Trent DeLucia: Teaching Your Dog Tricks 2

Teaching Bear tricks turned out to be a lot more enjoyable than training him so I decided to do that again.  Sitting wasn't much of a challenge for me to teach or for Bear to learn so I chose a more difficult one this time around.  Teaching Bear how to stand up will be a trick that tests both my teaching and his ability to learn new things.  The "Imitation Rule" teaching method that I used to teach Bear how to sit was very effective, but I have decided to use a new method for standing:

"Lure-Reward Training: The trainer entices the dog into the desired position by typically using a hand-held food lure, like a treat. For example, the trainer lures a dog to sit by placing a treat in front of his nose and moving it backwards over his head. The dog follows the treat or 'lure' into the desired position. Reinforcement is generally giving the food reward along with verbal praise at the completion of the desired behavior (Fugazza 43)."

Fugazza, Claudia. "Imitation." Do as I Do: Using Social Learning to Train Dogs. Wenatchee: Dogwise, 2014. 43. Print.

"Lure-Reward Training:

1. Show your dog the treat.
2. Move the treat in the direction/motion of the trick you want your dog to complete.
3. If your dog doesn't pick up on the motion, force them to complete it until they get the general idea of the trick.
4. Give your dog the treat and a lot of praise after each attempt whether failure or success (Fugazza 44)."

Fugazza, Claudia. "Imitation." Do as I Do: Using Social Learning to Train Dogs. Wenatchee: Dogwise, 2014. 44. Print.

Even though the example given with the "Lure-Reward Training Method" is sitting, it will work perfectly with teaching Bear how to stand.  I started Bear's lesson by showing him the treat.  After this I slowly moved the treat above his head so he was looking up at it.  I then moved it higher and higher so he was still very intrigued.  His first reaction was to bark and growl when it got too high.  I finally found the perfect height so he was able to stand up and eat the treat.  Even if Bear growled instead of standing, I still gave him a lot of praise and the treat as well.

It took about two hours for Bear to consistently stand when I showed him the treat.  After all this teaching, all I have to do to get Bear to stand is to put the treat anywhere above his head.  I showed my family what I taught him and they were very impressed on how quickly he learned.  Does Bear sound like an unusually stubborn dog, or do you think all dogs respond to training similarly to him?

Trent DeLucia: Teaching Your Dog Tricks

My previous blog was focused on training Bear and helping him get rid of one of his bad habits, but this time I chose a more fun topic.  I'm going to teach Bear how to sit.  I know this may seem like a basic trick that all dogs should know, but he was never taught.  There are some great tips and tricks in the book Do as I Do, by Claudia Fugazza, that are going to benefit my teaching immensely.

Since I am new to teaching and training dogs, the "Preliminary Training" section of my book was a great place to start.  It gave me helpful tips on what to do and what not to do when I start teaching.

"3 things to do prior to training:

1. Dogs cannot focus as well as they could on an empty stomach so start a training session after a small snack.
2. Make your dog feel loved and start to encourage before you begin.
3. Have treats out and ready to reward your dog with (Fugazza 15)."

Fugazza, Claudia. "Imitation." Do as I Do: Using Social Learning to Train Dogs. Wenatchee: Dogwise, 2014. 15. Print.

"3 things not to do prior to training:

1. Too much physical exertion before teaching your dog a trick will cause drowsiness and lack of focus so avoid playing at the park, long walks, etc.
2. Don't forget to refill the water bowl!  Dogs are more easily distracted while thirsty.
3. You cannot be in an impatient mood while working with animals.  You will only frustrate yourself and the dogs (Fugazza 16)."

Fugazza, Claudia. "Imitation." Do as I Do: Using Social Learning to Train Dogs. Wenatchee: Dogwise, 2014. 16. Print.

These tips helped me to prepare myself to teach Bear his first trick.  I fed him two green beans for a healthy snack about twenty minutes before we started.  I also pet him for a few minutes and brought the treats from the pantry to the living room.  I skipped taking Bear on his daily walk so he wasn't so tired for his lesson.  I also refilled his water bowl and made sure I was calm and ready to teach him.  After this, I was ready to perform the "Imitation Rule" teaching method:

"The imitation rule involves the dog learning that the cue "Do it!" means "copy the behavior I have just demonstrated" no matter what it is (Fugazza 16)."

Fugazza, Claudia. "Imitation." Do as I Do: Using Social Learning to Train Dogs. Wenatchee: Dogwise, 2014. 16. Print.

I decided to use the imitation rule on how I'm going to teach Bear how to sit.  I sat down, stood up, said "do it," forced him to sit down, and then repeated.  I repeated these steps about six times until I finally didn't have to force Bear to sit anymore.  When he sat by himself after repeating what I did, I rewarded him with a treat. Eventually, I just had to say "do it," and Bear sat down without me having to sit first.

The video shows that Bear learned how to respond to the cue, "do it."  It only took about an hour to teach him his first trick.  My family and I were very pleased and I can't wait to teach him more.  What do you guys think is a more challenging trick that I could try to teach Bear next?