You can see that in this video. This is part of an on-line training challenge to teach your dog to "Whiz" on cue. This is session three with Spur. The Spurminator being afraid of jump bars - he HATES to knock a jump bar - is worried about the jump bar target I am using. However, I think it is fun enough work that he soon becomes OK about the jump bar and starts to forget about it after a while. Especially when I start being a dumb trainer and clicking for the wrong thing. I think in this video you will see me click at least FOUR+ times for his hind leg MOVING!! That's NOT what I want, dumb ass I am! I want STILL leg in the air, thank you very much!
Did I tell you I suck at clicker training?? Really! It just isn't my forte. I used to love it when Sherry Britton would click for me in obedience class. THAT was the BEST!!! Someone else could click for me and I didn't have to worry about my poor timing! That was awesome!! In fact, I am of the opinion that very FEW people are good clicker trainers. Like, I mean GOOD clicker trainers. Very few. Sherry, she is good. Brenda Buja, good. Lo Baker, good. Me, I suck. Most people, suck. It's just the way it is, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't try it or that it won't help you. It will. Dogs learn in spite of our poor timing, they really do. They learn no matter HOW DUMB us humans are, dogs are SMART creatures! They figure things out!
Spur gets frustrated part way through this video and starts barking at me for being such a dumb trainer. We'll get it, though, don't worry. Dogs are so forgiving of our stupid training abilities. They manage to learn in spite of us, somehow, good dogs! And I think this is good work for him. He is forgetting his jump bar worry, while yelling at me for being a stupid trainer and that's all good stuff! :D
This video is Colby's session 3. SHE is much easier to work with since she isn't afraid of the damn jump bar. (And just so you don't wonder - YES, I could teach Spur a different way, but isn't it good that I am getting him to deal with his jump bar issue AND teaching a new trick???? YES!!! Cuz, really, I don't care, it's a silly trick and if he doesn't learn it lickity split, so what???) Colby, she gets it. She does get distracted at one point because of the dogs in the yard barking in front of the door watching me train her. My other dogs are not exactly good, patient observers. They bitch and bark and swear at me for NOT training them!! :O
Where's Roscoe's video? Um, it'll come, in time. He's different. Still doing his nutty handstands and offering WAY too many other behaviors and it doesn't make for a good video. Too many pauses for me to take a breath and try to regroup and settle him down and laugh at him and start over. But, we'll get there. And once he does, it will be solid, I know. That's how it is with Roscoe, Muffin Heads!
Superfantabulous!-Nancy
ReplyDeleteGREAT job! Who cares about your clicker skills when your training plan, setting up your environment (thinking of using the jump bar), etc. are SO INCREDIBLY AWESOME!
ReplyDeleteHeehee, last night at Rally class the trick training challenge came up. Like.....what does Amy like most, chocolate or a trick challenge? Tough choice. I had Colby out, so I grabbed a small pvc pipe and asked her to "Go Whiz" and SHE DID!!! Good little girlie! Judy suggested I might offend someone by sending my dog to "go whiz" on them, but then Laura reminded me of the time I set up Roscoe to kick dirt on an obnoxious, mean-to-her-dog, agility competitor while waiting to for our run with his "rev yer engines" trick. I pretended like it was a mistake.......... Oops, sorry, we were just doing his cute trick. I didn't mean for the dirt to end up in your sneaker! ;D
ReplyDeleteoh my, you bad. Me likey._Nancy
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