I just realized a major problem I was having teaching Phoebe to grab the dumbbell. My timing was slow. Phoebe is a super-quick dog, she grabs and lets go nearly instantly. So when I was click and treating, she thought I was C/T for grab AND let go. No wonder I couldn't get her to pick up (or hang onto) the dumbbell! No wonder she thought I was an idiot when I didn't click after she kept grabbing and letting go.
I had to take it back a step, and start clicking for the GRAB, which requires a bit of anticipation on my part. If I wait until she's grabbed, it is too late because by then she's already let go. Amazingly, over a very short session she figured out the click is for the GRAB and she will hold on, even bringing the dumbbell up off the floor sometimes. A miracle breakthrough!
I have also been working on a "touch my hand" trick, and I've had the same problem with it. She touches and then zooms back for a treat. The only way I could get her to stay near my hand is if I held the hand near the treats. I want to teach her to touch my hand until I click the clicker, but I realized that wasn't going to happen unless I started consistently clicking during the millisecond that she was touching my hand. Today I was moving briskly around the house, and she was following my hand with her nose. Success! She couldn't reach the hand easily, so she had to follow it-- and it was much easier to C/T that way. And I have started to build duration. I'm not sure if it will hold up when I stop moving my hand, though!
Friday, December 10, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Frustration with clicker training
Phoebe teaches me something new every day. I'm just not smart enough to figure it out, most days!
Today I was working with her picking up a metal dumbbell. She will grasp it in her teeth about 90% of the time, but usually won't move the dumbbell. Or else she'll grasp it and simultaneously paw it. I have been C/T for clacking the dumbbell with her teeth. Today I decided to raise the criteria and have her move the dumbbell slightly. All I'm looking for is a little lift on either end of the dumbbell. We got "stuck." She wouldn't even clack the dumbbell with her teeth. So frustrating! I didn't want to end on a bad note, but I couldn't get her to go back to the dumbbell. She tried pawing it, moving it around with her paw, and finally she gave up and lay down, watching me expectantly. I know she's thinking "You're an idiot, I did what you wanted and you forgot to give me a treat!"
Finally I got her back to the dumbbell with a lot of encouragement, and when she lifted it up I jackpotted her. Whee! She did a couple more dumbbell lifts, and I ended with her wanting more.
Later I was working on having her jump over a stick, roughly 4 inches off the ground, with me standing at the end of the stick. For whatever reason, she'd jump to my right hand cleanly to get the treat, but every time she'd jump to my left hand, she'd clip the bar with her back foot. Almost every single time! I couldn't give her a treat for clipping the bar, and she didn't seem to realize she hit it. She started to think she'd just get treated for going one way. Major frustration!
I pulled out 2 children's chairs, roughly 12" across and 12" high when placed on their sides, and I used that as my "bar" for her to jump across. She had no problem with that, jumping easily from side to side!
Lesson: If it isn't working, try something else!
Today I was working with her picking up a metal dumbbell. She will grasp it in her teeth about 90% of the time, but usually won't move the dumbbell. Or else she'll grasp it and simultaneously paw it. I have been C/T for clacking the dumbbell with her teeth. Today I decided to raise the criteria and have her move the dumbbell slightly. All I'm looking for is a little lift on either end of the dumbbell. We got "stuck." She wouldn't even clack the dumbbell with her teeth. So frustrating! I didn't want to end on a bad note, but I couldn't get her to go back to the dumbbell. She tried pawing it, moving it around with her paw, and finally she gave up and lay down, watching me expectantly. I know she's thinking "You're an idiot, I did what you wanted and you forgot to give me a treat!"
Finally I got her back to the dumbbell with a lot of encouragement, and when she lifted it up I jackpotted her. Whee! She did a couple more dumbbell lifts, and I ended with her wanting more.
Later I was working on having her jump over a stick, roughly 4 inches off the ground, with me standing at the end of the stick. For whatever reason, she'd jump to my right hand cleanly to get the treat, but every time she'd jump to my left hand, she'd clip the bar with her back foot. Almost every single time! I couldn't give her a treat for clipping the bar, and she didn't seem to realize she hit it. She started to think she'd just get treated for going one way. Major frustration!
I pulled out 2 children's chairs, roughly 12" across and 12" high when placed on their sides, and I used that as my "bar" for her to jump across. She had no problem with that, jumping easily from side to side!
Lesson: If it isn't working, try something else!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Retrieving a metal article
Atlas seems to be doing really well with retrieving his plastic dumbbell. I have "tested" him at the obedience club, and he will do a near-perfect retrieval both on the flat, and going over a jump. I didn't have to do much of anything to get him to retrieve over the jump, he just figured it out on his own. Hallalujah for smart dogs! I know Phoebe is going to be a bigger challenge when she gets to that level.
Over the weekend I bought my first-ever set of scent articles, in preparation for utility work. The articles have been previously used, and they are exactly the perfect size, but instead of a single rod in the middle, they have 2 rods, each on opposite corners of the dumbbell. I am really eager to start scent work with Atlas and Phoebe, but I realized I needed to make sure they were comfortable with the new equipment and understood how to retrieve *these* dumbbells.
I read somewhere that dogs often dislike picking up metal articles, and it is better to start with the metal articles to get them used to it. So I tried to have Atlas "take" the metal dumbbell, and he thought I was crazy. Why would he want to put that nasty metal thing in his mouth?
Now we are almost back to square one, teaching him to put his teeth on the metal for a click and treat. He actually did pick it up and bring it to me once, with the metal shivering in his mouth because he didn't want to hold it. But in general I am still working on having him put it in his mouth while it is on the floor. Because of the double-rods, he prefers to paw at it. No C/T for that, but he continues to try it!
Phoebe is a little better about the metal. Just now as I worked with her, I started getting her consistently "clacking" her teeth on the metal bit while the dumbbell is on the floor. With the giant schnauzer's beard, it is impossible for me to see it, so I have to listen carefully for that clacking sound and make sure she isn't knocking it with her paw. It is encouraging that she seems OK with metal. She is still not able to do a full retrieve with the plastic dumbbell, but I've put that aside for now in favor of working with the metal articles.
Over the weekend I bought my first-ever set of scent articles, in preparation for utility work. The articles have been previously used, and they are exactly the perfect size, but instead of a single rod in the middle, they have 2 rods, each on opposite corners of the dumbbell. I am really eager to start scent work with Atlas and Phoebe, but I realized I needed to make sure they were comfortable with the new equipment and understood how to retrieve *these* dumbbells.
I read somewhere that dogs often dislike picking up metal articles, and it is better to start with the metal articles to get them used to it. So I tried to have Atlas "take" the metal dumbbell, and he thought I was crazy. Why would he want to put that nasty metal thing in his mouth?
Now we are almost back to square one, teaching him to put his teeth on the metal for a click and treat. He actually did pick it up and bring it to me once, with the metal shivering in his mouth because he didn't want to hold it. But in general I am still working on having him put it in his mouth while it is on the floor. Because of the double-rods, he prefers to paw at it. No C/T for that, but he continues to try it!
Phoebe is a little better about the metal. Just now as I worked with her, I started getting her consistently "clacking" her teeth on the metal bit while the dumbbell is on the floor. With the giant schnauzer's beard, it is impossible for me to see it, so I have to listen carefully for that clacking sound and make sure she isn't knocking it with her paw. It is encouraging that she seems OK with metal. She is still not able to do a full retrieve with the plastic dumbbell, but I've put that aside for now in favor of working with the metal articles.
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