[nagdu] Improving House behaviors

Sat Aug 2 23:56:54 UTC 2014

Julie,

anything that makes a click sound can be used the same as an" official" 
clicker.   Pens with the push button work well, as do lids from Snapple 
bottles or anything similar, a stapler with no staples in it are all good 
impromptu clickers and are probably laying around the house somewhere 
anyway.

HTH
Julie

-----Original Message----- 
From: Julie McGinnity via nagdu
Sent: Saturday, August 02, 2014 4:44 PM
To: Danielle Antoine ; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide 
Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Improving House behaviors

Thanks guys.

I think it would help to give him a place out here.  His place is in
my bedroom, and I usually eat and hang out in the living room.  But
it's easy enough to bring his bed out for the day or give him a
blanket to lay on out here.

I like the trade idea...  He doesn't destroy my things, just likes to
have them in his mouth.  I swear this dog has some kind of oral
fixation.

I know tie-down is not a punishment, but I don't want him to think it
is.  Unfortunately, I somehow did things wrong with my first dog, and
she started to think it was.

I don't only use the word no.  Sorry if that was misleading.  If I say
no, I use leave it, or out (for drop it).  Then yes, I usually give
him a toy of his or make him chill.  This dog goes a mile a minute,
and sometimes I just need him to lie still while I figure out what to
do with him.  Lol

The suggestions are helpful.  I may work on the trade idea, and once I
get a new clicker.  (Yes, Danielle, I left both of mine in New York)
I'll work more on the to your place than I have been.

On 8/2/14, Danielle Antoine via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Oh I haven't been on the list for so long. So tami you got a new pup?
> What happened to Mitzi?
>
>
> On 8/2/14, Tami Jarvis via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Julie,
>>
>> We do "swap" around here, which sounds like your "trade." I also do a
>> lot of saying "yours" and "mine" as I am presenting a chew toy in place
>> of my shoe, blanket, book, whatever. I've never had the dogs bring me
>> other things to trade, but I might see if I can extend the method into
>> something of a retrieve. Well, I guess Mitzi was heading that way, but
>> then I decided to try a method using x number of repetitions and lost
>> any hope of retrieval with her. She still plays some of the fun games
>> she invented trying to figure out what I wanted, so it wasn't a total
>> loss. /lol/
>>
>> This is the first time I've done a specific go to place, though I guess
>> with Mitzi she had a place that she went to. I just didn't think of it
>> the same or try to train it. /lol/ I'm doing it on purpose with the new
>> pup, so it feels like training this time.
>>
>> Tami
>>
>> On 08/02/2014 05:55 AM, Julie J via nagdu wrote:
>>>   This is going to sound a bit crazy and maybe it doesn't work on all
>>> dogs, but for Monty it worked like magic.  When he was younger he loved
>>> soft fluffy things, well he still does, but at least he's over the
>>> destroying them phase.  He would also steal food.  So I used the trade
>>> method.  He'd grab something that wasn't his, I'd call him to me or got
>>> to
>>> him, tell him to give, take the object and then trade him for something
>>> appropriate.  It might be one of his toys or a piece of his kibble.  In
>>> the beginning I would trade for fairly high reward stuff.  Then later I
>>> toned it back to just his regular kibble.  One day he brought me a slice
>>> of pizza and dropped it on my foot so he could get a piece of kibble.
>>> He
>>> didn't take a single bite out of the pizza.  I was amazed.
>>>
>>> Eventually he stopped picking up things alltogether.  I did worry that
>>> this method would teach him to bring me all manner of random things, but
>>> that phase only lasted for a short time.  I really have no scientific
>>> explaination of how this method works, but Monty is super good around
>>> food, shoes, and whatever else is laying around.  when I broke my foot I
>>> tried to teach him to retrieve my shoes and other items.  He was
>>> extremely
>>> reluctant to pick up anything that wasn't his.  I stopped trying to
>>> teach
>>> him a formal named retrieve.
>>>
>>> go to your place, like Nicole suggested also works.  I also would call
>>> Monty to me when I suspected he was about to get himself into trouble.
>>> I
>>> could then offer praise, pets and a toss of a toy to reward him ffor
>>> coming, instead of correcting the bad behavior.  Eventually he stopped
>>> trying to get into things and spends a lot of time beside me.
>>>
>>> HTH
>>> Julie
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>
>>>> >On Aug 2, 2014, at 12:36 AM, Nicole Torcolini via
>>>> > nagdu<nagdu at nfbnet.org>  wrote:
>>>> >
>>>> >Okay... I am sure that others will have more to say, but here goes.
>>>> >    As various people have said on the list, you need to be proactive
>>>> >instead of retroactive. First, if you do not have a way of showing him
>>>> > where
>>>> >he should be, I would recommend getting a towel/blanket or a dog bed.
>>>> > Train
>>>> >him to go to that area on command (e.g., call it blanket). Reward him
>>>> > for
>>>> >going there and staying there. Give him lots of rewards and praise for
>>>> > going
>>>> >to his blanket. Whenever he gets up off of it without permission, send
>>>> > him
>>>> >back to it and reward. Okay, now you have somewhere to put and send
>>>> > him,
>>>> > so
>>>> >onto the next step. Tell him to go to his blanket and stay. Phrase and
>>>> >treat. Get some human food and walk slowly toward the couch, telling
>>>> > him
>>>> > to
>>>> >stay the whole time. If you hear him get up, put the food back and
>>>> > send
>>>> > him
>>>> >back to his blanket. Eventually, he will learn that being on his
>>>> > blanket
>>>> > is
>>>> >more rewarding than trying to eat your food.
>>>> >
>>>> >As for taking things, I would recommend not using the word no. No does
>>>> > not
>>>> >have any meaning to a dog. No. No what? As much as possible, try to
>>>> > keep
>>>> >things out of his reach. Does he know drop it or leave it? When he
>>>> > picks
>>>> > up
>>>> >something that is not his, tell him to drop it, and then tell him to
>>>> > go
>>>> > back
>>>> >to his blanket, rewarding him for doing it and possibly giving him one
>>>> > of
>>>> >his toys. You could also try just outright distracting him with one of
>>>> > his
>>>> >toys without even telling him to drop the object that he stole. Also,
>>>> > make
>>>> >sure that his dog toys are not stuffed animals or fabric like. Will he
>>>> > pick
>>>> >up stuffed animals and clothes if you are monitoring him? If so, you
>>>> > could
>>>> >do a training session. Does he chew on the items that he takes? Does
>>>> > he
>>>> > have
>>>> >plenty of toys of his own? Do you think that there is a reason that he
>>>> > finds
>>>> >your things enticing?
>>>> >
>>>> >I know that others will have more ideas, but these are my thoughts for
>>>> > now.
>>>> >
>>>> >Nicole and Lexia who does not kidnap stuffed animals
>>>> >
>>>> >-----Original Message-----
>>>> >From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Julie
>>>> > McGinnity
>>>> >via nagdu
>>>> >Sent: Friday, August 01, 2014 10:07 PM
>>>> >To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>>> >Subject: [nagdu] Improving House behaviors
>>>> >
>>>> >Hi friends,
>>>> >
>>>> >I feel a little ridiculous even asking some of these questions, but my
>>>> > dog's
>>>> >house manners are not acceptable to me.  I've only had him for too
>>>> > months,
>>>> >so maybe I'm expecting too much out of him, but I hope not.
>>>> >
>>>> >First of all, if I eat a snack or a meal while sitting on the couch,
>>>> > he
>>>> > is
>>>> >all over me.  I tell him to sit, and nothing happens.  At that point,
>>>> > I
>>>> > want
>>>> >to put him on tie down, but I also don't want tie down to be a
>>>> > punishment.
>>>> >I do not currently have a crate and honestly don't have the funds to
>>>> > buy
>>>> > him
>>>> >one right now.  The other thing is that I want to deal with the
>>>> > problem;
>>>> > I
>>>> >want him to be able to lay down by me while I eat a meal or a snack.
>>>> >
>>>> >The other problem is that he picks up stuff-clothes, stuffed animals,
>>>> > stuff
>>>> >like that.  He does it sneakily, but even when I've found him taking
>>>> > things,
>>>> >he has not learned.  I tell him know and put the thing away, but he is
>>>> > not
>>>> >learning that this is not ok.
>>>> >
>>>> >Any suggestions?  Sometimes I feel like when I take something away
>>>> > from
>>>> > him
>>>> >or give him a command, it doesn't even register in his head that I'm
>>>> > telling
>>>> >him to do something or telling him he can't have something.  BTW, he
>>>> > listens
>>>> >well when we do obedience, and his guide work is great.  But I have
>>>> > high
>>>> >expectations when it comes to house manners, and I want productive
>>>> > ways
>>>> > to
>>>> >work on them.
>>>> >
>>>> >Thanks guys!
>>>> >
>>>> >--
>>>> >Julie McG
>>>> >National Association of Guide dog Users board member,  National
>>>> > Federation
>>>> >of the Blind performing arts division secretary, Missouri Association
>>>> > of
>>>> >Guide dog Users President, and Guiding Eyes for the Blind graduate
>>>> > 2008
>>>> > "For
>>>> >God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who
>>>> >believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."
>>>> >John 3:16
>>>> >
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>>>> >m
>>>> >
>>>> >
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>>
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-- 
Julie McG
National Association of Guide dog Users board member,  National
Federation of the Blind performing arts division secretary,
Missouri Association of Guide dog Users President,
and Guiding Eyes for the Blind graduate 2008
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
life."
John 3:16

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