the amount of time between your dog getting into position and your click/reward, and then adding in a release word.
A release word or cue is something that communicates to your dog that a stationary behavior has finished and they can move. An example of this would be a verbal cue to release your dog from a sit or a down they have been holding. You can use this release word in trick training and in everyday life (trick training is of course part of our daily life with our dogs), so if you have asked your dog to stay, you want to clearly communicate to them when they can move. By building duration skills into our dogs’ training vocabulary, we can also communicate to them our expectation that, when performing a stationary trick (like sit, down, bow, or beg), they should hold that trick until released.
To build duration, you will need to pick a word you want to use for release. I like to pick something that isn’t a part of my general vocabulary, so that I don’t inadvertently cue my dog to move when they are in a stay, or at another time when I don’t mean to. “Okay” and “Break” are common release words. I like to do a little extra and tend to have a flair for being a bit more eccentric in my dog training, so I use words/phrases with my own dogs that are a bit unusual. I also like to have a different release word for each of my dogs, so that I can release each one individually while the other dogs hold position. This is handy when I have the dogs all doing tricks at the same time, and in real life with three dogs, when for example I want to release one dog at a time from a stay to get meals, or from their crates. I like to find words that fit my dog’s personalities or somehow connect to their names. Mercury’s release word is “Blast-Off,” Charlotte’s is “Mosey,” and Sirius’s is “Apparate” (yes, the Harry Potter spell). Come up with a release word that you like and then, to get your dog familiar with it, start when they are lying down on their own—take out a treat, and toss it. As your dog gets up to follow the treat, say your release word in a happy voice, praise, and let your dog get the treat. Repeat a few times. The goal is for your dog to understand that the release word is a cue to move. After a few practice sessions with throwing the treat, get your dog’s attention and say the release word. When your dog gets up, toss several treats, give lots of praise, have a little party!
Treats
Treats are one of the most important parts of the trick training we are going to do. To support the learning process, and to reward the work your dog is doing, you want to have an abundance of treats that are motivating to them.
When starting to train, a lot of people want to know when they can stop giving their dogs treats as part of trick training. My simple answer is NEVER! Do you want to work for free? But that isn’t actually true. You will, as your dog gains confidence and familiarity with tricks, be able to start to phase out the need to, for example, lure your dog into the trick. You will begin asking your dog to execute a particular trick perhaps even without food in your hand. Your treats might be sitting next to you, or in a treat pouch attached to your waistband. I know, I know, not the sexiest look, but hey, I’ve been seeing fanny packs making a comeback in NYC and gracing fashion runways. This is great news for hip dog people like yourself. Don’t be afraid to keep dog treats on you at all times. You like to get paid for a job well done; so does your dog!
Try not to be in a rush to remove treats from your training plan. A lot of people want to cut treats out as fast as possible in order to prove (mostly to themselves) that the dog really understands. Don’t rush! You want to really make sure that your dog understands what is expected of them before you increase the criteria or make the game significantly harder, such as by taking away treats. I promise you won’t always have to lure your dog into sitting with a piece of hotdog, but if you try to remove treats too quickly or ask too much of your dog before they really understand the game you’re playing together, your end trick is going to be inconsistent and sloppy. It also will add stress and tension to your relationship with your dog. Dogs want to play with us, they want to work with us. Dogs don’t want to irritate or frustrate us. Part of being an ethical play partner for our dogs is to communicate as clearly as we possibly can to them.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
