As I mentioned in another post, Harley and I have started a "Clicks and Tricks" class. We have had 2 sessions and Harls is a star, she really enjoys it and after the initial panic passed, so do I. I love watching her enjoy herself and be able to communicate with her using the clicker. The trainer has suggested a challenge for the final class - she has said that we can do a "show and tell" of a trick that we have worked on by ourselves, so not one that we have practiced and learned in class. I am keen to do this as it will be good for me to push my limits, especially because of my social anxiety, and also to let Harley show what a clever girl she is. This class is a fun clicker training class, so not obedience. In class so far we have done basic target training, doing a crawl (Harley is adorable doing this), working towards sitting on a mat (at this point just touching it), rolling over and going through a hoop. Harley is really a super star and except for the roll (we are working on it slowly) she does everything very well, and with confidence and fabulousness I am thinking of working towards her picking up a toy and putting it in a box as our end of class trick. Does anyone disagree? I fully expect her to be excited and not be able to completely do the trick. She is only 10 months old. Any suggestions for anything else. I am chosing this because it is the next thing we want to work on at home as an activity.
If it's a trick you are motivated to teach, it sounds like the perfect thing to train How long do you have to train it?
Fiona, I have about 4 weeks. We are always picking up Harley's toys and she loves "helping" by carrying things and being involved in what we do that I think it will be a great trick to work towards.
I think that would be a very useful trick. If only Homer would put shoes back in pairs rather than leaving odd ones opposite ends of the house. I saw a video of a lab getting a can of beer from the fridge, handing it to his owner then going back to close the fridge.
I think that sounds ideal - after all you know she likes carrying things. If she gets the hang of it quickly (and I bet she will), you could try having two objects and get her to pick them up and put them in a box one at a time. Start with them on either side of you and point to the one you wasn't her to pick up, at the same time as naming it.
Go for whatever sounds fun! If you're looking for ideas in addition to the toy box trick, how about Brogan's patented "pick up your leash and hand it to my human" trick? That one was actually pretty simple and it never failed to impress at airport security. It was also very helpful to me as I'd often drop his leash while walking and then he'd just hand it back to me without me having to bend over.
Good girl Harley and so glad you are enjoying these fun classes which are helping you Charlie loves putting toys in a box which I clicker trained for fun. Another trick Charlie loves is to collect the post. You could easily train this at home and then for your class, that's if you don't mind slobbery post x @Emily_BabbelHund loving the leash hand over Hattie does this but in reverse, when we are home from our walk she takes the lead from me skipping up the driveway, it makes my day xx
It sounds like a good idea, although the pattern would need to be broken down into stages. I like to follow a recipe to make things easier, especially if you are not used to teaching tricks. I found the "four paws in a box" a great way to get started http://totallydogtraining.com/dog-games-four-paws-in-a-box/ Casper... hmmmm....maybe we can reserve this one for September challenge?? @snowbunny?
Aww Casper I remember this trick, good fun but we have done it Kate, although it was a while ago. Here's Charlie in his box xx
Sounds good to me! I'll leave it in your capable hands to introduce and describe it! Feel free to pop it in for August, if you wish... no reason we can't have more than one challenge running consecutively. It's not like we're not allowed to carry on training and posting once the month is up
Rainy days? In August? What are you talking about, woman? It doesn't rain in August, does it? It's summer!!
I think that sounds awesome! Especially if she already likes carrying things around! And the more they learn with the clicker, the more they want to learn!
Thank you for all the support and ideas! I am going to start a progress thread in the training log section. She is too adorable to not document.
