Timing the CLICK

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!

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!

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.

Clicker Training--- successes and “Not Quites”

I’ve been trying to teach both Atlas and Phoebe how to retrieve using Shirley Chong’s clicker training method. Although I was familiar with the basics of clicker training, I was stumped about when to raise the criteria. Atlas would be performing something successfully at, say, level 17, and then out of the blue he would perform almost the whole retrieve-- like a level 21 move. I decided he was brilliant and clicked and treated (CT) for the level 21 move, and waited for him to do it again. Of course, he didn’t! But I wasn’t sure I should go back to CT for a level 17 move when I knew he could do level 21. So I stalled out for month and months and did nothing.

Recently I started agility training with an up-and-coming clicker-instructor extraordinaire. Tracey has been learning at the Karen Pryor institute of clicker training, so I told her about my dilemma. Go back to level 17! Keep working at level 17 until you can bet $50 that the dog will correctly perform the level 17 criteria, then work on level 18.

Lesson: You can give a jackpot if the dog does something extraordinary, but don’t demand a higher level until you have worked through the lower ones.

Within a week, I had Atlas doing a full obedience retrieve. It was truly amazing how quickly it all came together after so many months of frustration!

But then there’s Phoebe. I don’t want to say she’s dumb, but she sure doesn’t seem to pick things up as fast as Atlas. However, she is willing to work and eager to please. She started at the same place as Atlas, more or less, picking up the dumbbell and bringing it towards me. Sometimes she would drop it before it came to me. Sometimes she would drop it in my hand if I reached out fast enough. I was stuck for days playing this game, trying to convince her that if the dumbbell reached my hand, she would get a CT. Sometimes she would do it, and sometimes she wouldn’t. Initially she would always pick up the dumbbell and then drop it before she reached me. No CT for that! She would then stand staring at the plate of treats, waiting for her treat. Eventually she would look down at the dumbbell, pick it up again, and I would try to reach out my hand to catch it. Then she would get a CT. But sometimes she would return to the behavior of picking up the dumbbell, dropping it, and staring at the plate of treats.

Why did she keep staring at the plate of treats? She knows that a click = treat, and there was no click, so why was she expecting a treat? The next time she went to retrieve, I moved in the opposite direction of the treats. She didn’t try to bring the dumbbell to me. She brought it towards the treats! I had always been standing near the treats, and she thought if she brought the dumbbell there, it would be exchanged for a treat. Aha! Within a few minutes, I was able to teach her that the dumbbell needed to come to *me* in order to receive a treat. Now she is aiming more for my hand! I think she’s finally getting it!

Snow = Delicious!

Dogs... What is your Breed of Choice?

Dog Snobbery

I used to think that owning purebred dogs was a form of snobbery. Why do we need that many breeds of dogs, anyway? With all the dogs dying in shelters every day, why are people still breeding dogs? I set out to find answers, and learned a lot in the process.

My son and our first dog,
a black mini schnauzer

Why do we need so many breeds of dogs? There are plenty of perfectly marvelous mixed-breed pups out there, and they will make wonderful pets in someone's home. However, not every dog is right for every situation. That's why there are so many different breeds. For instance, in my family we wanted a small hypoallergenic dog, and my husband loved his friend's mini schnauzer. What breed do you think was our first pet?

Dogs come in an enormous variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and dispositions. Let's focus on size for a minute. Small dogs usually work well in apartments--as long as they aren't too noisy. Big dogs are excellent helpers on the farm-- they can pull a cart, herd sheep, serve as a watchdog, and scare away predators such as wolves. For people who require a service dog, a medium-sized dog works best.  If the dog is too big, he cannot comfortably travel with them.  If he's too small, he cannot perform the necessary duties. Dog breeders work to maintain the size, shape, and disposition they value in their breed. If breeders stopped breeding, people would not be able to choose a dog that fits their lifestyle.

German Shepherd dogs are bred for their herding ability,
intelligence, loyalty, and williness to work

What is your Breed of Choice?

Dog breeders preserve the distinguishing characteristics of dog breeds making them valuable to humans. Even if you think you don't have specific needs, ask yourself some questions. Would you want a dog that sheds, or one who needs to be groomed every 8 weeks? Do you have the energy for a playful and active dog, or would you rather have a mellow dog sitting on the couch next to you? Do you prefer a quiet dog, or a watch dog that will alert you to strangers? Your choices, and your lifestyle, would be different than mine, but we can each find a wonderful pet for our needs. If your lifestyle and needs are flexible, consider adopting a dog from a shelter.

Irresponsible Breeders and Irresponsible Owners

That brings us to the other point, why do breeders still breed dogs when dogs are dying in shelters? It's a complicated issue, made worse by misinformation being spread by various groups. We've all heard pet overpopulation is a serious problem in this country. Nobody really knows how big the problem is. Animal rights groups magnify their estimates to get more charitable donations. Some dogs euthanized in shelters were given up because they were old, had an incurable disease, or serious behavioral problems. Responsible breeders do not let their puppies end up in shelters. They will take back their dog, or help find a new home for it, regardless of the reason or age of the dog. Often they will help even if it wasn't a dog of their breeding! Pets that are euthanized at the shelter cannot be blamed on responsible breeders. If someone must be blamed, it belongs to irresponsible owners.

Adopting or buying a dog requires determining which dog fits with your lifestyle and needs. If you are buying a puppy, make sure to get it from a responsible breeder who will help re-home the dog if necessary. If adopting from a shelter, consider what characteristics you want and what traits you don't want. A pet should have a home for life, and that requires the owner making a serious commitment and understanding what is involved in owning their type of dog.

Let sleeping dogs lie