'My dog doesn't need treats he works because he loves me' I have heard this expressed by some trainers and I wonder if this really is the case!
Most of us go out to work to earn a living and get paid! Whilst I appreciate there are a lot of dedicated professionals out there in the main this is the reason why most of us go to our place of employment each day willingly and not so willingly! Would you work for nothing!
Why then do you expect your dog to do just that! In the world of film and television all professional trainers reward their animals either with food, a toy or a game. They call it 'getting paid'
When our dogs are performing well shouldn't they get paid? This is one of the reasons why clicker based training works so well. Obviously the click tells the animal that they are performing the correct behaviour but they also know for getting it right they will get a treat.
Even when the training is solid and you phase out the clicker then I personally think treats should still be given for really good efforts. Not all the time but now and then. However, in training treats are invaluable for maintaining good performance. When Ozzie has completed a good round in competitive agility I give him a mega reward!
For those of you who do not clicker train then I would suggest you try giving your dog treats especially when you are outside and they are running free and you get a good recall. In fact if you are experiencing recall problems this may be the answer!
THE RECALL GAME
Lots of dog owners say that their pets are good in every other way but they have trouble in getting them back when running free off lead. This is a very common problem.
If you have clicker trained Fido from the word go then you should not have this problem in the first place. They have learned that coming back to you is really worthwhile and that you are the greatest!
Some of you will say that your dog goes mad when they get a scent of something and you stand no chance of response! This is because they are conditioned to do just that! This chasing after a scent or another dog is the reward in itself. You will need lots of patience to break the chain. I cannot guarantee you will ever succeed but the following exercise may help and should improve your recalls in any event.
First Fido should be 'clicker aware' (see the notes on basic training on how to start Clicker Menu).
You will need a training partner and you both need a clicker and lots of treats. Start off in the garden. Stand apart facing each other. The first handler calls the dog 'Fido come' (if necessary lure them with the food) as soon as they come to you immediately click and treat! Now the other handler calls in the same fashion and when the dog responds click and treat. You continue to call alternately so that the dog is running from handler to handler and getting rewarded each time. They soon get the hang of it and love the game! You are teaching them that to come when called is very rewarding.
You can also add on the exercise for hand in collar, which is useful for when you attach the lead. When Fido comes to you put your hand into their collar for a couple of seconds before Click and Treating. Your training partner does the same. Lots of dogs back off when you try to get hold of their collar and this overcomes the problem.
Make sure the food you are using is something they would die for! Not doggie treats or doggie food. 'Real' food, baked liver being the ultimate or the liver cake recipe on the food for thought page of this site.
Do not say Fido come more than once. If you keep repeating the command you are training them that it is O.K. to come on the 5th or 6th time of asking! Lure them with the food and say nothing after the first spoken command.
The next step is to try this exercise outdoors. On your way to the park 'prime' your dog by having a loose lead, walking backwards from time to time saying Fido come and click and treating them for the right result. This gets them into the right frame of mind for the recall game in the park.
This method can also help to perk up a dogs performance if they come when called but in a lack lustre fashion. Helpful for competitive obedience.
One last tip. When calling your dog to you always use a cheerful audible voice. Animals pick up very quickly if you are cross and may ignore a command if they do not think you mean it! Obviously do not shout either. Finally never scold or punish your dog if you have been having trouble getting them back to you and they eventually decide to return. This will only inforce the idea that coming back to you is unpleasant. You cannot reprimand a dog after the event!
Showing your Dog
There are many thousands of people who enjoy showing their dogs in the breed ring. Some of my clicker training class also show their animals for pleasure.
Clicker techniques can be helpful in improving performance and some of you may find the following tips helpful!
WATCH ME COMMAND
You need to be able to get your dogs undivided attention when the judge is inspecting your pooch in the stand position or on the table.
Obviously your animal needs to be 'clicker aware' in the first instance and for this you need to read the clicker training information pages on how to get started!
Once Fido is 'clued up' you can begin. Take a piece of his favourite food (treat) and with your dog in the sitting position hold it up to the right side of your face parallel to your eyes, say 'watch me' and when Fido looks directly into your eyes immediately Click and Treat!
Continue gradually increasing the time between the Click and the Treat so that eventually Fido is gazing in your eyes for longer and longer! Then do the same exercise in the Stand position. Once you are confident start to move away from the dog into the same sort of distance away that you would be in the show ring. Slowly phase out the treat in the hand but use the same action of actually having a treat in your hand when saying watch me! Then you can slowly phase out the Clicker. However, in training always reward with a treat! In this way you can get the attention you need and your dog knows what is expected of him!IMPROVING LEAD WORK
To get your animal to trot nicely for the judge you can use the following method to perk them up!
You need to have the lead and your clicker in your RIGHT HAND and a treat in your LEFT HAND.
Start off and immediately hold the treat in your left hand over the dogs nose after a couple of good steps click and immediately treat! Repeat several times rewarding good efforts but ignoring bad ones. Increase the distance covered bit by bit before rewarding. In this way your pooch learns that a good effort on his part will get a Click and a Treat. Increase the distance of your hand containing the treat and your animals nose. Do not rush this process and if your dog performs badly go back a step. Eventually you will only need to reward at the end of your promenade. When Fido realises what he has to do then switch the lead back into the left hand as normal but in training continue to reward good efforts with a Click and Treat. Clicker in the right hand and treats in your baitbag!
For small dogs this is harder to achieve. For the best results your arm needs to be hanging straight down with the treat in hand close to the proximity of Fido's nose! You may even need to bend your knees too! Remember the old saying no pain no gain!!!!!
This is also useful for teaching your dog to look ahead and will help if they tend to bite their leads as some pups do!SMALL DOGS ON THE TABLE
You can use the Click and Treat method for rewarding good performances on the table. If there is something particular your dog does not like when being examined then get members of the family in the first instance to do this action and you stand by and reward when they submit gracefully. Then you can move on to friends acting the part of the judge and if you can rope in as many others as you can to do the same. This may help overcome particular hangups!!!!!TOUCHSTICK TRAINING
If you refer to my page on touchstick training you can also use this to get your pooch to trot nicely looking ahead. You just use it to encourage the dog forward by using the touch command and holding it in front of their noses, clicking and treating for the desired behaviour.CONCLUSION
I am sure there are many other ways of training your dogs for the show ring but I give these methods for you to try because I know they can achieve results and also make your beloved pooch happy in the process! Happy Clicking
