I have a 15 week pupper who is struggling with treat streaming as we attempt to teach sit and stay. She gets excited and gets up after 2 or 3 treats. I have tried different hand positions and angles, I’ve tried crouching down, and even tried to substitute a mesh bag filled with peanut butter for her to sniff and lick as I count up. Should I put treat streaming on hold for a while till she mellows out a little? Does anyone have suggestions for keeping a puppy seated while treat streaming?
Try this exercise: Have treats in BOTH your hands - a fistful - not so many that you drop them accidentally, but a useful amount in each fist. Ask the puppy to sit in front of you. Give a treat from right hand, left hand, right hand, left hand - and so on - the puppy should be almost constantly eating treats. After about 5-8 treats, release the dog with 'okay' (or whatever your release word is). Repeat this over and over again. You are not moving away from the pup, you are right in front of them. Then, try the same exercise but with one hand only. In between each treat, lift your hand up to your chest and then down to the dog's mouth. I'm not sure what 'treat streaming' is exactly, but that's what I think you want to know...
I agree with Jo. But to perhaps state the obvious you must be marking the desired behaviour with a click or yes. Otherwise you are just feeding your dog. The cessation of the marker and treat when the dog gets up should signal to the dog that she is no longer doing something desirable, assuming you have installed a conditioned reinforcer.
I have been marking the initial sit and then streaming in treats. Should I be marking every individual treat??
You should be marking every second of desirable behaviour. Then as Jo implicitly suggested mark every 2 seconds. Then every 5 seconds. What you were doing is known as a jackpot. Jackpots are reserved for excellent work.
I don't use the clicker whilst training stays, because the click functions as a release - telling the dog they can move and stop doing the behaviour. During stays, I provide treats during the stay - then I release the dog from the stay and don't provide a reinforcer afterwards. (Well, whilst teaching the release word, I mark the moment the dog's butt leaves the floor with the clicker and then throw a treat for a little chase. But once the dog understands the release word, I don't use the clicker at the release or at any other point during a stay.)
She’s still doing it. I feel bad because now it’s become a “thing” and we are both getting very frustrated. Every second treat and that butt come up. I will definitely leave the clicker out of it as that creates yet another trigger for excitement.
Well, not sure if this is helpful as I'm definitely no expert but I've never really successfully given treats during a stay as Ella will usually break (not break as in move from the spot but break as in change position - usually standing up from the sit or the drop). Instead, if needed, I'll give calm verbal praise during the stay then, when I return to heel position, I'll reward with treats in position then release for a play. Maybe start from scratch with really really short, close, low distraction stays. Step out, face your dog, count to three, return, reward and release. Do a couple of these, a few times a day. Then, when you're starting to get some consistent success ,increase the time. Step in front, count to 6, return, reward, release etc. Just an idea
So, this shouldn't really be possible. Take a large handful of treats in BOTH hands. Not so many that you drop any, but several. Ask her to sit. Feed her a treat with one hand in the sit. As you withdraw that hand, move the other forwards and feed her a treat from that hand. Repeat, using the other hand. You are just feeding her treats from one hand and then the other, over and over, for as long as the butt stays on the ground. If the butt comes off the ground, then you must IMMEDIATELY stop feeding treats. It needs to be black and white - butt on the ground means constant treats like a treat tap has been turned on. Butt off the ground, and the treats stop. If you have poor timing, it won't work because the dog won't learn the cause and effect of it.
