[NAGDU] food rewards and guidework

[Scott Wilson]

Hello Al, great question. I also have a dog from the Seeing EYE. Our dogs work on praise, The only time we give them treats is during clicker training as you said. But another way rather than using the clicker is to have your dog sit at the target, tap your foot on the target if it’s on the ground or patch your hand on it if it’s off the ground. While at the same time praising your pup at the same time you can associate whatever you wanna call this action or target. Although the clicker method is extremely precise and effective. Remember to praise your dog up big time when they achieve the chosen task. And include the word yes as the first thing you say before praising them, and say it often. One thing that the trainers told me while in class in April 2019 was, some dogs are better at targeting than others. It just may not be a strong point of your dog but you can still keep trying to sharpen those skills. The training techniques discussed by Mike or what guide dogs for the blind use and may or may not align with the training methods of the Seeing EYE. Hope this helps, have a great day. Tails up!

Scott Wilson
Secretary
National Association of guide dog users
Call 727-423-4312
swilson at nagdu.org
secretary at nagdu.org
board at nagdu.org
Don’t be afraid to give up the good, to go for the great.

Jay. D. Rockefeller

> On Sep 20, 2021, at 10:14 AM, Al Sten-Clanton via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Greetings, wag wag, and the like!
> 
> 
> First, Mike Hingson, you made a great presentation yesterday on mutual trust between our dogs and ourselves.
> 
> 
> Second, if I heard correctly, Mike suggested that there are times when you can use a food reward during guidework.  If I'm wrong, please correct me.  If I'm right, can anybody tell me what situations might be good for that?  I was leery of clicker training when I first heard of Seeing Eye doing it because of the food involved, but, other than teaching my dog to take me to a particular place or thing, I did not use the clicker, and I did not use food at any time as a work reward.  Since class in 2018, I've used food as a reward only during the bit of clicker training I've done--for example, in trying to get him to put his nose on the knob of the front door.
> 
> 
> I was leery of clicker training because, as you might expect, I wondered how long that training would stick after the food ran out.  Praise is at least something I always have, with no danger of putting it in my pocket for the trip.  I've also seen that, with the doorknob I used the clicker for, he will eventually respond to the magic phrase associated with the clicker, but without the food and the clicker I almost always have to use it two or three times.
> 
> 
> What do people think?  Am I missing something?
> 
> 
> Best!
> 
> 
> Al
> 
> 
> 
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