want to do it with their dogs too.

Here is what we did...

I see what you mean about wanting to complete the challenges you set, but they are challenges and some dogs pick them up easier then others. I look at it more as an opportunity to have fun with my dog, no matter what progress we make. I appreciate you setting the challenges for us, and giving us all motivation to work with our dogs!

 

[running_dog]

My internet is on the blink so I will have to watch the second one later. As ever I love seeing River at work - and seeing how you train him, it is fascinating to watch him putting things together and how you lead him into understanding. Another thing that is fun is to hear how you talk to River to help him find the treats and position himself, I guess we all do that once we've been training a little while, I doubt we train most of the phrases deliberately so it must be word associations.

I think that is one of the best things about the challenges, seeing how people build a trick with their dog so you are right I should try and post videos of in training nearer the beginning of the challenge, though maybe not with Gus unless I post the sessions in reverse order. Gus crawled perfectly the first couple of times now he can't get it at all, last session I even tried getting him to crawl under my leg thinking he would crouch to go under like my lovely Zac does, not a hope, he lowered his head that was all then ploughed through and I nearly ended up with a dislocation!

 

[srdogtrainer]

My internet is on the blink so I will have to watch the second one later. As ever I love seeing River at work - and seeing how you train him, it is fascinating to watch him putting things together and how you lead him into understanding. Another thing that is fun is to hear how you talk to River to help him find the treats and position himself, I guess we all do that once we've been training a little while, I doubt we train most of the phrases deliberately so it must be word associations.

Sometimes I break phrases down and put pieces together. For example when River was young we worked on doing different things on the windowsill. Here it is:

With the treat is behind you I used to kind of tell him and then show him where it was and he started picking it up. Other things I say to him and then I am like where did you learn that from? It is funny how many things they pick up without us really trying.

I think that is one of the best things about the challenges, seeing how people build a trick with their dog so you are right I should try and post videos of in training nearer the beginning of the challenge, though maybe not with Gus unless I post the sessions in reverse order. Gus crawled perfectly the first couple of times now he can't get it at all, last session I even tried getting him to crawl under my leg thinking he would crouch to go under like my lovely Zac does, not a hope, he lowered his head that was all then ploughed through and I nearly ended up with a dislocation!

I would start over with Gus. Pretend you haven't worked on it at all. Get him doing the down. then ask for a very gradual, inching forward. He crawls even 1/2 inch, awesome! Then very gradually increase it. If at anytime he gets up get him back in a down and try for even less. I also like to mix it up when I am getting progress. So if they are starting to gradually increase the distance I might throw in some shorter distances and reward so they never know how long it will be. This increases their motivation too.

 

[running_dog]

Thanks for your help with Gus, I think it has made a difference .

I finally got to watch the "say no" trick video I'll have to try again when my internet is not so temperamental for the windowsill one, I really want to see that one too so hopefully it'll work on Monday for me.

The "say no" trick is very difficult, I've tried to train it with Zac without much success and should probably revisit it. I think it should be trainable by free shaping just by marking when the dog moves his eyes left and right and shaping that on to a head turn, rewarding on the opposite side than that to which the head turned, but I don't know whether I could get there with Zac by that method.

I felt you were challenging River more with how you were training "say no" than you usually do, not just that it is a hard trick but also you led him less, and pushed him a bit beyond his comfort zone as far as what he was offering was concerned. Was that intentional?

 

[srdogtrainer]

I felt you were challenging River more with how you were training "say no" than you usually do, not just that it is a hard trick but also you led him less, and pushed him a bit beyond his comfort zone as far as what he was offering was concerned. Was that intentional?

I was following Kikopups method for this trick. We have also been experimenting with some free shaping with certain tricks.

 

[running_dog]

Finally got to watch the other video, I must try some of these with Zac and Gus, Thank you so much for sharing it. Gus is much more voice activated than Zac and my Mum already uses quite complex sentences with him sometimes but Zac could probably do with some help .