[nagdu] Command Warm-ups
Kristen via nagdu
nagdu at nfbnet.org
Mon May 26 19:12:55 UTC 2014
Tami--
What exactly is clicker training? They're beginning to use it at
KSDS but didn't yet when I trained around a year ago.
I live in a small town as well, so I know how it takes a little
extra effort. Yes, playtime definitely helps and gives him a
chance to release energy.
--
Kristen
----- Original Message -----
From: Tami Jarvis via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Mon, 26 May 2014 11:41:10 -0700
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Command Warm-ups
Kristen,
I do random short basic obedience sessions with the dogs
throughout the
day, just asking for a sit and maybe some down or stay, just to
keep
them listening to me. If they are not wanting to listen to me
that day,
I will do longer more formal sessions and do some sessions in the
yard,
etc. Mitzi gets bored with obedience, but my husband's mutt likes
and
needs the repetition. Mitzi takes part for reasons of her own,
and it
does seem to do something for her work.
With Mitzi guide, I did regular refresher work on one aspect of
her work
or other for a year or two after she started working. I use
clicker
training, so it was just a matter of reinforcing whatever it was
I
picked to focus on. This helped me more than her, I think, since
it kept
me focused on her and following her lead. Now it's habit, but it
took me
a long time to learn to go with her and listen to what she was
telling
me instead of acting like I knew what was going on.
I added a few commands to deal with working situations, like
"under" to
get her to go under chairs/tables/whatever. I hadn't thought of
that in
her original training, but someone told me about it, which helped
a lot.
I also use "stand" and/or a hand gesture when it's time to get up
and go
again. She would rather get up and go than lie around waiting for
humans
to do whatever they think is so important, so using "stand"
worked more
to keep her in place until I was ready for her to go than to get
her up.
These days, I do refresher training -- which still serves both of
us --
on a more or less regular basis. Part of that is because we don't
get
the regular meaningful work out here in the small town, so we
need to
put in some extra effort to keep our partnership functioning.
Calling it
work isn't entirely accurate, though, since it's still just a
matter of
paying attention and reinforcing this or that more than usual.
Interactive play also helps our partnership a lot, since it's a
fun way
to be listening to each other and responding to each other's
signals.
hth
Tami
On 05/26/2014 10:19 AM, Kristen via nagdu wrote:
Hi everyone--
How often do you do obedience with your guide, practicing and
reviewing
commands? Also, how long do you spend on it, and what particular
commands do you go over?
When I was in training with Corvette last summer, they had us
reviewing
commands every morning. I've done it sporadically over the
school year,
as I thought he was doing well and had his commands down. Now, I
began
taking him outside every morning for the last few days to warm
up. I
feel there are some commands he could be more familiar with
(maybe he's
forgotten them or just being lazy), and this has seemed to let
him know
that I am in control and not to tug in whatever direction he
chooses.
(For example, if I am walking outside and he sees cars, he will
immediately tug that way, wanting to get in one as fast as he
can to
leave. Another thing with Corvette is trying to get him out from
under
things, such as desks, restaurant tables, and out of the car.
He's
become a little stubborn, wanting to stay put when I'm ready to
leave.)
If he has forgotten or slacked on a command, any recommendations
on how
to reteach or develop new ones?
Thanks for any suggestions/input! The school I attended, KSDS,
has lots
of documentation; however, none of which is in Braille or an
accessible
format. I would like to have this, as he is my first guide, and
we're
still getting used to everything. I'm going to a retreat there
this July
to hopefully help us fine tune a few skills.
--
Kristen
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