Trying to! I want Charlie to walk backwards, in a straight line, on the command "Reverso" (which I think sounds rather Harry Potter like ). I want to do this for a few reasons: it's just useful to tell him to back up away from a door and so on; it's useful to move him from a "sit in front" to a few metres away from me for various exercises; if he walks ahead of me on lead I currently use my hand target to bring him back to my left, but it would look cooler to say "reverso" and have him back up into in position. And so on. Plus, it's a bit of relaxation to teach, not really important, so we can do it while waiting for the kettle to boils. This is what I want to be able to do - eventually. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr-lVzck0oY And these are the earlier steps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4LoPU1g310 Right now, I'm in the kitchen with Charlie between the fridge/freeze and a row of chairs! He will walk backwards quite well. Next step is to fade me walking with him! Wish me luck. I'll try post a video if we make any progress over the weekend.
Re: I'm training - back up Wow!! I'll be really interested to see how that goes! Reverse - I love it!! ;D
Re: I'm training - back up Well, I'm getting quite "into" this. It's easy to get a dog to scuttle off backwards, all wonky, half scooting in a sort of sit... ;D ;D ;D But that's not what I want. Plus, he is using a new set of muscles, so taking it slow is the thing. I'm sticking in my chair corridor and have gone back to just one straight step at a time....tiny perfect movements, with a straight back. All quite interesting thinking about how to get it right by doing it very slowly.
Re: I'm training - back up Good on you,I'll try and give this a go too,let us see how you are doing x
Re: I'm training - back up I've thought this before Julie you have so much patience and precision. Perhaps you should have a go at dancing with charlie. I can't wait to see the results. ;D
Re: I'm training - back up I've got a great video of a pitbull dancing to a Bollywood track...I can't post it in though Sorry Julie,slight diversion from the subject ......x
Re: I'm training - back up hee hee - you reckon me and Charlie got a chance at heelwork to music after all? Hey, we are nearly one chair into our corridor and it's only been a few days....and I reckon it would be at least a month before we could do it outside. Let's see....so that would be something like 75 years before we had enough material for a routine!
Re: I'm training - back up we have a very long garden and my husband put a fence and gate across 2 3rds of the way down where he has the sheds a greenhouse and chickens if he leaves the gate open milly goes through it when he is busy up there he has taught her back to get her to go out of that area it was very quick for her to learn this she tries to get in there if no one is watching to eat the dropped seed from the bird table
Re: I'm training - back up So I've changed how I'm training this again! *everyone rolls eyes* ;D ;D ;D All the methods I looked at involved walking towards the dog to make it take a step back - I wasn't hugely happy with this as a method. I settled on one - from kikopup - which involved sort of pushing a treat into the dog's chest (not forcing the dog but getting it to follow the treat backwards). I wasn't that happy with that, either, it lead to a a dog sort of scrambling backwards and it didn't seem at all great. I want a smooth, natural action with the dog's head held up, looking forwards. So, I am now training Charlie to stand on a strip of doormat with his front paws. I'm going to train this until it's very strong. Once he always returns to the strip, I'm going to lure him forwards with a treat, just a pace, and then he is (I bet, and hope) going to take a straight backwards step to the doormat to return to his position. Then, I'm going to increase the distance to the doormat, and click for his back leg movement. I know this seems tedious to read about probably! But I have enjoyed the puzzle of finding a way to do this... Vid soon, promise!
Re: I'm training - back up Hmmmm... I'm not, at this point, convinced that it is worth all the bother of this additional training in order to be able to tell Charlie to 'reverso' from the door... :-\
Re: I'm training - back up No, it's not - you are right about that. But it is worth it to train Charlie to do things that are not retrieving. He is just nuts about fetch - everything he thinks of is about the retrieve (in the words of my gundog trainer). If you show him an object, he picks it up. The next thing I've got to do after this is "for god's sake train him to do something else with his head" (instead of retrieve). ;D ;D ;D So building a wider set of trained behaviours is important, and this is part of that effort. It's also good for me, I think, helps me become a better trainer.
Re: I'm training - back up I bet that Charlie will just turn round and go the other side of the mat and put his front paws on it How about training him to put his back paws on the mat, then when that is accomplished, call him forward and with luck he should back up straight to put his back paws on the mat.
Re: I'm training - back up [quote author=Stacia link=topic=8308.msg118495#msg118495 date=1413814198] I bet that Charlie will just turn round and go the other side of the mat and put his front paws on it [/quote] No, I think he'll only do that if the distance between the mat and the treat (the step forward) is too big. But you might be right - I promise to 'fess up if so and try back feet! ;D ;D ;D
Re: I'm training - back up Ah, I guess a very short distance maybe ok, I was thinking of a metre distance ;D
Re: I'm training - back up Yes, it'll have to be a very short distance at first I think. Front feet on mat also has a wider range of applications (it can be used in the same way as a place board but for standing positions) so feels a bit more "worth it".
Re: I'm training - back up [quote author=JulieT link=topic=8308.msg118492#msg118492 date=1413813789] But it is worth it to train Charlie to do things that are not retrieving. He is just nuts about fetch - everything he thinks of is about the retrieve (in the words of my gundog trainer). If you show him an object, he picks it up. The next thing I've got to do after this is "for god's sake train him to do something else with his head" (instead of retrieve). ;D ;D ;D So building a wider set of trained behaviours is important, and this is part of that effort. It's also good for me, I think, helps me become a better trainer. [/quote] I think you are much more interested in training than I am. I have to admit that I only see training as a means to an end, and if I can't see an immediate reason for training something, then I just can't be bothered with it. I completely get that you want to do stuff with Charlie that makes him think - but I'm not sure how getting him to 'back up' is going to do that? It's not a criticism Julie, I'm completely in awe of your dedication with regard to training and feel a bit light-weight in comparison. Just thinking - does Charlie like to use his nose? Have you ever tried him on following a scent? At some point over the next few months I am going to start doing that with Poppy. I mean, dogs follow scents naturally anyway, but they can be taught to follow a faint scent over a long distance, and it really makes them work and tires them out. The course I am going to do next year culminates (among other things) in a 600 meter trail, where a dead rabbit or duck is dragged along a course, and the dog has to follow the trail a couple of hours later. Might that be something apart from retrieving that you could do with Charlie?
Re: I'm training - back up Slightly off topic but I think that training for it's own sake can be very valuable. It creates a bond, an ability to focus and gets the dog used to training or learning. For some dogs that isn't necessary but it's definitely helped with Riley ;D
Re: I'm training - back up No, that's absolutely fine, Karen - it's an interesting question to discuss. It's sort of part of the new material I'm exploring since I started on this 100% positive thing. It took me a bit out of the gundog world, and into more general stuff. There is some material that places a lot of value on training dogs to do things that develop them more generally. In categories of things like objects (used for targetting), movements (including for fitness and stretching), self control, puzzles. The "skills" supposedly developed by the dog in "back up" would be to recognise changing surfaces used in training (the mat), become more aware of location, and er....physical mobility and spatial awareness.... Um....I feel your not going find this convincing, somehow! ;D ;D ;D How about we are both enjoying doing it? Seems like a better reason! ;D
Re: I'm training - back up You can do the scent work with the tiniest little bits of tuna for the dog to follow, if you don't fancy dragging a dead rabbit about!
