Evolving as a dog trainer

Cross-over trainer

I have started my dog training carrier from a working dog side where training methods were more or less force based.  I remember when I got advice how to correct misbehavior: say “no” and pull from choke chain. This did stop the misbehavior but it didn't make it disappear. This was the way to change the behavior of a dog that had dominance and leader issues. This was the first way I learned to handle dogs.  These advises were given by a top dog trainer that worked with trouble dogs. Today I see this as sad thing but this was how it was done about 10 years ago.

When skill ends violence begins. This phrase is true in many ways in animal training. I could say many of us have trip to this hole when working with dog. At least I have many times and I still do. When a dog pulls and I’m tired, I could pull from a leash to try to stop. Dog learns nothing but behavior stops at that moment. I hate this part in me. I know how to do this better much better. I should always take the time to do it the right way but in my mind I justify my actions with phrases like : I’m in hurry and we need walk certain distance or my hand hurts so badly that reactions comes before brain. Why is it hard to just stop and think before acting? This is a key thing when it comes to training. In everyday things many of us can’t be very consistent and we get this “trouble” behavior like pulling on leash or jumping on people. It is a weakness that many times animals pay the price.

In dog sports I have really have had an inner conversation. Why do we do it? How should we see the dog sports? Are the dogs really enjoying it? What would my dog choose if it had a change? I have developed a lot in my training skills since my first dog. I have learned a scientific way of training. This has opened a window to a real connection with my dog. These skills have made me better trainer but have I change as person? This has been the big question. I have been a very competitive person. This has sometimes resulted of taking the training time too long or asked the dog too much before it even knew what was ask for it. All this pressure from me leads to a point when founded that competitions weren't fun anymore nor was training. Why was this all happening?

I started to look another motivation to enhance my training skills and to become even better trainer. I think one of my eye opening courses was a chicken-dog course in Kangasala. There I got more tools to the answers I had especially in ob. I had had a problem of making some ob task super good. In this course I really started to realize that how much we have to do and think before we can do a good quality training. It this course opened my eyes to not see mistakes but to see thing that my dog didn't really know or was unsure. These tools helped me to develop as a trainer one more step. 

With Freya I have done ob totally with shaping and during this progress I have learned more about training dogs or other animals than I have learned since. Freya is a very sensitive dog but learns super fast. She really shows you what things she an idea of and what things she is still unsure. Freya has made me see every time beyond of seeing mistakes but really communicating with each other and really solving problems. Think-plan-do! I started to see training as a puzzle and a game of solving the puzzle as my treat in training.

Puzzle solving approach gave me a better view in the dog sports. I started to use this also in competition. Competitions became a game of puzzle solving. All this turned off my competitive nature. I started to become more relaxed and see my goal better. My goals were little things on agility course and prizes started to lose their appeal.  This is still an ongoing progress but I have started to become a better person to my dogs and I can see better how they communicate with me rather than the trophies or titles they can get. This development is a never ending story but I hope become a better trainer and a better competitor as I have changed my view in animal sports. I hope to change my ways also in horseback riding. This will be tested next week. Can I change my attitude and open a window to a better communication? Or do fall to old learned habit of using a whip as correction without listening first? 

That's all for now.....

MLPF

Criterion in shaping and some agility work with Freya

The criterion planing in training

I have just given lecture on the basics in clicker training. I noticed that one the hardest things where building up the criteria in training. Every task should built up from a little pieces and make it as whole with back chaining. This is a hard thing for everyone that uses shaping as a training tool. Each part of the task should be built as well as you want it to be when it’s ready to a cue to it. People have usually a hurry to make all together and forget the little parts that can make difference in the end performance.  

So how to break down for example an obedience task of a box to little pieces? First you must have a vision how it should look like. If you haven’t seen a box task done in whole, it could be good idea to go to an ob competition to watch high level dogs doing it. This vision helps you to build your own version of it. Of course you must read the rules how this task is scored. Let’s start the process of back chaining.

1.       dog must have good recall and this must done while you are moving

a.       start with recalls so that the dog is sideways to you and you are standing

b.      then do same from a slow walk

c.       increase the distance and do from different angles

d.      start rewarding only fast runs to your side

2.       The place in the box

a.       Teach to dog a right place in the box with touch pad or shaping or etc.

b.      Do sending to the right place from different angles of the boc

                   i.      Reward only tries that the dog takes right position from the first try

c.       Start to make distance

d.       Make the position changes from sending

3.       Marked circle

a.       teach the dog run to a target -> give cue for running straight

b.      do stop first away from running to make sure to cue works

c.       introduce the stop to going straight

d.      change between running to a target and stopping on the way so that the dog doesn’t start to anticipate the stop

                 i.      if the dog slows dog when it’s running to target just ignore try

        ii.      remember to change distances to the target

All these parts can be started at the same time. When they are as good as you want them to be you can start to put them together. Remember when you start put these part together the dog performance might deteriorate but it will soon come together when it has had few repeats.  All these parts should still trained separately to keep the performance at its best and breaking the parts in the even smaller places you can sharpen the performance to its perfection.

Whatever you start to train remember that you can improve only one criterion at the time. If you want to improve speed in coming to your side you must lower your standards in position. Animals can’t understand multiple criterions at the same time so must have good training plan which part of task are planning to improve.

So have vision of perfect performance. Break it to parts. Keep it simple – only one criterion at the time. Put it all together and enjoy the beauty of you and dogs hard work! Training as itself needs lot of planning to get the best results but to see how the dog has it light bulb moments and learn what is wanted of him is worth all the work. Remember to have a lot of fun while you train. Learning is never ending story for you and your dog.

Balance on obstacle focus - Haven't gone as planned 

I just noticed today that I have taught Freya to love more contacts than tunnels. Usually dog are tunnel crazies but our rc training has made love more contact obstacles than tunnels. It was so funny today when she tried to climb the A-frame even though she needed go around me to get there. I was trying to make her go to a tunnel under the A-frame.  Just a little stop to her work and some shaping work in place. It took a few times before she started offer the tunnel. This tunnel was short and dark colored. Freya ran few times under the A-frame but not into the tunnel.

Second tunnel challenge was a away turn from me to a tunnel. Freya came to the tunnel on sideway line so she needed to do a 180 degree turn into the tunnel. There was a jump near the tunnel entry which had a jump near it. She jumped it with different ways for few times before she “saw” the tunnel. This was also exercise that showed that Freya had done too less tunnel work to really have good drive seek them. So we need to more work in that area. I have been lucky enough to trained two dogs that haven’t have any obstacle preference. This time I have done a contact crazy dog.

That's all for now!

MLPF

Ob training going forward

Scent discrimination

I have been sick for a week. So I have trained mostly ob for last week. I have started make scent discrimination with Freya. I have started this with searching for one stick from a pile of snow. This way she will have start using her and not retrieve the stick. Her nosework started really well but her retrieve was just wild. Freya just threw the stick in the air just before coming to my side. So we needed to do training of holding and retrieving this little piece of wood. It took few times and whole chain started to be pretty nice.

Our next step was to introduce the others sticks. This was done with a net. I put the rest of the sticks under a net and the stick that has my scent before the net. This way she could see them but not be able make mistake. Her nose seems to be open and she notice the clear sticks. Now I just have to do this few times more and then I will start make it without the net. At this point I will reduce the distance from the stick pile just to keep her drive a little lower. Her drive to do this scent work has been more wild enough :D :D

The new jump retrieve in OB4 class

All of my girls have been training the new jump retrieve. This set up has many elements to train. One is the going around mark object and doing sit, down or stand. Especially the sit will be a challenging task from a full speed. I started to work this task in my living room. I used a foam roller as object to go around. Short distance made it easy to learn to positions and also to come back without a extra command. All the girls started this work really well. Pixie and Louise did nicely all the positions and Freya did stand and laying down but her sitting need some extra work.

Next level was to take the distance from the mark even longer way. This point Pixie had a problem of staying by the mark and not returning back. This comes from doing a regular mark work before box or retrieve. I really needed to do a lot work to get her come back. Freya was much better with this because she doesn't have solid ideas for mark. The stand and laying down I can do with both girls from 15 m, but the sit position is still a hard nut to crack. That will need a lot work from a short distance to become really good. In the end I really like these new rules. Much more little things to train!!!!

Operant conditioning lecture

This has been my dream to do for a long time but I have thought I don't know enough. I finally had the guts to do it. I had 1,5 h lecture about the rules and history of operant conditioning. After that I did some demos with Pixie. I think it went quite well and hope at least people got new ideas to training. Clicker training is really important to me and I hope to become better and better all the time. I'm still a rookie but I hope that what I have already learned is worth of sharing.


That's all for now!

MLPF

Clicker training thoughts

Click for change - it all for your team!

How we train dogs can affect their behavior and how they will perform in competition fields. Traditional training is correction based and uses force or vocal note to mark unwanted behavior.  Correction is followed by reward when dog corrects its behavior. This method makes dogs want to avoid misbehavior but also stops them to try something new. Correction based method makes sensitive dogs react to mistakes by lowering their drive or end the working all together. These dogs learn also very quickly that in competition handlers can’t correct them. This can lead to unwanted performance. Any kind of correction can make dog work in tense mode which shows in the dog posture and the dog uses often calming signals. Correction training has produced winners in many dog sports and also used every day in the horse world. This has been the way training animals for a long time but there has been a new way scientific way from 1930’s.

Skinner made his famous Skinner Box test in end of 1930’s. In this test rats got treats by push a lever. This test was continued to a point where the rats got food by pressing the lever when a mark light was on. So the rats learned how they could earn food. These very simple tests lead to a teaching revolution in animals. Animals can learn to control their environment which means they learn tasks to earn rewards = control their environment. This idea is the king idea of clicker training. Animals will enjoy the idea that they can affect what happens.

Think you have a pool full of dolphins. How would you train them? Could you use whip like you use with horses or could you use a metal chain that you use with your dogs? These might not been the thought of Karen Pryor when she was faced with a new challenge to train sea mammals that never had been trained before. She needed create a connection between her and the animals to be able to train with them. It started with a bucket of fish and a whistle. The rest is history. Karen became one of the leading dolphin trainers and learned to use operant training more and more effectively. Soon she started to apply these training rules to other animals. It has been super to read how Karen applied this very simple way training to wolves and other animals. Karen Pryor had opened a window to the animal mind.

Operant training has been in the world for almost 85 years and still it’s unknown or unused by animal trainers. It is simple and it has been shown to work in any dog sport, zoo, humans, fish etc. So what can make people understand how this simple way it just pure magic? The training itself is very simple and boring in the end – you get what you will reward. Why make it any harder? The moment you see you dog or horse get the light bulb moment – you will learn what the magic means. You have opened a window to your pets mind.

As last words for correction trainers, how would you correct a killer whale for misbehavior? I would like see you going in to pool and slap a killer whale. In the end skilful trainer can make a killer whale to do many things. So think you dog as the killer whale and find a more wise way to make you dog do as wanted. The dog is listening if let it learn and try.

Recommended reading

Don’t shoot the dog

Reaching the Animal Mind

That's all for now!!

MLPF

Good nutrition - happy and strong dogs

Nutrition is a very important part of competition dogs health. It is also important to me that my dogs food that keeps them in shape and is good for their digestion. I have tried many makes but Acana and Orijen has improved to be the best. I have liked a lot of their companies values and how they have developed the idea of biologically appropriate food. Here you can read more from the company's website - Champion Petfoods.

My competition dog Pixie has a sensitive stomach. In the competition season I need to be careful that she has a balanced food and it contains no grains ( these make muscle stiff and swollen as in humans). So she has used a long time Orijen or Acanas grain free options. At this moment we have used ACANA WILD PRAIRIE , This has been very tasty kibble. She can be train with it and has enough energy make her fly on dog sports. Here are some pics to see her liking of her food:

 Freya my youngest dog was raised with Orijen Puppy. Now she and my oldest dog eats Acana Adult Dog. This has only oats as a grain. This has been good basic food for active senior and growing young dog. Freya has been so far a dog that can eat almost anything. Nothing upsets her stomach. Freya is also so greedy that kibble can be used to training which helps to keep her in shape. At this point I have considered a more high energy food for her. She seems to have super energy burning age so we will see what I will get her next. Here are pics from Freya doing tricks Acana kibble:

Freya and high five trick!














Freya also has made her first run a unofficial competition. She was super good!! She waited in the start and did a nice clear round. She didn't get any prizes because she ran in medium height jumps. Freya hasn't jump a course higher than 50 cm so didn't want to make her do it in a new environment. She had enough new things to smell and watch. Here is a video of our first round:



That's all for now!!!

MLPF

Welfare in dog sports

There have been a nice blog post in Tiina's Blog about dogs welfare (in Finnish). We use dogs to different purposes in our lives. Some are for company, some for sports and some for protection. Do we provide the best care for our dogs? Are some breeds happy if they just lay on a sofa and get to go out two times a day? On the other hand are some breeds happy run and do sports all day round? These are things everyone should think when they take a dog. As breed dog person I have seen too many times that working dog breed is taken home as couch potato or a long back dog like corgi is make to do agility.

Training also is a big part of welfare. There are many ways to train. One is scientific proven way and lots other ways that uses force or correction. I was thought first force way - drive-sanction-drive (reward). This way is still used in working dog sport and obedience. My oldest dog has been trained with this way and she worked well but I have learn a lot from that. I have seen also the side effects that this kind of training does. First I was introduced to clicker training in our ob group. There was a doctor that had read about this kind of training in Swedish training books. First I didn't buy it but I wanted to learn more.

Years past on and read more and more about positive re-enforcement. More I read more I was sure this was the way to do it. More I saw what I had done to my older dog wrong. I started built Pixie as my first clicker dog. More I trained her more I was hooked to clicker training. I could see a major difference in my dog. Positive dog that had freedom to think. I can say that I didn't know answer to all the problems on my new training way. It was hard to find help that knew how to train in a positive way. Pixie wasn't built perfectly but I had had a revolution in training methods.

At this point I started to really ask in my mind some of the ways high level ob people trained their dogs. You could see they training methods in the competition field. Flat tails, tens bodies and so on. Still these people get high scores in competitions. In my mind obedience was a sport with different tricks that should be done in happy wagging tails. I know I'm not a perfect and I have done many mistakes with Pixie. But I have had a new revolution with Freya. I'm not sure that any force or even verbal correction in obedience is necessary if you are good enough trainer. I hope that we will have a
revolutions in this sport so that we will have wagging tails and not a " concentration" tails ( this is a funniest way shadowing a truth that the dogs super tense).

Welfare in agility is also something that should be address from the organizations level. One of the issues is EO ranking. You can collect points the whole year but many people including me needed to keep competing till the end of year to get enough points. This was really tiring and stupid!!! I would be happy to have just a few weekend during the competitions season where all the places would be enrolled. Enough of this year round competing. I can make choices for my dog but this kind of change would make it easier to keep real competition brake. As an idea.... Could winter be for lower class competitions and the hot season only for high class dogs???

Agility is also sport that many of us train during week days and also compete in weekends. Do our dogs get enough rest? Does everyone has a day that you do tricks and different runs to enhance your dogs physic? Or do we do it all during competition week? What is too much and what is the right kind stimulus to keep our competition partner in shape? When dogs is trained it doesn't really need too much of training to keep up its skilsl if the training is done from a good training plan. So if we need more training to become better handlers we should also make plan what we need to train to minimize the training time we need work with a dog. I can only say that I have never been a super handler and it has mean too many jumps from my dogs to train me to be better handler. Could there be a way to train handlers without dogs?

Third part of the training welfare is physical treatment of the dogs. They are super athletes so they should get the best treatment there is to keep them in shape. This shouldn't be way to take everything out of them. Physiotherapy should be way to check that the body recovers and if there's injury help it become better and get professional help to keep you dog in balance. Our pride should be that you dog get a relaxing massage in physiotherapist session if it's ok and doing sport with balanced exercise.

I'm not writer person when it comes to opinions. I better when I talk out loud. I have some ideas and I still a long way to become super trainer but I found my path. I also hope learn more and more about my dogs so that I will know what is what they want and need. I hope to also keep my goals in sight but still see what is happening around. It is easy get lost in training and forget to see partners feelings.

Listen to your dogs and be realistic what you training partner is ready for! Road will full on bumps but it will be a fun ride in the end if you decide to make it so.

That's for know!

MLPF