How much affection to show during training?

[Tadpole]

I co-teach beginning agility classes, and it absolutely depends on the dog. We always use positive reinforcement, but the amount of "positive" differs depending on the dog. For instance, some dogs need to really know they've done something right (usually dogs with lower self-confidence), and you really need to get excited and praise and "jackpot" them (my trainer calls it jackpotting - an extra big reward once in a while for something really well done or a new concept). Other dogs get so riled up and unfocused about just an enthusiastic "atta boy!" that a quiet "good boy" or a simple pat on the head is enough.

[RubyRoo]

I always have a variety of tasty treats for training as well, as being really upbeat with my voice and body language. Also clicker training can be great fun, as you shape your dogs behaviour. Plenty of info on the internet, Karen Pryor has a good site. For exercises that are more difficult for your dog to learn then the more tasty/smelly treat would be used, gradually going over to less smelly treats as the exercise comes onto 'cue'. For example the recall, I would use a piece of liver cake or pilchard cake - nice and smelly as a reward, and if there are distractions around then your dog will hopefully be more interested in his reward than say continuing to sniff.

Don't rush your dog, and if things go wrong, don't be afraid to go back a step to where your dog was doing the behaviour you wanted. Break down exercises into sections as well, when your dog becomes more experienced then things can be put together.

Have FUN and your dog will learn fast.

[Stephanie]

............. I would use a piece of liver cake or pilchard cake - nice and smelly as a reward......

Do you have a recipe for this please RubyRoo? Pilchard cake sounds nice but disgusting at the the same time, if that makes any sense - lol, lol - I am sure the dogs love it though......

[RubyRoo]

HI

Recipe for Pilchard/Tuna/Sardine cake is:

One small tin or any of these, though try not to use anything with brine in, because of salt content.

Tip tin into mixing bowl, chop it into bits, and add 3 eggs, a teaspoon of garlic powder, and mix in flour(recipe says use plain but I use self raising and it makes more because it raises). Mix in flour until the mixture becomes fairly stiff, then put into a microwave dish and bake in microwave for approx 8 minutes. Let it stand for a few minutes, then cut into small pieces, you may need to microwave for another minute or so to harden the pieces up. Once cooked this can be frozen as well, and just take out what you want and defrost. I usually double the amount to save having to do it too often, so use 2 tins, 6 eggs then, and 2 teaspoons of garlic powder.

Be warned though the sardine in particular stinks to high heaven, but as long as you leave the doors and windows open it eventually goes.

This is so much easier than liver cake, which is really messy to do, needing blending in a blender and it all makes a horrible mess.

Jan and Ruby

[Syn]

That sounds wonderful Ruby Roo.

I make the liver cake all the time for Buster, he loves it. When the timer goes off he's bouncing round like a rabbit, making a squeekie noice until its out of the oven and cooled enough for a bite. You are right about the blending and a mess. But it's worth it for the happy dog dance.

I just know he will love these. I also make extra for the freezer. One mess is easier than a bunch of little ones.

Question???

I don't use a microwave, what do you think for and oven.... time and temp?

[RubyRoo]

Hi Syn

I did try making these and cooking in the oven, but perhaps I did not greese the tins enough, because they stuck really badly. I think it may be a matter of trial and error, and I find that making them using the microwave is so easy and cleaning pans so easy, that I haven't bothered again. I like the pilchards ones the best, as they don't smell quite so bad and for so long, and my husband who always has to try them out, even livercake likes them as well.

At lest making them yourself, you know what is going into them.

I would love to know what your dogs think of them.

Regards Jan

[Seadog]

Should be fun. No "going to work now"- Now if you have a dog who just goes over the top for praise-and I've had some - moderate it a bit. I use lots of food. Fortunately the old days of "jerk and if that doesn't work. jerk harder" are pretty much gone. And yes, short sessions. My Partner trained her dog to compete in Utility by doing her sessions during the 5 minutes it took to cook her morning oatmeal -(I don't want to hear people say they don't have time to train!).

Kate and the K9s
Bandon-by-the-Sea, Oregon

[threenorns]

i know it actually goes again the trend, here, but i think you should go with whatever works not only for your dog but also for you.

me, i cannot show my border collie mix (extremely high IQ) ANY emotion at all - he goes completely OTT with the slightest hint of praise. i mean, even a smile makes his brains visibly fly out his ears and he charges all around doing every trick in his repertoire, spinning like a dervish, wagging his whole hind end, and flopping on his back with his legs waving madly. think of him as being a nice little puddle of pooled gas and affection is the spark - doesn't matter if it's a teeny little zap from static, here we go: BOOM! he's off and i've lost him. very frustrating. food or clicker or anything like that is simply too much - he hyperfixates on the reward. iow, when i tried clicker training, he would sit forEVER staring at the drawer in which the clicker was stored and gods help us if anything else made a "click" noise (in a house full of toddler toys, that's a guaranteed). if i try food rewards, he just keeps nudging the hand holding the treat with his nose and STARING, like he's trying some jedi mind trick on me.

my mother's brickheaded goldendoodle , she's a diva. you have to stay very stern and firm - if you act nice and kind and praising, she just shrugs and does whatever she wants. (in case you're wondering about the "brickhead" appellation, it's a mean thing to say but she really does have the brains of a pregnant goldfish (called a "twit"). mom put a towel over her head - part of a doggy IQ assessment - and Looseyfur promptly ran into a wall, stepped back and shook her head, then rammed the wall again. then she turned around and knocked the coffee table over, startled, and charged into the TV. mom had to take the towel off for her.)

my sister's very clever chihua-whatsit (chi mixed with any number of other little yappy types - she got the size concurrently but the bark cumulatively: her bark would stun dolphins!) you have to be all sweet and kind and calm - any display of sternness, even mild disapproval (the "ah-ah!") and she starts shaking like a leaf, holds up a trembling paw and fakes a limp.

my bff's pedigree chocolate lab (very clever and genial), you can go whole hog with the praise AND the food AND the clicker, he don't care. - he lives to perform.


but it's not just the dog that counts - i have asperger's and i've been told i "throw off vibes". when i'm happy, i'm HAPPY. when i'm annoyed, i'm ANNOYED. for a while, i tried to be all positive and so on but when he did something that annoyed me and i acted like it was no big deal, it really confused him probably because my body language and my demeanor were not matching - he would hang far back watching me warily. it was also very difficult for me - finally, i just said it's who i am and when he annoys me, he hears about it. he'll put his ears back and give me a quick lick on the hand then nudge up under my hand for a pat and we're good because i can't help but melt when he does that.

my mother cannot bear to be firm or angry in any way so when she tried to be all authoritarian in order to get some kind of control over her dog - EPIC fail. so she bribes Loosey and when mom gets frustrated, she stops - they're doing pretty good: training session average is up to about 45 seconds.

my sister, well - she's lazy. when she tried to do the daily scheduled this and that, she didn't like it so nobody had any fun. now she just does it spur of the moment and when lily does her "bury my heart at wounded knee" impression, it means it's time to hit the couch .

my bff - they're admirably suited. she is very focussed and can follow a training regimen wonderfully except she has medical challenges, lupus and MS among them - means some days she literally cannot get out of bed. on those days, gauge is infinitely patient, content with a pat or a kind word. when she is stern with him, he takes it with excellent grace - you can almost see him taking a mental note and he doesn't do it again. for the most part.

[jfn]

Positive reinforcement is the way to go for sure.
Reward your dog with good treats and lots of praise whenever doing something correctly, never be harsh to him.
That is the way I have training my dog and works perfectly! Both myself and my dog have great fun and establish greater bond and trust.

[jfn]

By the way, here are some videos where I trained her to sit:

training dog to sit - part 1
training dog to sit - part 2
training dog to sit - part 3