Clicker training in the house with Charlie on best rest. Poor boy is bored silly in between sessions, and I'm finding I have to put him in his pen - I have to work, and can't if I'm always getting up to stop him chewing something or other. So when I get out the clicker, he falls over himself in a "what we doing? Great, some action!". It's a significant positive difference, I reckon. I'm not going to have Charlie bored normally just so my clicker training is more effective, so now keen to make the most of the next 3 days. Clicker stop whistle is good, limited by the length of the hall though. We're now doing a tight slow walking heel room to room. What else can I do? We've done our clicker retrieve, heel sit, and stay to death. I'd love to work on proofing against the doorbell, but don't have anyone to ring the bell unfortunately.
Re: Easy to train a bored dog? Sorry - not tricks though, we've got loads of those we can work on but I don't have huge motivation for them.
Re: Easy to train a bored dog? I think it's one of the reasons that some people kennel their dogs. It means that when they come out for training it's the only game in town. Our pets that follow us round all day and get kongs and cuddles and walks are quite spoilt in comparison. I believe it's one of the reasons it's taking us longer to achieve the same things. That and my ineptness ;D
Re: Easy to train a bored dog? Absolutely no use to you on anything purposeful... but if he reacts just to the sound of your doorbell, could you take a quick audio of it, and then spend some time desensitizing him to the sound of that??? No good if it's the people coming in you need to work on though. In our last army quarter, Theakston spent two years barking at every doorbell on the radio, having seemingly not noticed we no longer had one and had a door knocker instead... Clare
Re: Easy to train a bored dog? [quote author=bbrown link=topic=3479.msg38232#msg38232 date=1385731316] I think it's one of the reasons that some people kennel their dogs. It means that when they come out for training it's the only game in town. Our pets that follow us round all day and get kongs and cuddles and walks are quite spoilt in comparison. I believe it's one of the reasons it's taking us longer to achieve the same things. That and my ineptness ;D [/quote] Interesting! Not kennelling Charlie though - but I can see why it would work.
Re: Easy to train a bored dog? [quote author=ClareJ link=topic=3479.msg38233#msg38233 date=1385731406] Absolutely no use to you on anything purposeful... but if he reacts just to the sound of your doorbell, could you take a quick audio of it, and then spend some time desensitizing him to the sound of that??? No good if it's the people coming in you need [/quote] Good idea. It is the people coming in too, but I can start with just the sound. Thanks!
Re: Easy to train a bored dog? How about some 'search' training? Make him sit and wait in the kitchen (or wherever), then go and hide a small (very small) piece of kibble or toy or whatever in one of the other rooms. He waits until you come back and stand next to him, then with a hand signal and a verbal command you tell him to 'search' or whatever it is you are going to use when you are doing a dummy search in the undergrowth… Good for his steadiness, and for using his nose!
Re: Easy to train a bored dog? Your right Barbara strict working dogs are kept in kennels so the only interaction they get is training or working. This means they're so keen they are easier to train etc. that's the theory or so I've been told by die hard gun dog workers. Now my two sleep in a kennel and go in at various times of the day. Turns out though that's not quite what they mean. Apparently spoiling them with toys and treats, talking to them, entertainingthem and curling up on the couch is not the done thing to make your gun dog keen. Only 3 days left though Julie keep going. Searching for treat or toy is a good idea Karen beat me to it. You could use different toys, ball etc and see if he can find the right one. Jen
Re: Easy to train a bored dog? His entire kibble supper was clicker trained away - steadiness (just don't run for a tossed dummy), sit on left hand side, stop whistle and teeth clean. Plus a bit of stand and down from stand (somehow I never got round to those when he was tiny). I'm dead beat. Charlie is climbing the armchair to chew the lampshade behind it. : : :.
Re: Easy to train a bored dog? Other obedience type exercises include directed retrieving and the send-away. Directed retrieving involves putting out 3 objects - one to your right, one to your left and one out in front. You have your dog at heel facing away from the objects and then turn to line up one of them (in an obedience test the judge tells you which one). Then you sent your dog to get the object. In obedience you use white cotton gloves as the retrieve object (don't ask me why). Obviously this is a gundoggy type exercise too. In the send-away you teach your dog to go away from you and sit inside a demarcated space. In obedience you use a square made of plumbers' pipe, but you could use a hula hoop or something. Another one is scent discrimination - you have a group of objects that are the same, except you have recently touched one. The dog has to pick out the one you've most recently touched. You can use bits of dowel with different marks in them (so you know which is the right one). Keep them in a box and use tongs to handle the ones you don't want to mark with your scent. In trialling you use wood, leather and metal bars for scent work (with metal being the most advanced as most dogs don't like to pick up metal). There'd be info on the net about training these things I expect.
Re: Easy to train a bored dog? I'm liking the send away idea!we've got a hula hop from when he was small enough to jump through sigh,those days are gone .....but great new use for it!thanks x
Re: Easy to train a bored dog? Here is Obi in his square Ultimately, they are meant to go into it from about a 20 metre distance or something (I forget), but we are kinda lazy and have only so far worked up to a few metres in the lounge room.... Initially, lure in using a treat, and click/treat as soon as all four feet are in. Fairly quickly switch to a hand movement and verbal cue instead of the lure. You can raise the stakes and expect a sit as well if you want (which is what we do).
Re: Easy to train a bored dog? Rachael,that's great thankyou.....the hula hoop is too small for him to sit in comfortably so I think I'll use a mat for now.... I'll make the sit a requirement....I have learned from our 'play dead'to think about what I want him to do..I taught it from a lie down And I'm finding it hard to get him to understand when I want it from a sit...he'll respond to my hand signal to lie down but he's rolling over playing dead before I say Bang Bang because he knows what's coming!......
Re: Easy to train a bored dog? Lilly has been known to spontaneously "play dead" if we have something in our hand she knows she is going to get and she senses a *party-trick* request in the offing : :
Re: Easy to train a bored dog? Obi looks like the model best in class obedience dog that he is...sigh... We had a good session today where I tried (and failed) to throw a dummy over his head. When I say failed, he moved then stopped with the dummy thrown to 10 and 2 o'clock, so I didn't push it any further. Then we proofed sit/stay some more with me jumping round the room, doing leg kicks, and waving a jumper and so on (I found myself singing twinkle twinkle little star while I did it - thanks to Clare. : : : Ahem... Then we did a bit more clicker retrieve (but only on "fetch") just to liven it up. And a bit of slow heeling - which seemed to help as later on our 15 min lead walk he was very good, even though super excited to be out at last. He slept for a while after that. Phew.
Re: Easy to train a bored dog? [quote author=JulieT link=topic=3479.msg38468#msg38468 date=1385841799] Then we proofed sit/stay some more with me jumping round the room, doing leg kicks, and waving a jumper and so on (I found myself singing twinkle twinkle little star while I did it - thanks to Clare. : : : [/quote] Ah, but I bet that when you sang it, it had a recognisable tune... Charlie has been so well entertained this week, maybe he'll even be disappointed to get back to the great outdoors!! Clare
Re: Easy to train a bored dog? [quote author=ClareJ link=topic=3479.msg38481#msg38481 date=1385844488] Ah, but I bet that when you sang it, it had a recognisable tune... [/quote] Nope, couldn't carry a tune in a bucket... : ;D Charlie didn't seem to mind though.
