sometimes it takes a question from a CP for me to really think thru some of teh off beat things i say or do....
today-- how come you give treats for the basket deal yet say don't give treats... good point...
this go get the basket thing AND GET A treat is----- here is a finished job for which you get a paycheck-- once given the treat --- go away and play.... and think of what a nice treat... because that is what your mind will be on...-- another time we give a treat is -- go back in the kennel, turn around and open your mouth for treat...-- same thing-- go relax.... you are all done for the moment.
that is entirely different than the trainer who carries a treat bag on their hip so teh dog will pay attention to them.. i have even heard/seen people say "hold teh treat in front of your face so tehe dog will look at you"....
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we have already accomplished all that with the spoon feeding in a group.. personally... i think the dog's logic goes somethin like this
in teh spoon feeding episopde....
she has food- i better investigate
if i go over there by her maybe she will call my name
whenever i hear my name i know something is supposed to happen... so i better get ready...
if she calls my name i might get a treat--- unless she says "wait"
if she says wait... then i must hold very still and hope...
jumping in front of my brothers and sisters does not help
i must not put my feet on her lap or she will holler "off" and swing her arm in my direction..
i must pay attention...
i seem to do better if i am not moving much...
by 7 or 8 weeks that should be teh normal----
now about" get in the kennel..."
ok i just had my dinner....
i just have to check to see if any got spilled-
ahhhhhh there is may name being called....
she is holding the gate to my kennel open for me to run in... -
let me run and get in front of her " in feeding position"
she has been trained to put a treat in my mouth.
this easily becomes
she has the car door open- that usually means jump in. and turn around like i do in the kennel - so i do that and we go somewhere... ( no treat there) eventualy we get home and she does the kennel door thing and i get a treat then.
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it is my belief once you start the treat bit-- their mind is washed out and they can only think of treats...,.so it becomes a long way back to trying to concentrate on the job at hand.
this is where i personally have trouble with the typical clicker training.. where they click and treat for progress toward a goal.... it is not the clicker.... i can make that noise with my mouth-- same effect-- but i just praise the dog for a partial "job" and treat at the very end.
i have seen some amazing "tricks" done with clicker training ( even if you don't have a metal clicker)- that success depends totally on th eskill of teh guy withthe clicker... and their split second timing... which most people don't have. -- i know i don't.. any time i needed to use the split secont timeing the clicker would be in the pocket of my jeans and in the washing machine.
our training is slightly more subtle... when that vest/harness goes on... pay attention.. stuff will happen.
so teh vest becomes teh on /off switch to relax time. as the pup works into a job at about 6 months, the whole thing is a perfectly normal process.... and they love it !!
once our trainers get to the nitty gritty of service dog training -- out in public... they have to get to the point of achieving boredom --- because you can not teach a dog a thing if his mind is on the squirrel which just ran up that tree... or the meat counter in the market--- or a kid screaming in the ladies underwear department. so "leave it" is maybe teh next critical "command" they learn.. once tehre, then they get into "my partner's feet are moving only aBOUT 4 INCHES AT A TIME..." AT THIS POINT YOU ARE NEARLY READY TO GO !!
IF OUR TRAINERS CARRIED A BAG OF TREATS, IT WOULD TAKE A YEAR LONGER FOR THE DOG TO ACHIEVE THE BOREDOM NECESSry for real learning...
this is how george-- our AKC #1 service dog was trained-- and it is why he went home with bella before he was a year old.... which is about 8 months before most service dog outfits get their dogs back from puppy raisers to start thier "formal training" -- if george had not won that perfect dog award, probably no one would listen to these strange ideas... but now ???
even that photo crew yesterday said this place was not like anything else they had seen in the past year of trAVELEING AROUND DOG ESTABLISHMENTS, THEY USED WORDS LIKE RELAXED, HAPPY , OFF LEASH AND WELL BEHAVED-- AT ALL AGES,.
I LIKED THAT....
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AND --- YESTERDAy's visit with THE TOWN MANAGER---- HAD TO ADMIT WE WERE DOING AMAZING THINGS AND ADDRESSING THINGS THAT COULD BE ADDRESSED.... HE SAID SOMEONE WAS EMIALING HIM ABOUT NOISE BETWEEN 4 AND 7 AM...
THAT PROBLEM IS I USUALY GET UP ABOUT 4AM --- AND STAFF ARRIVES ABOUT 6:45AM... IT IS A FARM.... YOU GOTTA START EARLY-- SO HE IS GOING TO SEE WHAT HE CAN DO--
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today?? 11:00 AM------dr BRYAN FOR A ONCE OVER THE DONKEY'S AND THEIR FEET-- HE IS TH ONLY ONE I KNOW OF WITH THE BRAWN AND TALANT TO DEAL WIHT OUT OF CONTROL DONKEY FEET... IF HE CAN GET EHEM STRAIGTHENED OUT , THEN THE UYSUAL BALCKSMITH -- AND PETER CAN KEEP US GOING... -- THERE IS ONE BACK FOOT ON SOMEONE THAT IS TERRIBLE... AND USUALY HIDDEN IN THE SHAVINGS AND HAY.
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and so it goes
