[nagdu] clicker training

[Charlene Ota]

This discussion about training dogs is really interesting! I don't know if
I'd have the patience to do it but I just have to say I respect you guys who
do do your own training.

Charlene 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of The Pawpower Pack
Sent: Saturday, July 31, 2010 1:04 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] clicker training

Hi Hope,

I set her up when she first came to live with me.  I started out by teaching
her to target my hand on cue.  Once that was fluent, we began working food
refusal.  I put some really boring food, like saltines or matzo on the
floor.  I brought Laveau in on leash so I could feel more of what she's
doing-- a hearing blind person may be able to use a bell on their dog in
this case but I felt like the leash would give me the most feedback.
I showed her the food on the ground and when she looked at it, I asked her
to touch my hand instead.  When she did, I gave her a very yummy high value
treat such as dried liver or dried fish which are really smelly but the dogs
love them.
We gradually began walking around the food, keeping it really boring  
and I really reinforced Laveau when she looked away from the food.   
Then we moved up to better food, people holding food etc.  We call this
doggie zen, which means giving up what you want to get what you want.  If
you want food, you need to ignore the food and then you'll get some.  The
same thing goes for sitting at the table.  I do feed my dogs from my plate,
but the only way they're going to get fed is by laying down and ignoring me.
Laveau came to me with some very ingrained habits, one of which was counter
surfing.  It also didn't help that she was very malnourished and under fed.
I had to block off the kitchen and really work with her on ignoring food.
She still backslides occasionally but in this last year especially, she's
really seemed to improve.
I think part of it, for Laveau, was that she wasn't sure she'd get fed
regularly because she had been so malnourished for the first year of her
life.  Now she knows that she gets breakfast every morning and snacks
occasionally and especially in this last year she has come to trust that I'm
not going to stop feeding her or give her away.  Most program trained dogs
don't have this particular issue with food since they've had great care.
However with Laveau I had to be careful not to correct her and if she did
get food I just calmly removed it from her and walked away.  I didn't want
food to become a battle,

Rox and the Herbal HenchHounds
Bristol (retired), Mill'E SD. and Laveau Guide Dog, CGC.
"It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out
that the emperor has no clothes. But the half-wit remains a half- wit, and
the emperor remains an emperor."-- Neil Gaiman
http://www.pawpowercreations.com/retreat.html
pawpower4me at gmail.com
AIM: Brissysgirl

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