Trick Challenge: Limp

[MaryK]

Thank you. He's bouncing back now so I'm trying to work out what treats I can use with him and then hopefully we can get back to training limp...

Thank goodness Zac is bouncing back! Tricky finding treats though which won't upset him. Does he work for a play instead of a treat as a reward?

 

[brody_smom]

Funny story. I guess we have been working so much on Brody's lift of his back foot, that he has it on the brain. Last night, I was sitting on the kitchen floor with Brody and my 14 year old son. My son held his hand up and asked Brody for a "high five", to which he responded by standing up and lifting his back leg onto my son's hand!

 

[kassidybc]

Funny story. I guess we have been working so much on Brody's lift of his back foot, that he has it on the brain. Last night, I was sitting on the kitchen floor with Brody and my 14 year old son. My son held his hand up and asked Brody for a "high five", to which he responded by standing up and lifting his back leg onto my son's hand!

Haha, that's hilarious!

 

[Ripleygirl]

WOW! I have so much catching up to do! We have been away for a couple of weeks on hols so haven't started this one yet! Love what I have seen from you guys so far! Will start with Ripley tomorrow and see how we go. It great that there are more members joining in to the challenges! Great fun!

 

[Ripleygirl]

Funny story. I guess we have been working so much on Brody's lift of his back foot, that he has it on the brain. Last night, I was sitting on the kitchen floor with Brody and my 14 year old son. My son held his hand up and asked Brody for a "high five", to which he responded by standing up and lifting his back leg onto my son's hand!

LOVE THIS! That is too funny!

 

[srdogtrainer]

LOVE THIS! That is too funny!

That is awesome!

 

[running_dog]

Thank goodness Zac is bouncing back! Tricky finding treats though which won't upset him. Does he work for a play instead of a treat as a reward?

Sometimes he works for play but I find it very disruptive to training with this kind of trick and when using shaping generally. I've started using a few treats again and he seems okay.

 

[srdogtrainer]

4 days left, oh no. We have a lot more work to do.

 

[MissyBC]

4 days left, oh no. We have a lot more work to do.

So do we! I need to get back to this trick... I just can't seem to get Missy to understand I want her to limp on her own without her relying on my hand for support. I plan to continue to try to free shape this behaviour (I started with the lure/reward method to get her onto the right track, but then changed it to free shaping)... hopefully I can add to this trick. We'll see how it goes in the next few days.

 

[southerngirl]

So do we! I need to get back to this trick... I just can't seem to get Missy to understand I want her to limp on her own without her relying on my hand for support. I plan to continue to try to free shape this behaviour (I started with the lure/reward method to get her onto the right track, but then changed it to free shaping)... hopefully I can add to this trick. We'll see how it goes in the next few days.

I'm with you. I can't get my Missy to limp without my finger supporting her. She is barley even using me as support.

 

[srdogtrainer]

If I use my hand River will put pressure on it like he is trying to step. If I use a poll as a guide he will keep it up for a couple steps. I'll have to make a video of it and show you what I mean.

 

[kassidybc]

I'm having trouble getting Chloe to limp without support from my hand, so I think I'm going to try having Chloe target an object (instead of my hand) with her paw, and limp with her paw on it. I would start with something like a Popsicle stick, then keep using smaller objects, until I am using something that won't support her weight (like a pipe cleaner) and in order to target it she would have to limp without any support. If that makes any sense.

 

[brody_smom]

I'm having trouble getting Chloe to limp without support from my hand, so I think I'm going to try having Chloe target an object (instead of my hand) with her paw, and limp with her paw on it. I would start with something like a Popsicle stick, then keep using smaller objects, until I am using something that won't support her weight (like a pipe cleaner) and in order to target it she would have to limp without any support. If that makes any sense.

Brody will lift his paw with either a verbal cue, which gives a small lift, or a light touch on his leg, which is a much higher lift. I was trying to get him to target my right hand to take a step while I held my left hand under his back foot, not touching it, but not letting him put it down. The problem is that when he goes to take a step, if he lowers his foot and it touches my hand, he turns his head to look at it. Then he won't take the step.

 

[running_dog]

I think we got a minor breakthrough - which we really needed as every time I so much as think about training Zac seems to have a minor relapse and we have to postpone, this is the first time I've actually tried to break new ground with limp in over a week. It isn't a breakthrough by shaping though, just what felt right at the time.

Zac would lift a paw on the cue "limp" and we had built up a millisecond of duration using the "finish" cue. Today after a little revision of the above I ditched the clicker and when he raised the paw I presented a treat (well it's just his kibble but it's working at the moment), if he lowered the paw I took the treat away, if he kept the paw up he got the treat. He got the idea super fast, now he holds the paw up and chomps treats down as fast as he can. I thought I better quit before I over fed him but maybe, just maybe, if we take our time, I'll be able to lure him forward with his paw up because he knows the treat is taken away if he puts his paw down... here's hoping anyway

 

[running_dog]

So do we! I need to get back to this trick... I just can't seem to get Missy to understand I want her to limp on her own without her relying on my hand for support.

Are you sure that Missy doesn't think that it is part of the trick to keep her foot in contact with your hand? You could try moving your hand away while she is mid step and clicking the non contact. Dogs are not stupid, if they are not making progress then we haven't explained it the right way.

 

[brody_smom]

Zac would lift a paw on the cue "limp" and we had built up a millisecond of duration using the "finish" cue. Today after a little revision of the above I ditched the clicker and when he raised the paw I presented a treat (well it's just his kibble but it's working at the moment), if he lowered the paw I took the treat away, if he kept the paw up he got the treat. He got the idea super fast, now he holds the paw up and chomps treats down as fast as he can. I thought I better quit before I over fed him but maybe, just maybe, if we take our time, I'll be able to lure him forward with his paw up because he knows the treat is taken away if he puts his paw down... here's hoping anyway

I'm going to try this as well. Thanks for sharing.

 

[MaryK]

Funny story. I guess we have been working so much on Brody's lift of his back foot, that he has it on the brain. Last night, I was sitting on the kitchen floor with Brody and my 14 year old son. My son held his hand up and asked Brody for a "high five", to which he responded by standing up and lifting his back leg onto my son's hand!

Aren't dog's just priceless At least you know Brody has the paw lift off pat!

 

[MaryK]

Sometimes he works for play but I find it very disruptive to training with this kind of trick and when using shaping generally. I've started using a few treats again and he seems okay.

I too use play at times but found the same thing, it's a bit too disruptive. Leaf seems to think that that's the end of training and even though she will stop and start training again, she's just a little bit too 'leapy' to really settle into this trick.

 

[MaryK]

4 days left, oh no. We have a lot more work to do.

EEEEK!!!!!!!! I ate something which disagreed with me, the bathroom is just too small to use for training and that's where I've spent too much time! Back fit again, boy Leaf and I are going to have to work hard!

 

[MaryK]

So do we! I need to get back to this trick... I just can't seem to get Missy to understand I want her to limp on her own without her relying on my hand for support. I plan to continue to try to free shape this behaviour (I started with the lure/reward method to get her onto the right track, but then changed it to free shaping)... hopefully I can add to this trick. We'll see how it goes in the next few days.

I'm in the same boat. Leaf quickly got 'lift right leg' without assistance. She will limp quite well but still needs my finger for support. Sometimes I get that 'feeling' she knows what I want but just hasn't quite got the courage or muscle memory to go ahead and limp without my support.

Other times, if I've used play as a reward, she leaps ahead in limp but still needs my support.

Sometimes she leans heavily for support but other times she's barely resting on my finger. I am trying to make sure she's balanced correctly, i.e. not standing hard on her right leg, before I ask for the right left lift. This seems to help a little.