So... I'm trying to teach Chewie to hand target using the clicker. He gets that he has to touch my hand, except he always licks my hand after touching it with his nose. What can I do to try to get him to not lick me? I'm currently placing my open palm near his face and clicking when he touches (and inevitably licks) me. I've tried holding my hand just above his nose and he still licks it!
Hi @Chewies_mum , from what I remember of teaching this the thing is only to reward only the touch that you want, in other words if he licks your hand don't click and reward, offer your hand again and when he touches with his nose reward that. I can't do links but there is a video on Utube by Nando Brown showing how to do sustained hand touch. It's useful, I found. I taught Cassie this last year, but never really stuck with the sustained bit, I've decided this week to try to do so, she's 2 now! She will lick me but I'm sticking to it!
Thank you! I'll look that up today. I figure a hand touch will be useful in the future so worth training now.
Hi Chewies mum, you can try putting a glove on your hand, and reward when the dog touches your hand wearing the glove with its nose.Since you have changed the presentation of the target you may have to go back to the beginning. Let us know how that goes. Regards Michael.
Agree with @Michael A Brooks, use something other than your hand. Benson started to lick my hand when we started handtouch. So I grabbed a (clean...) salad spoon and worked on a nose touch with that, which worked well, then went back to the hand touch and bingo!! No problem. Once they really understand a cue, they become good at generalising to other articles
Hi Beanwood,I had the same problem with licking. Taught her to target a small target ball -- only big enough for her nose and ensured I rewarded before the tongue came out. Then moved to bare right hand. Then left hand. Finally used extended target stick in every possible position. She loves it. Seems to have a calming effect.
Sure. I find it useful if she's gone to far ahead or further away than I want her to be to stand still, or turn and walk in the opposite direction, and as she returns to me ask for handtouch before rewarding. Also sometimes her recall close to me, just pottering, is slow compared to her recall from a distance, and it's useful then, rather than nag her, when she will just switch off.
Thanks. You seem to be using targeting as a substitute for checking in. Clear to me now. Regards Michael
No, I wouldn't necessarily say so. I forgot to mention that I also find it useful in distracting situations, like yesterday when she wanted to approach some people on a walk, she actually turned to me first, a used hand target then to get her to come to me. It worked.
Hmm selina27. I can understand it's working for you, but I'm not convinced hand targeting is a desirable part of a recall chain. I want my dog to come also when she cannot see me, but can hear the command "Come". We'll have to differ on the value of hand targeting for recall. regards Michael
Please explain what is and isn't a desirable recall chain as I fail to see what is undesirable about the behaviour. As do we all, but @Selena27 doesn't solely have a handtouch as a recall tool. I use various methods for recall, a call of name which may or may not be followed by Come, I have a whistle recall for both when in sight and out of sight and a silent signal which is just a visual signal. I also use a handtouch at times, I also use silly walks, running in the opposite direction just for fun when my girl looks up and checks in with me. Variety is fun.
Sure But just for the record, Cassie does indeed return to me when she can't see me, she responds 100% to the whistle -- but I don't use it routinely. I agree with @Jojo83, about mixing it up and variety is fun.
Hi Selina and Jojo83, if it works for you that's fine. I like to keep my complex chains as simple as possible so that my dog can succeed when faced with different distractions and varied environments.
I'm sorry but I'm still confused. How is a hand touch a complex chain. It really is no more complex than asking for a Sit. By having a variety of methods for recall my girl is set up for success when faced with different distractions and varied environments because it is fun to recall
The way I use recall it's always a chain. Come is the first command performed by just a hand signal. Sit directly in front of me is the second command. I don't now say sit nor signal sit because I faded both of those commands a long time ago. Admittedly it's not as complex as fetch the article high-lighted with a laser pointer, bring it back to me, and automatically sit , but the way I use recall it is a chain. If one teaches a dog to just touch your hand, then it's just a simple command. If one teaches his dog to hand touch and either stand or sit until released, on the basis of just the cue touch then that is a complex chain. I don't quite understand your suggestion that if one teaches a dog two different signals for doing the same thing that that makes it fun. Did you mean fun for the dog? If so, what is the scientific evidence for such a claim? Or did you mean it's fun for you? If that is the case, then fine.
It's fun because she gets rewarded for making good choices - recalling to me - using various signals. The science that supports reward based training is too numerous to mention but a good starting place can be -"How Dogs Learn - by Burch and Bailey". If you just use one signal for recall that's absolutely fine - it's your choice. If you have a chain for recall that's fine - it's your choice. Some of us choose to have more options in our toolkit.
Oh gosh we have a few different recall signals, mixing them up keeps them fresh. I must admit, I have't used a touch, but yes..I can see me adding it for a very short one, like if Coco is ambling slightly away from me and I'd like him to return straight away, great idea.
The way I tend to use it if she has gone further from me than I want, I either just stand still or about turn and show my hand as looks at me or is returning voluntarily, it saves keep using verbal cues or my whistle all the time. And I do use it too when she is making an enthusiastic recall, perhaps in response to the whistle, or leaving the distraction, just because she loves to do it!
