flyer Posted March 9, 2009 Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 Colt is now 15 weeks old and seems to have the basics down. Come, this way, sit, lie down, stand, stay, (I can put a treat down and have him stay 15 sec's), fetch, leave it, go pee, drop it and up (jumping up on low stumps, chairs by pointing and saying up), walks on leash and off leash equally well. He can differentiate between all of these things, i.e. I can ask them in any order. He learned all of this very very quickly and had them solidly at about 12 weeks. So... last week my daughter bought the book 101 Tricks and started teaching him a few. It is scary how fast he learns. Takes only about five repetitions in general. He now has spin, rollover, crawl, shake (right paw), paw (left paw) and speak. We do about five-ten minutes twice a day, some days only once and alternate what we ask of him on any given day, but I have heard it said it is not good to train too much into a dog other than the basics until they are about a year old. I can't imagine waiting this long as he seems to love his training sessions. Very enthusiastic and so relaxed afterwards. I sometimes do a mini session with him if he is antsy and we can't get out and walk at that moment. It settles him for awhile. Other than this we are walking about 8K now on the trails each day, where he gets to play and run with other dogs as we meet them, play fetch with a ball a couple of times a day for about ten minutes or so and he comes with me everywhere I go. Opinions on the trick training anyone? BTW not using a clicker, just voice and treat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pammyd Posted March 9, 2009 Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 I dont see a problem with a few short sessions a day, just so long as you always finish way before the dog becomes bored and keep it fun and positive - dont tell him off if you think he has got something 'wrong' just rethink why he did that Also rem his growing joints and muscles so wait with training 'beg' and stainding up on hind legs - or at least take it really really slow only asking for tiny steps towards that position so the muscles can build 8K seems a long way for a baby, did you build up to that slowly?? like 5 min extra a month or something Have you tried clicker?? you dont need it to teach tricks but I find it much better and quicker to train things - and to get more difficult tricks that luring would be difficult Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertranger Posted March 9, 2009 Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 Here training is ongoing with formal training sessions once a dayl, cloass once a week and re-enforcement training through the day. For example I'll have him "leave it" with random objects even treats just to reenfoce the leave it command. Generally speaking I try to teach him a new command every other day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Boots Posted March 9, 2009 Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 I think the training sessions you are doing sound fine, mainly make sure to keep it a lot of fun and if you do come across something that seems too much, I would back off and come back to it in a month or so. I would also watch the type of tricks you teach him, make sure none are hard on joint or have tight turns, or high impact; like jumping for a frisbee, standing. Just because he is willing you don't want to put stress on joints or young muscles/tendons. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted March 9, 2009 Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 You might want to get into a bit of shaping with your puppy. You can use a clicker, or a marker word/treat. It's good to teach the puppy to do specific things on cue, but it can also be very beneficial to teach him to think his way through the learning process as a particular skill. You could play 101 Things to do with a Box or something similar. The ability to learn through shaping could really be of benefit when he gets older. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyer Posted March 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 8K seems a long way for a baby, did you build up to that slowly?? like 5 min extra a month or something Have you tried clicker?? you dont need it to teach tricks but I find it much better and quicker to train things - and to get more difficult tricks that luring would be difficult Colt and I have been walking since he was seven weeks old. Started with around the little block, then the big block, then 1 K, etc. etc. building up to the 8K. The only time I've seen him really tired from our walks is if he meets a fair number of dogs and so runs and frolics off and on for a lot of the walk. I did wonder if we were doing too much, but other BC owners I have met on the trails say they did the same thing. Funny, you know, there are days I only meet BC's or BC crosses along the trails. Those are the cold, rainy days. Seems other BC owners like myself don't even consider not going because of inclement weather Re: clicker, I can't imagine Colt understanding anything faster than he does. It's already so quick. I can see the light bulb come on when he actually understands and doesn't just react to the lure. Would you mind saying more about why the use of the clicker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyer Posted March 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 You might want to get into a bit of shaping with your puppy. You can use a clicker, or a marker word/treat. It's good to teach the puppy to do specific things on cue, but it can also be very beneficial to teach him to think his way through the learning process as a particular skill. You could play 101 Things to do with a Box or something similar. The ability to learn through shaping could really be of benefit when he gets older. Shaping? 101 Things to do with a box? I'm intrigued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyer Posted March 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2009 I think the training sessions you are doing sound fine, mainly make sure to keep it a lot of fun and if you do come across something that seems too much, I would back off and come back to it in a month or so. I would also watch the type of tricks you teach him, make sure none are hard on joint or have tight turns, or high impact; like jumping for a frisbee, standing. Just because he is willing you don't want to put stress on joints or young muscles/tendons. Have fun! Thx, will watch out for the degree of difficulty. We are doing the easy stuff with him and will watch for the threshold. Do you think spin might be hard on his joints? We aren't jumping him much at all. Just up onto low logs or the sofa every once in awhile. I was aware of this one. Didn't think of the tight turns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllieMackie Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 Re: clicker, I can't imagine Colt understanding anything faster than he does. It's already so quick. I can see the light bulb come on when he actually understands and doesn't just react to the lure. Would you mind saying more about why the use of the clicker? Just sharing my puppy experience, flyer. With Finnegan, he also picks things up ridiculously fast, but it's been recommended to me by many people to include the clicker in his training, at least initially. Now, whenever I'm shaping a new behaviour, I start with the clicker, and quickly phase it out to a word/body cue. The reason I do it this way is so, in the future, if/when there are troubles with shaping more complicated behaviours or chain behaviours, the clicker will mark -exactly- when Finnegan gets it right, so he will know exactly what is being asked of him, and will hopefully pick it up faster. It's a great training tool when used effectively! I highly recommend getting Colt used to the clicker, even if he doesn't need it yet, because he may, in the future, depending on what you plan to do with him. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KelseyF Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 Sounds like you are doing a great job working his little mind. I don't think that you are doing too much, but I agree with other forum members that you want the sessions short and exciting. Keep him wanting more! Clicker training and shaping are definitely things you should look into. Shaping is all about letting the dog figure out for himself what you want him to do. No luring! Working hand in hand with shaping is the clicker. Like Allie said, a clicker lets a dog know instantaneously what he has done correctly. To introduce the clicker sound, simply click and treat several times until your dog is looking to you for a treat whenever he hears the "click". I know that 101 things to do with a box has to do with shaping the dog to do a wide variety of things with a box (although I must admit I haven't read completely though this link, it may give you some insight: http://www.clickertraining.com/node/167). From what I have been told by my instructors about it, box work involves allowing the dog to figure out what the box is for. Decide on a behavior you want him to do with a box (such as put all four feet in it), and then simply put the dog and box together. Any looks at the box, click and treat. Then, up your criteria, he has to touch the box, then click and treat. Next perhaps, he needs to paw the box or put a foot in, then two feet, then three. Make sure that the box is big enough for the pup to easily fit in it and then you can make it smaller and more challenging as he becomes more skilled at the behavior. This is what shaping is all about. You allow the dog to figure it out. Shaping creates a dog happy and willing to offer new behaviors and use his mind. So much fun! Just remember that dogs progress at different rates and it may take quite a few sessions to end up with the desired behavior. Be patient and reward the small steps! If your dog is getting overly frustrated, slow down and make sure you are not asking for too much, too soon. Once the dog is offering the desired behavior every time, only then you can add a cue. Remember to always make sure the dog is having fun and staying interested!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyer Posted March 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 Thanks you two!! I will think more about using a clicker. I have to check out the box stuff. That actually sounds like fun for both Colt and myself or my daughter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.