I was at a 4-H event last month and got to meet lots of 4-H dog project families from all over the state – even some from my area. Viktor did great during his short visits inside – lots of new people, dogs, kids, and activity. I was very excited Read more…
I heard about Retrieving for All Occasions over a year ago – and that it would eventually be available in English. I held off on buying it, knowing that I would reference and use an English version more than a Swedish one. And now it’s finally available! As an e-book now ($15) Read more…
We’ve been teaching 8 week classes based off of the “Canine Life and Social Skills” (CLASS) program. One of the exercises is “Wait for the food bowl.” Training Plan: Stage 1: Holding Still: Dog is able to sit or lie down and hold the position for a few seconds. Stage Read more…
I’ll be helping with a one hour ‘foundation training skills’ talk at an event next year. But what is a foundation skill? My friend dictionary.com defines foundation as “the basis or groundwork of anything.” The challenge is that different trainers have completely different foundation skills. Some want the dog to look at the handler, heel, Read more…
An important piece of clicker training is that we separate the marker from the reinforcement. Mark. And then we reach for the reinforcer. If we reach with the food as we click, that movement becomes a great source of information for our animal, the movement becomes the relevant marker, Read more…
We often focus on the behavior, how to get behavior, maintain it, shape it, and use it. There is this little tiny space of time and the little tiny bit of behavior that has been fascinating me recently. All that stuff that happens between the click and when the Read more…
I picked up this book at the library. And the next week, I saw Dogwise was carrying it also. Parts of it are really well done. There’s a few pages on exercises to do without your dog! The importance of timing! A great format and excellent photos. The biggest drawback Read more…
Michele Pouliot has done presentations at ClickerExpo about using platforms to teach behaviors. I haven’t yet been able to go to that presentation (or to watch her new DVD on the topic), but I have been utilizing platforms in my own ways! We warmed up with go-outs to a platform. Read more…
It’s probably been at least two months since we’ve done a training session on dogwalks. Griffin had a few reps at agility class (and missed every time). And during a private last month (was good, one was a jump). But no ‘real’ training. Monday night we did one session and Read more…
A continuation from earlier today, we’ve done a bit more with the bell ringing. One factor I didn’t mention, but definitely considered, is the social pressure in the behavior. It’s harder for a dog to come right up to another to ring the bell than to ring it when held Read more…