I'm following the ebook sent out by the ever energetic and enthusiastic Absolute dogs duo, very timely as I need to do this ... Cassie is hardly in her crate these days, I would like to move it, I don't want to shut the door on her now so remaining on her bed when visitors are here is becoming more necessary. So we have had 3 goes, it's going fine because she's familiar with the early steps for learning to go on her mat, and she already knows it's her bed. Where there is a slight problem is teaching the release cue -- when I drop a piece of kibble and say "break" she doesn't get out of bed! She lies there looking at it, from it to me and back again Should I just say "break" once? Or repeat it? or encourage her to come to me ? Or perhaps use hand touch? Any one got any advice?
I encourage to start. You want to give your cue (mine is 'OK then!', said very brightly) and, if there's no response, then use your body language. Just like any "new cue - old cue" routine. Or "break", then throw a tasty treat - maybe something better than kibble. Just make sure that you keep them as two separate events; release cue first, followed by encouragement by whatever means. Then start dropping the encouragement, but still reward the release.
Do you already have another release cue? What cue to you use to release her from other things? I use a cue from a German trainer, which is like a yellow light, green light cue. "Look" and then "Let's go". Here's a video - in German I'm afraid, but you can see the hand cues at around 6:58. I taught it with a treat in the hand for the let's go cue and either throw the treat or lower the hand to give the treat. You don't need the lure after a couple of times, or any food reward at all, because usually there's some sort of reward in being released. I use it after taking the lead off, release from a stay, release from a mat, release from interacting with me, everything really!
