[nagdu] Teaching Your Dog to Find Objects that You Dropped was RE:Krokus's new trick

[Tracy Carcione]

"When he doesn't pick up the food"!  Hysterical laughing on my side.  The 
food barely hits the ground before he's grabbing it.  Working on that.  The 
rest of it sounds easy enough, though.  Thanks.
Tracy

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Nicole Torcolini via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 01, 2015 3:18 PM
Subject: [nagdu] Teaching Your Dog to Find Objects that You Dropped was 
RE:Krokus's new trick


>A refresher on what clicker training is and how it is taught, as teaching
> your dog to find objects that you dropped builds on this:
> Clicker training is basically a time marker. Dogs live in the moment. If 
> you
> give your dog a treat or use verbal phrase, it could have been for 
> anything
> in the last few seconds. The clicker basically tells your dog that 
> whatever
> he/she did at the moment that he/she heard the click is a good thing.
> Clicker training is usually taught to dogs using treats. You hold a treat 
> in
> you hand in a fist. As soon as the dog touches your fist, you click.
> Eventually, you do not have a treat in you hand the whole time. The dog
> touches the empty hand, hears the click, and then gets the treat instead 
> of
> touching the hand because the hand is holding a treat. A command is 
> usually
> taught for this action, which can then be used to direct your dog to you
> and/or teach them to locate other objects.
>
> So how do you use this to teach your dog to find objects that you dropped?
> Find a couple of different objects that can actually have treats placed in
> them, such as a change purse. It should be something that completely
> conceals the treat; do not use a plastic bag.
> Put a treat in the object, and place it on the floor. As soon as your dog
> touches the object, click and get the treat out of the object to give to
> your dog.
> Repeat this a few times with the same object, then switch to another 
> object.
> Once you have cycled through a couple of different objects, start mixing
> them up.
> Eventually, stop putting the treat in the object; give the treat after the
> click.
> Somewhere along the way, start using a command to indicate that your dog
> should find the object. The one that I used for Lexia was search.
> Dogs are usually good at generalizing, so, after switching between three 
> or
> for objects, your dog should be able to figure out that you mean any 
> object
> on the floor.
> Notes:
> 1. If there are a lot of objects on the floor, it may take more than one 
> try
> before your dog finds the object for which you are looking. Do not get mad
> at your dog if your dog finds other objects.
> 2. If your dog is a scavenger, this is a good way to reinforce that food
> found on the ground is not to be eaten. Drop some food where you know 
> where
> it is. Tell your dog to find it, and, when your dog finds it but does not
> eat it, reward. One time, Lexia showed me a strawberry that had fallen on
> the floor, but she showed no interest in actually consuming it, probably
> because she knew that she would get a dog treat for showing me.
>
> Nicole
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tracy Carcione [mailto:carcione at access.net]
> Sent: Thursday, January 01, 2015 11:43 AM
> To: Nicole Torcolini
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Krokus's new trick
>
> I have a basic understanding of clicker.  I get the theory, and I'm 
> starting
> to use it a bit.
> Tracy
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Nicole Torcolini" <ntorcolini at wavecable.com>
> To: "'Tracy Carcione'" <carcione at access.net>; "'NAGDU Mailing List,the
> National Association of Guide Dog Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, January 01, 2015 2:05 PM
> Subject: RE: [nagdu] Krokus's new trick
>
>
>>I don't know how to teach them to retrieve things, but I can tell you
>>how I  taught Lexia to point to things. Please refresh my memory; you
>>use clicker  training with him?
>>
>> Nicole
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy
>> Carcione via nagdu
>> Sent: Thursday, January 01, 2015 7:22 AM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: [nagdu] Krokus's new trick
>>
>> Krokus has a new trick.  When Ben's done eating, Krokus licks Ben's
>> dish, then he picks it up.  If I call him, he will bring me the dish
>> to wash.  I wonder if his raisers taught him that?
>> He's such a retriever.  I want to harness his superpower for good, and
>> teach him to fetch, if I can figure out how to do it.  Long ago, I had
>> a dog who would point out things I'd dropped, and it was very handy.
>> I'm sure Krokus could do that, at the very least.
>> Tracy
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
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