Trick Challenge: Wide Circles

[running_dog]

For this challenge we will hopefully be teaching our dogs to run round us in a wide circle. Here is a video showing one way of teaching the trick:

Option 1) Teach your dog to walk round you in a circle, in one or both directions.

Option 2) Teach your dog wide circles as in the how to video.

Option 3) Explore more variations, confidence and distance control, the following video might give you some ideas:

I know Ripleygirl and Kassidy and myself are interested in this as a challenge so hopefully it will be good for everyone else who wants to join in. Kassidy, didn't you say you had started training this and had filmed it in case we started this challenge?

The deadline (I need a deadline ) for this is 16th September, as usual we'll extend the deadline if we need to. If you can please submit a video on or before tuesday the 16th September. If you prefer you can submit each stage separately. Your video/s should include:

1. What your dog already knows (eg, round to heel or circle round you)
2. Part of your first training session.
3. The final trick repeated 3 times in the same clip.

Even if you know you won't be able to submit a video for whatever reason do please still train along with us... the more of us join in the more fun it is and the more we can learn from each other and our dogs.

Any questions/suggestions/ideas/hints about this challenge please post them in this thread, ideas for other challenges please post them in "Who Is Interested In A Trick Challenge".

 

[southerngirl]

I'm in with Missy not sure about Piper though. She has to be keep on leash outside which might end up tangled with the chairs. Maybe I can do it in my living room by moving the couch out of the way.

 

[kassidybc]

We trained 2 sessions of this and then got distracted (good thing you made this challenge or who knows if we would have gone back to it! ). I couldn't record our first session because I didn't have anyone to record it, and it had just rained so I couldnt set my iPad on the ground to record. I recorded the second session though, I'll try to post it when I get a chance. The only thing I learned from the first session was that I can't train this with treats with Chloe! All she did the first session was try to jump on the chairs. Over and over again. The second session is the first time we tried training it with a ball as a reward, which made a huuuuuuge difference.

 

[kassidybc]

Here is the video of our second training session. I wasn't planning on using a ball for a reward, but Chloe brought me a ball when I called her over, so I figured I would use it. Boy am I glad she did! She did soooo much better with the ball.

 

[southerngirl]

Great Job Kassidy. Miss Chloe is being very vocal.
I haven't started yet it's been raining. Yuck.

 

[kassidybc]

Great Job Kassidy. Miss Chloe is being very vocal.
I haven't started yet it's been raining. Yuck.

Yeah, she's a very vocal dog. She barks when she is doing pretty much everything. My mom doesn't exactly appreciate it, nor do the neighbors.

 

[running_dog]

Here is the video of our second training session. I wasn't planning on using a ball for a reward, but Chloe brought me a ball when I called her over, so I figured I would use it. Boy am I glad she did! She did soooo much better with the ball.

Great job Kassidy. Chloe is looking good and it is great to have your tips before we try things out .

My problem is that Zac targets anything like chairs and cones. For example he was totally hopeless when I tried to teach him another trick (a send away to go around a chair) as he kept targeting the chair. I ended up having him go around my shoes as he didn't target them for some reason. He gets ideas in his head and it is really hard to convince him not to do them. Even when we are training without involving objects at all he'll thump and nudge chairs and cones and boxes that are near him.

I tried a session of wide circles with mini cones (sorry I didn't video but I will next time I promise) and he was doing okay except I could see from his daft expression he was desperate to knock a cone over all the time, eventually he could resist no longer and triumphantly batted one over with his paw, after that we wrapped up training quickly before it became a cone flattening festival. If my video shows me surrounded by a circle of shoes you'll know why!

 

[running_dog]

Well we didn't need the shoes , Zac's managing not to target the cones after all. At one point he did decide he should go nose target the camera but I've clipped that out as the video was already bit long. We'll have to start working in a bigger space now he's getting the idea.

 

[kassidybc]

Well we didn't need the shoes , Zac's managing not to target the cones after all. At one point he did decide he should go nose target the camera but I've clipped that out as the video was already bit long. We'll have to start working in a bigger space now he's getting the idea.

You guys are doing great! I loved the backwards attempt lol.

 

[running_dog]

I'm not sure we'll get a video posted today.​

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I must have messed up my hand signals or clicked at the wrong moment or something because when I try to send Zac round "other circle" he now thinks he has to spin beside every cone!​

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"Circle" isn't too bad though, but it isn't very big either! ​

 

[MaryK]

We're way late, sorry Any chance of an extended deadline please pretty please click/chocolate reward for you if you could extend

We can train this one on the beach.

 

[MaryK]

Ooops just watched the videos, will not have space at home garden is way too small, ditto inside. And cannot see partner being kind enough to take chairs to the beach (or carry them down to where we train). Is there any other method of training wide circles as it's one I really would love to train Leaf to do?

 

[running_dog]

Is there any other method of training wide circles as it's one I really would love to train Leaf to do?

If Leaf doesn't know them already I'd train her to circle round you in both directions at home and an understanding of whatever "barrier" you are using. Then start to build distance on the beach.

I've been training a slightly different method using small cones which you can see in my previous video, they are quite portable but if there is a sea breeze it could easily turn into a rout.

I've also experimented with another method (in the video below). The theory is that once a dog knows you mean it to circle you it should be possible to always reward further out than the dog is circling and so get the dog to naturally drift further out. I don't think Zac is getting it very well and he reverts to the circumference that we have worked with cones. I don't know why it isn't working, I think it must be something to do with my timing (ideally I'd reward as he drifts out but mostly he drifts in) and reward location (diagonally in front of or outside of the dog?), it should work... but I'm doing something wrong, if anyone can spot why it isn't working please please tell me! I stopped using a clicker with this because I couldn't decide when to click, movement yes I understand that, but before the treat is thrown he is always drifting towards me, after it would just be clicking him for running towards the treat? Or do I just click the circling and trust that in time the treats will pull him further out?

The next thing I hope to try is to put a small circle of rope down and shape Zac to circle without crossing the rope then make the circle of rope bigger.

 

[running_dog]

We're way late, sorry Any chance of an extended deadline please pretty please click/chocolate reward for you if you could extend

We can train this one on the beach.

I'll be glad to have more time

 

[MaryK]

Somethings going 'wrong' cannot get the reply to work. Great! We'll start training on this today. Think it's a very impressive trick and will be great for when Leaf starts Canine Freestyle!

 

[MaryK]

Just watched your video with Zac a few times and I think he may be getting it, as there were two places where he seemed to keep 'out' and not drift in. Check 1.11-1.13 and a nano second at 1.17. It appeared to me that Zac stayed 'out' rather than drifting in, which he sure does a lot. Personally I would keep trying this method for a bit longer as it's not an easy trick.

Only suggestion I can make is this. Is it possible to 'lay' or throw treats slight ahead of him after you've rewarded for an 'almost' right performance? Not quite sure how this would work, will try with Leaf and see what happens.

 

[MaryK]

Thank you for the tips with Leaf. I do have two cones, kindly donated by the guys from the local council workshops (no I didn't pinch them). They will work on the beach if it's not too windy, or I 'batten' them down with sand/rocks.

Leaf already knows circle me, but at close quarters right against my legs. The cue is 'round Mom", so will have to use a different cue for wider circles.

Also wondering if at first I could use a target stick. She knows target and am thinking maybe to start the process of widening her circle I would hold that at arm's length (I use an old car aerial which is extending) and walk on the spot in a circle myself whilst, hopefully, Leaf runs around further out. This will only be possible though for the initial stages as the target stick will only extend so far.

What are your thoughts please?

 

[running_dog]

Leaf already knows circle me, but at close quarters right against my legs. The cue is 'round Mom", so will have to use a different cue for wider circles.

Also wondering if at first I could use a target stick. She knows target and am thinking maybe to start the process of widening her circle I would hold that at arm's length (I use an old car aerial which is extending) and walk on the spot in a circle myself whilst, hopefully, Leaf runs around further out. This will only be possible though for the initial stages as the target stick will only extend so far.

I started with that close circle trick and then used the little cones to gradually push Zac out.

Target stick sounds a great idea. It'll be very interesting to see how you get on with it. Maybe if we get the thrown treats technique sorted out once you reach the target stick maximum you can pull Leaf further out with treats.

Thanks for the feedback on the video, I really appreciate you taking the time to watch and advise. I'll try again and let you know what happens . If I can spot when he stays out I could use the clicker again.

 

[MaryK]

Target stick went really well. We had to train inside as it was raining, no beach, so not much room. But with the target stick not extended Leaf tore around after it LOL so fast I couldn't even click/treat until I stopped turning! Then, with Leaf still at the end of the target stick (almost eating it) I click/treated heavily for such a good effort. She was just as good going in the opposite direction too.

Today, hopefully, partner will bestir himself and drive us to the beach so we can train with the target stick extended.

Pleasure to watch the video hope I was able to be of help. LOL good luck spotting when Zac doesn't turn in, it's a very, very small margin of time. But he is getting the idea to stay out - sometimes Maybe use a marker word instead of the clicker and throw the treat, if possible, out and slight ahead of Zac and then due to keep on circling.

Good luck

Will keep you posted on Leaf's progress and try to persuade partner to video her.

 

[MaryK]

Ooops my typo I meant "cue" Zac to keep circling. Sorry edit isn't working for some reason.