[NAGDU] Seeing Eye training techniques

Fri Jun 7 17:02:43 UTC 2024

Hi Al and others,

I have used clicker training with my last three dogs.  Major couldn't have
cared less about food but was responsive to praise. Of course, clicker
training involves both treats and praise. Vicky is very motivated by food so
I have to taper it off quickly once she has caught on to what I need her to
do. In fact, she has been known to try to negotiate for a treat when she
shows something for which she has been given treats in the past. I recently
was reminded by an instructor as Seeing Eye that it is sometimes good to
reintroduce treats after a period of time because it peaks their interest
again. I have found that to be the case. For the most part, since praise is
always first for me, I don't worry if I don't have a treat when something
arises but, I pop a treat in my pocket for the next trip out when I get home
if I'm going to be interacting with that same situation. Each dog and each
user is different. Giving treats at every down curb would be wearing on me.
I would also be careful to take those treats from the regular meal portion
so that the dog doesn't gain too much weight. Mostly I believe that dogs
need to know that their job is important and that they are important. They
need to know when they are meeting your expectations as well as when they
are not. I get irritated when I hear a guide dog user gives their dog a
command with little or no enthusiasm and no praise when the task is
performed properly. Especially if there is a whole dramatic situation if the
dog makes a mistake. I try to keep correction light and quiet and the
follow-up praise when he/she corrects the mistake more warm and a little
louder. 

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Al Sten-Clanton via
NAGDU
Sent: Thursday, June 6, 2024 7:22 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: albert.e.sten_clanton at verizon.net
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Seeing Eye training techniques

I may misunderstand, but are you saying you use a food reward for each down
curb and each up curb in your regular work with the dog?  That seems like an
endless assembly line of treats just to get around, so I feel like I must be
getting something wrong from what I read.

If you mean that it's a beginning aid and that the rewards are tapered off,
that makes more sense to me.  Clicker training was an aoption in training
with my fifth, current dog.  I seriously doubted the wisdom of bringing food
rewards into the business of guidework when I heard of clicker training, but
I tried it out and wish I'd practiced it more for the few things I think
it's meant to help with.  I tried clicker training for finding our front
door knob, and thought I'd done more or less as instructed, but it didn't
take long for the absence of treats to decrease both my dog's enthusiasm and
accuracy in that job.  I wish I had a recording of the long presentation
that Lucas Frank gave us on the subject in my March, 2018 class, so that I'd
have more complete instruction, but I so far haven't found a recording like
that on the Seeing Eye website.

In any event, I still worry about setting myself up to need food rewards to
keep my dog's focus on track during my regular work with him.  I've been
happy to adopt some subtle and even less subtle new ways of working with my
dogs as the training has evolved, but I'm inclined to think the old way of
using praise and affection and no food in the usual course of business makes
the most sense.

Best!
Al

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Sean Moore via NAGDU
Sent: Thursday, June 6, 2024 7:57 PM
To: Elizabeth Rene via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Sean Moore <seanmoore87 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Seeing Eye training techniques

I don't  know  if  I should  chime  in  or not.  but  for me gaving gone
through  " Traditional training" with  my  first and  second dogs from
Southeastern and  now  Guide DOgs  for the Blind GDB who  uses food reward
as  re-enforcement, Augie  only normally  gets  a food reward  at a  down
curb and up curb  to re-enforce  that  they  are Desirable targets.  I use
food reward  for  personal  targets  I always  wnat  him  to stop  at and  I
feel like he's a smarter dog with  using the  food reward   In conjunction
with his great memory stuff for.

the  clicker is  used  to  Teach new  targets and  then rewarded for finding
it that  first  few times.

yours,

Sean Moore  and  Guide Dog: Augie

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