Small works at home
- Thread starter harry
- Start date
shaktishiloh
Well-Known Member
Shakti has a lot of regular duties at home. We're actually putting a new webpage for her about her "jobs" and we're also working on some new exciting projects connected with that. Please stay tuned! 
snooks
Experienced Member
Start with targeting and teach your dog to touch things with his nose or paw. Once he learns that you can name items like the remote or the paper and mark and reward for correct behavior - ignore incorrect guesses or you can use a word like whoops that means no treat try again.
Once puppy will nose or touch an object (I use a clicker but you can use voice cue like yes) you can then shape more behavior from there by upping the ante. He has to mouth it or chomp at it. Use something he would pick up like a toy not keys for example. Mark and reward picking it up. Then back up a bit and ask for touch and then pick up and if he comes even a step back toward you mark/reward. Keep on upping the ante until he figures out that picking up the object and returning to you is what you want.
Close up you can use different objects like bone and ball and say touch ball, if he is getting the game he'll start throwing off guesses. If you ignore the wrong ones and mark/reward the right ones he'll learn names and be able to differentiate. Shaping involves rewarding even small moves like head going down at first and progressing as the dog starts guessing better and better.
Training with a treat pouch, which is a Velcro or zippered pocket that puppy must return to you to open will help define the retrieving behavior. Just feed him something yummy from the pocket and drop it. When he picks it up mark it and open the pouch, feeding from the pouch. Hold it closed a little if he tends to chomp all the treats. I got some neat training pockets and tugs from www.cleanrun.com but they have them everywhere once you see what I'm talking about.
This is an abbreviated version of how I shaped getting the remote and phone but it gives the general idea. Just ask if you want more detail. There are lots of good books about teaching these behaviors too.
Once puppy will nose or touch an object (I use a clicker but you can use voice cue like yes) you can then shape more behavior from there by upping the ante. He has to mouth it or chomp at it. Use something he would pick up like a toy not keys for example. Mark and reward picking it up. Then back up a bit and ask for touch and then pick up and if he comes even a step back toward you mark/reward. Keep on upping the ante until he figures out that picking up the object and returning to you is what you want.
Close up you can use different objects like bone and ball and say touch ball, if he is getting the game he'll start throwing off guesses. If you ignore the wrong ones and mark/reward the right ones he'll learn names and be able to differentiate. Shaping involves rewarding even small moves like head going down at first and progressing as the dog starts guessing better and better.
Training with a treat pouch, which is a Velcro or zippered pocket that puppy must return to you to open will help define the retrieving behavior. Just feed him something yummy from the pocket and drop it. When he picks it up mark it and open the pouch, feeding from the pouch. Hold it closed a little if he tends to chomp all the treats. I got some neat training pockets and tugs from www.cleanrun.com but they have them everywhere once you see what I'm talking about.
This is an abbreviated version of how I shaped getting the remote and phone but it gives the general idea. Just ask if you want more detail. There are lots of good books about teaching these behaviors too.