Boogie
Moderator
- Location
- Manchester UK
It’s easy for me, no treats are allowed to be given from the floor 
Relaxation protocol.
- Thread starter Leanne
- Start date
Is that so they never learn to snaffle for dropped food?It’s easy for me, no treats are allowed to be given from the floor
- Location
- Andorra and Spain
This doesn't preclude the use of multiple reward markers; we should still have one for "the treat is coming to you" as opposed to "you come to get the treat" (or any sort of breaking behaviour). Luckily, dogs compensate for our inaccurate handling and tend to work it out pretty well even when we don't give them that directionIt’s easy for me, no treats are allowed to be given from the floor
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How do you reset the behaviour to continue training? I use a treat to the side to remove from position to train again having 'changed the picture' .It’s easy for me, no treats are allowed to be given from the floor
Leanne
Sniffer Dog
- Location
- Shropshire, UK
Day 2 (should be day 3 but I cocked it up yesterday!)
So after discovering yesterday I was doing it wrong and actually you don’t allow a break in between tasks I went back to day 1.
Today Steve had a go, a, because I’m curious how it would work with someone else and b, because he’s very unconfident in training Mas and this is very prescriptive (aka he uses the wrong bloody words ALL the time and it drives me nuts) so I figured he couldn’t mess it up ?.
He cheated slightly(!!!) and used roast bloody chicken. Frankly Mas wouldn’t have moved if a truck had entered the living room via the walls ??. However I was able to see how alert Mas is throughout, I could also see more when he was ready to break the down a few times - mainly when he felt a treat was coming (ie Steve was walking back towards him) overall really really positive today - he got up twice when Steve was doing the jogging activity but then completed it the next time around. I’m going to repeat day 2 again tomorrow as whilst it wa completed well he didn’t stay down for the entirety and we aren’t in a rush here so I would rather strive for perfection ?.
Managed to get some pictures of it though / very impressed with the relaxed body posture! Should add we introduced the mat today - spoke to my trainer about it today and shared my concerns that if he would only settle on a mat I’m forced to always use THAT mat, she suggested we change it up to a towel, a mat, so that there is no expectation of a specific item just an item that indicates this is where I want you to relax.
So after discovering yesterday I was doing it wrong and actually you don’t allow a break in between tasks I went back to day 1.
Today Steve had a go, a, because I’m curious how it would work with someone else and b, because he’s very unconfident in training Mas and this is very prescriptive (aka he uses the wrong bloody words ALL the time and it drives me nuts) so I figured he couldn’t mess it up ?.
He cheated slightly(!!!) and used roast bloody chicken. Frankly Mas wouldn’t have moved if a truck had entered the living room via the walls ??. However I was able to see how alert Mas is throughout, I could also see more when he was ready to break the down a few times - mainly when he felt a treat was coming (ie Steve was walking back towards him) overall really really positive today - he got up twice when Steve was doing the jogging activity but then completed it the next time around. I’m going to repeat day 2 again tomorrow as whilst it wa completed well he didn’t stay down for the entirety and we aren’t in a rush here so I would rather strive for perfection ?.
Managed to get some pictures of it though / very impressed with the relaxed body posture! Should add we introduced the mat today - spoke to my trainer about it today and shared my concerns that if he would only settle on a mat I’m forced to always use THAT mat, she suggested we change it up to a towel, a mat, so that there is no expectation of a specific item just an item that indicates this is where I want you to relax.
Leanne
Sniffer Dog
- Location
- Shropshire, UK
Day 2/3
Did day 2 this morning and Mas whizzed through it - as soon as I got a dog blanket out he laid on it straight away.. didn’t even ask for the down!
Day 3 was a bit more tricky... in order to do the 10 steps back I had to walk through an open doorway.. we haven’t got this far yet in training so there was very much a ‘oi where you going?’ As he leapt to follow me. Took 3 attempts but eventually he stayed (and I might have took smaller steps ?) no reaction at ALL this time to me going to he left and right of him in a circle.. which is the thing he’s struggled with both days. We did get the hang of throwing the treat into the bed though which made it a bit less stimulating
He’s been a bit odd today in general... yesterday was a VERY full on day with training and a social walk and as a result he slept most of the day - today the boy woke up with the devil in him - lots of biting and chewing and yanking on my clothes. At 9 this morning despite torrential rain I took him for a 20 minute walk/run over the fields by my house.. didn’t even make a dent in him, came home and did some find training.. nothing. He was just WIRED.
Barely slept at all today, took him to the in laws for dinner and he was awesome, all ‘look at me I’m so good’ - got him and he was a little shit!
Have only just finished day 3 training so we will see if that wipes him out a bit! ?
How’s everyone else getting on?
Did day 2 this morning and Mas whizzed through it - as soon as I got a dog blanket out he laid on it straight away.. didn’t even ask for the down!
Day 3 was a bit more tricky... in order to do the 10 steps back I had to walk through an open doorway.. we haven’t got this far yet in training so there was very much a ‘oi where you going?’ As he leapt to follow me. Took 3 attempts but eventually he stayed (and I might have took smaller steps ?) no reaction at ALL this time to me going to he left and right of him in a circle.. which is the thing he’s struggled with both days. We did get the hang of throwing the treat into the bed though which made it a bit less stimulating
He’s been a bit odd today in general... yesterday was a VERY full on day with training and a social walk and as a result he slept most of the day - today the boy woke up with the devil in him - lots of biting and chewing and yanking on my clothes. At 9 this morning despite torrential rain I took him for a 20 minute walk/run over the fields by my house.. didn’t even make a dent in him, came home and did some find training.. nothing. He was just WIRED.
Barely slept at all today, took him to the in laws for dinner and he was awesome, all ‘look at me I’m so good’ - got him and he was a little shit!
Have only just finished day 3 training so we will see if that wipes him out a bit! ?
How’s everyone else getting on?
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Ahem - not managed anything today, so nothing to contribute, sorry! but I do recognize that little monster who turns into an angel when on parade ?
I haven’t had any interesting treats beyond kibble for a couple of days (without a car), and I’m pretty sure results would be better with something higher value... I’ll update tomorrow!
I haven’t had any interesting treats beyond kibble for a couple of days (without a car), and I’m pretty sure results would be better with something higher value... I’ll update tomorrow!
Day 1
Similar to @Leanne we restarted this as got the first attempt wrong with the yoyo-ing up and down into position and out again.
This time, I was expecting the sustained down to be challenging; but actually after the 3/4th tasks you could see a click as Kipper realised 'oh, this is what we're doing - okay'. He found it really exciting to begin with, as soon as he saw the treats come out - so we had a bit of jumping up and skipping around before he settled.
The only real challenge was the counting out loud; up to 10 was clearly a bit tricky for him, and he started being a little squeaky towards 8 and 9. 20 was way too much the first time, and the 2nd time - we went back a few stages both times, and the third time he was a lot better. By the end it seemed to be a lot easier for him, although I was aware I wasn't being very dextrous with the treats; I need to find a better way to hold them so they're not so obvious to him.
I was also hoping he's find it as tiring as Mas, but actually I've now got a puppy whining at my elbow for more attention and treats...
Similar to @Leanne we restarted this as got the first attempt wrong with the yoyo-ing up and down into position and out again.
This time, I was expecting the sustained down to be challenging; but actually after the 3/4th tasks you could see a click as Kipper realised 'oh, this is what we're doing - okay'. He found it really exciting to begin with, as soon as he saw the treats come out - so we had a bit of jumping up and skipping around before he settled.
The only real challenge was the counting out loud; up to 10 was clearly a bit tricky for him, and he started being a little squeaky towards 8 and 9. 20 was way too much the first time, and the 2nd time - we went back a few stages both times, and the third time he was a lot better. By the end it seemed to be a lot easier for him, although I was aware I wasn't being very dextrous with the treats; I need to find a better way to hold them so they're not so obvious to him.
I was also hoping he's find it as tiring as Mas, but actually I've now got a puppy whining at my elbow for more attention and treats...
Leanne
Sniffer Dog
- Location
- Shropshire, UK
How interesting that he struggled with the counting... Mas didn’t even blink at that but was a git when it came to me walking behind him.
Day 3 is fun ??
Day 3 is fun ??
Didnt want to hijack your thread Leanne, but here's our update
Day 1 - in my keenness to start I stupidly picked a terrible time to begin. But, 2 hours later, fed and exercised, we breezed through most of the exercises.
Day 2 - Again, good work - joggin became a bit of an issue so we jsut restarted and I did only 1-2 seconds
Day 3 - Bit more difficulty with the jogging again - managed maybe 4 seconds. And the walking around the back of him - as soon as I got to about 160 degrees he popped up. Tried a couple of times but no dice, so something to work on. So we probably completed 80% of the tasks
So jogging and moving out of sight are the things to work on - what is funny is when he comes out of a lie, he goes straight into a sit! Which is super cute, but not acheiving relaxation. Apart from a short time on day 2 when he shifted on his side, I don't think he is relaxing much at all - he's just super keen for the treats, which is mostly only kibble, but keeping him quite alert.
Day 1 - in my keenness to start I stupidly picked a terrible time to begin. But, 2 hours later, fed and exercised, we breezed through most of the exercises.
Day 2 - Again, good work - joggin became a bit of an issue so we jsut restarted and I did only 1-2 seconds
Day 3 - Bit more difficulty with the jogging again - managed maybe 4 seconds. And the walking around the back of him - as soon as I got to about 160 degrees he popped up. Tried a couple of times but no dice, so something to work on. So we probably completed 80% of the tasks
So jogging and moving out of sight are the things to work on - what is funny is when he comes out of a lie, he goes straight into a sit! Which is super cute, but not acheiving relaxation. Apart from a short time on day 2 when he shifted on his side, I don't think he is relaxing much at all - he's just super keen for the treats, which is mostly only kibble, but keeping him quite alert.
Although I like the relaxation protocol I think it's important to remember that you might have to build up to the numbers quitedin each of the tasks. It is a lot to expect your dog to stay still for a count of say 20 when you haven'tpracticedto get to that level. Also it can take a lot of practice to be able to walk around your dog while they stay in position without moving - normally we will train that sort of behaviour with only one or two steps to the side first and gradually build.
One other thought is whether you are mixing up the order of tasks on a daily basis. Our dogs can quickly get into a 'oh this is what I do next' when training. Mixing up the order ensures that they are really learning and not following a set pattern.
One other thought is whether you are mixing up the order of tasks on a daily basis. Our dogs can quickly get into a 'oh this is what I do next' when training. Mixing up the order ensures that they are really learning and not following a set pattern.
Leanne
Sniffer Dog
- Location
- Shropshire, UK
Maccie each day is a different order and things like standing to the back of them is done in gradual increments. On day 3 we are still only at half way round them in a circle ?
Leanne
Sniffer Dog
- Location
- Shropshire, UK
day 3 (again)
Can’t quite crack it. He’s only getting up once and it’s nearer the start than it is the end but that’s not the point!
Behaviour wise today he was very bouncy before we started so I didn’t have high hopes but actually he worked through it well. I’m not convinced the chucking the treat on the floor is helping - he’s hyper alert waiting for the treat. Maybe the treats are too high? We was using kibble but I felt a bit mean
Can’t quite crack it. He’s only getting up once and it’s nearer the start than it is the end but that’s not the point!
Behaviour wise today he was very bouncy before we started so I didn’t have high hopes but actually he worked through it well. I’m not convinced the chucking the treat on the floor is helping - he’s hyper alert waiting for the treat. Maybe the treats are too high? We was using kibble but I felt a bit mean
Leanne
Sniffer Dog
- Location
- Shropshire, UK
Yet again though... absolutely out for the count. It obviously works to relax him... but more after as opposed to during. Maybe that’s a side affect? But like mindfulness for dogs?
So in the time it took me to write this post he has curled up on the floor and fell asleep... 3 minutes after finishing the training.
So in the time it took me to write this post he has curled up on the floor and fell asleep... 3 minutes after finishing the training.
Leanne
Sniffer Dog
- Location
- Shropshire, UK
In fairness to me... I have BRUISES from his constant ninja stealth attacks today.
Stop by 4 months my arse ?
Stop by 4 months my arse ?
Leanne
Sniffer Dog
- Location
- Shropshire, UK
He is still asleep.
Relaxation protocol is officially my favourite thing ever.
Relaxation protocol is officially my favourite thing ever.
Leanne
Sniffer Dog
- Location
- Shropshire, UK
Ok it might be a fluke but I just got up to get a drink and Mas lifted his head and watched me walk out BUT didn’t follow me.
He always follows me..... interesting....
He always follows me..... interesting....
That's reassuring but remember on some tasks you may not be able to get to the level stated. Dogs learn at different rates and you want to train for success every time