ok, I know I said that I wasn't into doing tricks with Charlie, but we are still working on one. Just to distract him from prowling round the TV room being a pain in the evening or when I can only spend a few minutes with him in a break from work - I can't do anything serious when my brain is switched off/distracted. So we're doing the shell game - you know, put a treat under one of three plant pots and then put your paw on the right one. I've got the paw on the pot fine. I need a sniff command (there are holes in the top of the pots and I've wiped cheese round the hole of the right pot) - if I introduce another two pots he just puts his paw on all of them until he gets the right one. I need him to stop and sniff the pots to identify the right one. I've googled and searched but can't find any examples for this. Any suggestions?
Re: bit stuck on a trick Would it work if you spent a little bit of time showing him the scented pot? Wafted it under his nose until he got interested? I mean, it's the good stuff, isn't it?! Then held out an unscented one, let him work out some pots are more interesting than others? Then when you next went back to try the game, he'd come to it with the idea that some pots are more interesting than others and he knows to use his nose to find out which? Clare
Re: bit stuck on a trick Yes, hmmm....gone about this maybe the wrong way. I put a pot down, and trained him to put his paw on it for a treat. I've messed up a bit, I should have interested him in sniffing for the treat in the pot. Oh well, good job it doesn't matter. I'll try again though.
Re: bit stuck on a trick Go back to one pot only, with a smelly treat inside. Don't worry about wiping it with cheese. Click and treat for sniffing the pot but don't give him what's under the pot - give him a separate treat. If he puts his paw on it before sniffing just ignore that. You want sniffing. Repeat that a few times. If he happens to sniff then put his paw on it then jackpot. Just don't click for a paw only or for paw first. If the paw goes on before the sniff move the pot from under his paw. Do that half a dozen times. You are not using any verbal cue yet. Now raise the bar and expect a paw touch to the pot too, after the sniff (if you've not already got this). Just wait till you get it and C&T. Once you've that then put a cue on it (say the chosen cue word right before he sniffs and when he puts his paw on the pot, C&T). Once you're getting that on cue add another pot - with no treat inside. You just want him to ignore this one and keep sniffing and touching the original, baited pot. Once you've got that, swap the positions of the pots. Cue and click/treat sniffing of the correct pot. Once you've got that, add a third pot. Do a few repetitions with the three pots. Then switch them round and let him have another go. Once he's really getting the three pot trick, the treat can come from under the pot. It might take a while, and a number of sessions, as he will wonder why the heck putting a paw on it is no longer what you want. Anyway, that's what I'd try Hope it makes sense.... Just read your post as I went to post this - yes, you need to start with the sniff.
Re: bit stuck on a trick Thanks Rachael, really appreciate the reply. Was a bit tired tonight, so thought I'd just work on his trick for his supper kibble rather than something more taxing. I have a top tip if anyone else fancies this trick - don't use clay pots with a young excited dog....he sniffed it ok, then whacked it so hard with his paw it shattered into the sideboard.... : I'll regroup with plastic pots later.
