summer_jackel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
summer_jackel) wrote2011-01-09 03:19 pm
summer_jackel) wrote2011-01-09 03:19 pm
Entry tags:
Thoughts on dog training
I'm planning on entering our year's first show in March. (This will be in obedience and possibly rally; I don't plan on entering another conformation class until the fall). Coba is much more solid on the long sits now, so I'm thinking that earning his CD and/or RN by the end of the year are realistic goals. Hopefully _I_ will be a bit less high-strung about it this time 'round. I mean, come on. I'm apparently more comfortable in the courtroom than in front of a dog judge, and that's just silly.
(Those titles, btw, are Companion Dog, obedience; Rally Novice, rally...unless the AKC means to confer nursing degrees upon dogs).
I'm riding my trainer at hour 2, and ended up playing with Coba when I took a break. Incorporating tricks like rolling over and boinging, and letting him get completely hyped up, really improves the overall mood of a rather sensitive dog. Coba loves playing with me, and it seems like the more that I can make learned behaviors part of hyper play, the more subtle our communication in general becomes and the more relaxed he is when asked to do difficult things which he does not enjoy. We are starting to work on polished and longer sits/downs and the beginning of work away from my side, which require a lot of mental discipline and can be emotionally taxing for dogs. I am learning when and how to best give him positive "stress valves" to make it easier and boost his confidence and trust in me.
The other cool thing about this is that it increases my ability to strongly reward Coba without food aids. I'm beginning to think that that is as important for dog communication/training as being able to correct properly, beyond withholding a treat. Physically correcting something like a sit turns out to be a whole lot easier than its opposite, rewarding correct behavior only using eye contact, posture, tone of voice, etc. Dogs tend to eat that kind of thing up, though, especially herding beasties that are wired to enjoy taking subtle and complicated cues from the handler. It's made training more fun for the lot of us.
I'm starting to focus on using things like the show heel in everyday life, too. It is so useful to have the dog be completely focused on me and stopping without having to be told, etc. --- having a dog around is so much more fun when you can tell it to "velcro" and be able to turn your whole attention on something else for a bit. (Not that they do this all the time, of course. Sadly, my dogs are NOT perfectly well behaved in public, but usually they're ok). Impresses people, too; the expressions of shock when my dogs actually come when called are sometimes pretty entertaining.
(Those titles, btw, are Companion Dog, obedience; Rally Novice, rally...unless the AKC means to confer nursing degrees upon dogs).
I'm riding my trainer at hour 2, and ended up playing with Coba when I took a break. Incorporating tricks like rolling over and boinging, and letting him get completely hyped up, really improves the overall mood of a rather sensitive dog. Coba loves playing with me, and it seems like the more that I can make learned behaviors part of hyper play, the more subtle our communication in general becomes and the more relaxed he is when asked to do difficult things which he does not enjoy. We are starting to work on polished and longer sits/downs and the beginning of work away from my side, which require a lot of mental discipline and can be emotionally taxing for dogs. I am learning when and how to best give him positive "stress valves" to make it easier and boost his confidence and trust in me.
The other cool thing about this is that it increases my ability to strongly reward Coba without food aids. I'm beginning to think that that is as important for dog communication/training as being able to correct properly, beyond withholding a treat. Physically correcting something like a sit turns out to be a whole lot easier than its opposite, rewarding correct behavior only using eye contact, posture, tone of voice, etc. Dogs tend to eat that kind of thing up, though, especially herding beasties that are wired to enjoy taking subtle and complicated cues from the handler. It's made training more fun for the lot of us.
I'm starting to focus on using things like the show heel in everyday life, too. It is so useful to have the dog be completely focused on me and stopping without having to be told, etc. --- having a dog around is so much more fun when you can tell it to "velcro" and be able to turn your whole attention on something else for a bit. (Not that they do this all the time, of course. Sadly, my dogs are NOT perfectly well behaved in public, but usually they're ok). Impresses people, too; the expressions of shock when my dogs actually come when called are sometimes pretty entertaining.
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(Anonymous) 2011-01-10 03:56 am (UTC)(link)- Princess Alexandria
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