Puppy training
When we were teaching Jovi the basics (sit, down, walk on the lead), we got a lot of different instruction on how to handle it, and I feel like we could have done much better. There was negative reinforcement used (loud voices, choker chains) and confused positive reinforcement (human voices that fluctuate too much, no alternative behaviour shown). It was all done with the aim of providing him with a happy existence, when we didn't have a lot of animal education, and to some measures, it did work. He could carry out his basic commands on cue and in a lot of different situations, but he didn't learn against bad behaviours, nor pick up good behaviours -- he turned out to be a very reactive dog, love him though I did.
So with Chelsea, I'm making a point to be consistent and respectful. We got a free personal training session with her, due to taking her from a shelter, and it gave me the basics of what's called clicker training. I'm sure some of you know the term. It's basically a little device that makes a clear and crisp clicking noise -- it cuts through all that sound and never changes, unlike human voice.
When they do good behaviour, you click instantly, and reward with a treat immediately. Eventually, you wean the dog off the treat, and just use the click, or so I understand the technique, and this makes for non-confusing positive reinforcement. Click = good things in my mouth, and good behaviour = click.
Currently she's proving to be very smart. We have her 90% housebroken, since about four days after we got her, and we've managed to instill 'sit' and 'down'. Currently, I'm trying to teach her not to bite the hell out of me.
Biting is a natural puppy thing to do. Eyes are good for exploring the world, but mouths are much funner, or something, and of course, in a shelter, you play with the other puppies with biting games. Right now I'm trying to use a mix of the 'ow!' technique and redirection. We play, I let her mouth at me, and as soon as there's a nip that is too firm, I make a high pitched 'ow!' and push her away. Then I try to divert her interest onto something that is acceptable to gnaw on, and praise her forever if she goes for it.
That's only so great if she is just sort of placidly biting at me. Less effective when she is literally jumping and snapping, and I have the cuts to show for it. That's where I do time out, which means putting a closed door before herself and me, for about 30 seconds, then coming out again and initiating gentler play. If she is still mad, rinse-wash-repeat. Last resort is doing clicker-training focus exercises, and then once she's attentive, practicing 'off'. This is where I have a handful of treats, keep my fist closed and let her nose and lick and nip to get it, then wait until she backs up. As soon as she does, I say 'off', click, reward. It didn't take long until I could say 'off' and she would back off, then I click, reward.
The other thing is trying to get her off furniture. It's fine if she wants to hang out on the couch or even on the bed (because I firmly think that the alpha/dominance beliefs are bullshit, and there's a lot of research gone in to trying to phase this concept out with people), but there need to be rules, such as getting off of it on command. Best way to do that is to make up a command to get onto the couch, then a command to get off again. I do that with treats/clicker, and seems to work well. It's just a good method of making connections in her mind between abstract things.
It's fun, but exhausting -- fortunately, exhausting for her too. I just want to make sure all that intelligence is used as best as possible. I'll update about whether these commands are working and whether I can finally phase out the treats part of the clicker training.
So with Chelsea, I'm making a point to be consistent and respectful. We got a free personal training session with her, due to taking her from a shelter, and it gave me the basics of what's called clicker training. I'm sure some of you know the term. It's basically a little device that makes a clear and crisp clicking noise -- it cuts through all that sound and never changes, unlike human voice.
When they do good behaviour, you click instantly, and reward with a treat immediately. Eventually, you wean the dog off the treat, and just use the click, or so I understand the technique, and this makes for non-confusing positive reinforcement. Click = good things in my mouth, and good behaviour = click.
Currently she's proving to be very smart. We have her 90% housebroken, since about four days after we got her, and we've managed to instill 'sit' and 'down'. Currently, I'm trying to teach her not to bite the hell out of me.
Biting is a natural puppy thing to do. Eyes are good for exploring the world, but mouths are much funner, or something, and of course, in a shelter, you play with the other puppies with biting games. Right now I'm trying to use a mix of the 'ow!' technique and redirection. We play, I let her mouth at me, and as soon as there's a nip that is too firm, I make a high pitched 'ow!' and push her away. Then I try to divert her interest onto something that is acceptable to gnaw on, and praise her forever if she goes for it.
That's only so great if she is just sort of placidly biting at me. Less effective when she is literally jumping and snapping, and I have the cuts to show for it. That's where I do time out, which means putting a closed door before herself and me, for about 30 seconds, then coming out again and initiating gentler play. If she is still mad, rinse-wash-repeat. Last resort is doing clicker-training focus exercises, and then once she's attentive, practicing 'off'. This is where I have a handful of treats, keep my fist closed and let her nose and lick and nip to get it, then wait until she backs up. As soon as she does, I say 'off', click, reward. It didn't take long until I could say 'off' and she would back off, then I click, reward.
The other thing is trying to get her off furniture. It's fine if she wants to hang out on the couch or even on the bed (because I firmly think that the alpha/dominance beliefs are bullshit, and there's a lot of research gone in to trying to phase this concept out with people), but there need to be rules, such as getting off of it on command. Best way to do that is to make up a command to get onto the couch, then a command to get off again. I do that with treats/clicker, and seems to work well. It's just a good method of making connections in her mind between abstract things.
It's fun, but exhausting -- fortunately, exhausting for her too. I just want to make sure all that intelligence is used as best as possible. I'll update about whether these commands are working and whether I can finally phase out the treats part of the clicker training.