14 day foundational behaviours training course

[HAH]

This is not an advert, more a 'keeping accountable' thread! I've just signed up for an online short course with a +R trainer based in Washington DC, which aims to teach fun and relationship building skills in 5 minute chunks for 14 days. I've followed her on Instagram for ages and love her focus on building human/dog connections.

I'm really conscious that since Stilton arrived nearly 9 months ago, I've not done much active training with Kipper and he so loves to train! Similarly, Stilton is nearly 11 months old and while we did puppy and adolescent classes, we've been working on basic life skills as and when we can - so he'll benefit hugely from a more structured plan. Since time is really short for us day to day, 5 minutes seems do-able and will hopefully help build skills we can all work on together in time.

Skills will cover things like place/go to mat, creating a start button (I'm so excited for that one!), figure 8s, up and down pattern game, auto check in, scavenger hunts, cue transfers, lying on side, etc. and there are progressions for each exercise. I'll post updates and maybe videos (if I can tidy our space a bit) as we go...

 

[Kelsey]

This sounds great! Can’t wait to hear how it goes for you all. I’ll have to look into something like this too

 

[Jacqui-S]

Really sounds great.
Look forward to hearing more!

 

[Candy]

That sounds really good! I probably don't do enough training stuff with Joy now, mainly because she seems to have picked up enough to know what to do and when, so that I feel I can take her pretty much anywhere with me. However, she clearly very much enjoys training games and is quick on the uptake, so maybe I should start looking at doing something more.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Kudos to you for taking part in the new class. I agree with @Candy , it sounds really good!

 

[Joy]

Yes it sounds really interesting. Look forward to hearing more about it.

 

[Cath]

Sound good @HAH, you must let us know how you all go on

 

[Selina27]

This sounds really good Harriet.
5 mins a day sounds ideal !
I am sure both boys will enjoy it xx

 

[HAH]

This morning Kipper and I tacked a little ‘place’ training session on the end of our walk round our local industrial estate. We kept it short and simple, since we haven’t done it for a while and never in this environment, and he aced it

 

[HAH]

This afternoon, Stilton and I had a quick session on place too. He smashed it! Now to introduce distractions… Day 2 is beginning a start button behavior, I’m hoping to find time to slip that in tomorrow daytime!

 

[HAH]

Kipper and I just managed 5 minutes on beginning a start button - we’ve never done this before and he picked it up so quickly. It’s my mechanics that are a bit shonky. The aim is to get the dog in place on e.g. a mat in front of you, then feed a treat between their front paws, wait for eye contact when they’ve finished it then hold out a neutral object from behind your back with your other hand, like a cup - then when they offer eye contact, deliver the treat. The order matters. Dog offers eye contact → THEN you present cup → THEN you deliver treat. I’m struggling to remember this order and deliver it cleanly, but practice will sort this out… The idea is that the cup can then become anything else like a brush, nail clippers etc. and the dog then has an established behaviour to control what happens next.

 

[Selina27]

start button

I've heard of this but don't really know what is is, is it foundations for cooperative care?

I’m struggling to remember this order and deliver it cleanly

This is me all over! Poor Cass tries everything sometimes bless her

I said to our trainer last week at Dog Club "that's a lot of behaviours for me to chain together"

 

[HAH]

I've heard of this but don't really know what is is, is it foundations for cooperative care?

Yes! It's basically a way for the dog to say 'yep, I'm happy with this - carry on' or 'no thanks, I don't want it' with the golden rule that you only use it when the dog has genuine choice - so if the dog doesn't opt in, the thing doesn't happen. The idea is fundamentally to give the dog control, but also by doing this the dog is more likely to opt in over time as they realise they manage what happens.

I'm thinking this might transform a lot of our conversations, as I've found over the years that the more choice I give Kipper, the more willing he is to try stuff and get over initial reluctance. I'm hoping we can use it to restart nail trimming, grooming, towelling amongst other things as these are all areas he's not comfortable at the moment.

 

[HAH]

Last night Kipper and I did day 3 ‘figure of 8s’ and he got very excited! I had to use a couple of buckets in our front room which did the job, although quite a confined space. Kipper and I learned these years ago and he finds them very rewarding, but we keep them to a minimum to avoid overloading his joints.

Here’s a still from the video I took, Kipper had to carry Duck all the way round because it was just too much!

 

[HAH]

I also did a quick session on creating a start button with Stilton which was all new, and he was fabulous! I’m really looking forward to extending this with them both, it’s a super technique.

 

[Joy]

Kipper looks so happy in that photo! I think I use a 'start button' technique with Molly being groomed (as she's not keen on it - but fortunately doesn't need a lot). I ask for paws up on a step and when she does I start to groom. If she steps down I stop.
With my borrowed dogs I use eye-contact as an indication that they are ready to start 'work'. (I let them off lead and they can run and sniff and then when they come to me and make eye contact we start heelwork.) So I think this is a kind of start button.

 

[Selina27]

Yes, I thought how happy Kipper looks, I love it when they do that.