Basics Skills for training any dog sports

Basics in dog training - building up a team

I have done dog training for about 14 years. I have trained in many different ways and found my way
to clicker training. During my journey I have learned that training techniques can help you to succeed in your goals but there are few fundamental skills that every dog team should learn before starting any sport training. Basic training is sometimes boring but gives you a rock solid base to built on. Basic skills I see important to learn in first year is socialization, calming down, impulse control, motivation and rewarding. All this basic work leads to a good solid relationship and gives basic tools to do anything the team wants.

Socialization

First thing the puppy must learn is to be with its new family. This time should be peaceful time and time to relax from the stress that comes from separating from the mother and the siblings. Little by little the puppy can explore the outside and see new things but safely. It is important to observe the puppies character and see how much new things it can handle. This is time to teach the puppy recalls and walking on leash. Puppy should also meet safe adult dogs and other puppies of same age and size. Also taking the puppy to new environment is important so it learns different surfaces, smells, sound, traffic, meeting different dressed (man wearing a hat, big coat etc.) and moving people (wheelchair, babies, old) etc. All this need to be done in the puppies terms. Shyer puppy might handle few short visits to new places per weeks and more bold puppy can visit new places more often. You just need to watch your puppies reactions and how recovers from the stress. 

Calming down

Calming down is skill that can be the hardest teach at first but pays off in a long run. It means that you teach your dog a routine that leads to calm lying down. First you train this at home. First time might take 15-30 min if you have already a older puppy. Make sure you have something calm to do like watching a TV show. You can use a mat as spot to lying down so that you can take it with anywhere and it can be save spot for the dog in the future. You can have collar or harness to help the keep the dog close to you and then you start making long strokes from head to the end of hind leg. Remember you need calm down too. In this exercise you don't need treat the dog. Dog just need to learn calm down. At first time exercise end when the dogs has calmed down in lying down position. Dog will start calming down faster and faster as practice this routine. Then you can go and try this same routine in new more busier place. This can lead to longer calming down time but more work on it more faster it gets and the dogs learn to take it relax stage in anywhere. In longer run this helps reduce stress in new places and competition trips.

Motivation and rewards

Motivation can be from internal like hunger, thirst and reproductive needs or it could from outside smell, social interaction, car ( takes to forest run), ball (change for game). Every behavior have some kind of motivational drive. Every time you train and your dog does something out of the ordinary you should think what motivated to do it. Finding our the motivation to each behavior can be the key to solve it or route to find away to train for your liking. Behavior has always reason why it happens. Dogs don't have ability to be nasty or try to trick us. We just have see what motivates them to do it differently or have we have our training lead to the seen outcome.

In training we need different things to make the dog work for us. Usually we use rewards like toys, treat, social reward or environmental rewards ( like permission to play with other dogs). The most important thing is that THE DOG get choose what is rewarding and what is not. Playing can mean a lot things to different dogs. One might want to chase something or chew the toy or just do the tugging. In the end its the dog choice and as handler it is our job to find out which things our dogs like. Some dogs like treat but you give them in many ways to make it more interesting: like chasing treat hand, tossed treat, treat ball etc. You can also built up value to toys or treats with using the preferable reward to enhance to the other. Treating games can be built but always watch how you dog reacts and does it really feel that reward is rewarding. Some dog might like tugging but other might feel most rewarded when they can run around with toy in their mouth.

It is important to find things that your dog thinks is valuable. This gives you motivation tool to teach the dog to things you like. Different situations might need different rewards. At home your dog might work for a kibble and in the busy dog training arena you might need treat likes chicken heart to get as good as motivation to work with you. More games you teach more tools you have in the future. I try to teach my dog to play with anything from piece of grass to fallen leaf in the autumn. I want the any surroundings to be a change to play with me.

Impulse Control  

Impulse control is one the most important skills when it comes to dogs sports. The dog need to learn to give up from distractions and give the attention to the handler. Basic exercise is given up the treat. This is one the first trick I teach puppies when they been at the house for awhile. First you have treat in your hand and when the dog tries to get it you close hand as soon as the dog moves away from the treat hand you treat the dog with your other hand. This trick advances to a stage where the dog takes an eye contact to get the treat. Later on you can play with the open treat hand near the dog and it needs keep the eye contact to you. This is same thing you can do with food bowl. Dog need to sit and give eye contact before it gets cue to get the food. This kind of work helps the dog to built up self control.

Next game can be done with a toy. If dog tugs well, you can do impulse control game. You start with playing with the dog and then you stop playing and freeze your hands. At this point you wait that dogs lets go of the toy and takes default position. Then you move the toy a bit and if the dog hold its ground you give it release cue to start tugging again. First time you do can release the dog to play as soon as it gives up toy and then increase the distraction. Before you do this it good have done tugging games so that you dogs feel confident and has good drive to play with you. Remember to let the dog win the toy a lot to built up a strong playing mode with you. Some manuals say not let the dog win but that isn't right. Winning helps the dog built confidence and playing drive, also it gives the dog reason keep playing with you because it can win and feel awesome. Impulse control games are just part the game and gives playing some rules.

Here is video of Freya doing some impulse control play:




That my thoughts for today!!!

MPF


  

Clicker Expo 2017 - Day 2

Bridge Over Troubled Water: Critical Client-Conversation Skills - Susan G. Friedman

Morning started with wonder lecture of conversation skills. Susan first defined what makes conversations crazy. Reason were pretty usually that takes all of our skills to control ourselves like: opposing opinions, strong emotion, broken promises etc. Anything that is important or has emotions attach to it makes conversation base hard. I know I have hard time holding myself down if subject is close to a heart. Conversation skills is skill we need to learn and evolves during time when we practice it. We had to list reasons to learn to be better in conversation skills and I had many situations that I would benefit like better client service, better out comes and to have better skills to make a difference.

So how become better? Most import is to secure the free flow of information to the pool of shared information. This mean that we need to make sure everyone stays in safe place share that information and we are interested about it. So if conversation get too hot (emotional, I'm right stage) - change environment. Behavior is always a function of current condition. So all around us and our partners in conversation can affect the conversation. It is import to realize that our way speaking can great scary or tense environment. Also the surroundings can affect is the conversation comfortable to the other person (public place, closed room). Next to have your story right which means keep to the fact. Don't assume what the other person is thinking ask and give room to their side of the story. Susan told about story telling roles that should be avoided: Not me!, All you!, There's nothing I can do! These roles that stops the founding of common goal.

Conversation is only really done when you have action plan how to resolve to issue. During conversation is important to keep it open so that there could be resolution in the end. We need self exploration and exploring how other react and think. It is also important to keep your own goal without over powering others. These skills that all of us can train become better at it. It takes time and practice but can have much better results in many aspects of life. How we talk and resolve conversation challenges things can make all the difference. Susan lecture was really good and gave lot to think about.

Assessing Function - The Sexy Side Of ABC - Susan G. Friedman

This lecture went through about the ABC ( Antecedent - Behavior - Contingency) of behavior. First Susan talked about what are known about mind and what we know about it. How our brains developed. Then how everything is connected to each other. When we train we train emotions. Condition produce emotions and frustration is emotion that can happen when we don't get the wanted out come. This is phenomenon happening in training too if we don't plan the training good enough. ABC analysis really makes think what happen and why. Goal is to change the environment to get a change in the behavior and make unwanted behavior irrelevant. This gives power to the learner to control the our comes.

Assessing the problem behavior should be done in detail. When it happens, how often it happen and what happens before it. Then you try analyze the motivation of the behavior. Everything happens for a reason and every action has motivation. Test your findings and make plan for a behavior training by changing first the environment to get the wanted results. Susan also showed how to keep data of the progress. Data will really tell you has the plan worked or not. I think this way of analyzing works also in all dogs training. We have problems for example in OB task. We could try to brake it pieces to find out the motivation why dog does the unwanted behavior. In the end all behaviors have motivation why they occur. We just need find them out so we can change training plan (environment) to get behavior we want. This was a really eye opening talk about everything that happens around us. We shouldn't label everything so easy without analyzing the behavior chain at first. 

Smart Reinforcement - Ken Ramirez

Last in the day I had a training lab with Ken where he told us how to built a non- food (or toy) reinforcement. This meant that you would built clapping or thumbs up to be strong enforcement to animal. This was very interesting idea especially to sport like ob. It would cool to have " toy" in the ring. Ken showed us a protocol how to build up this kind connection to for example to clapping. This process was very long and needed a good training plan to achieve. He should how keep data and how to proceed. Using clapping as reward would need a constant training but it had been successfully done with number of different species. The idea of having reward always with you is very attempting. I thought this was a so interesting that I'm going to try to built it. 

In the lab we tried the first steps in training. It was nice see fast the dog pick up the training. Ken was really good instructor for teams. I would love to one day to attend seminar where I could train my own dogs.  

That's all for day two! We had a very nice evening dinner with Panel Discussion, where the audience could ask questions from the faculty member. This year questions were extra good and we got a lot of interesting conversations about it.

MPL

First day at Clicker Expo 2016

 CLICKER EXPO EUROPE 2016

It's been a cool to be back CE. Lots new people to meet and new things to learn. At opening session Ken Ramirez talk about the butterfly effect - a small swing of wing of butter fly can create a storm. This he used as metaphor how we can be part effect and spred the word around about positive training. Also he talked about being open minded so we would shut down people with different view from our clicker community. He talked about clicker training coming sometimes to cult kind training that judges other methods and shuts down to communication with different kind of training groups. I think this could improved everywhere. In Finland we have also people that judges other because their training background. Learning is process that should be open everyone without judgement. So lets welcome everyone to learn more and not judge people what they have done in past.

Working with multiple animals in household - Ken Ramirez

My first session was with Ken Ramirez. Topic was multiple animals in house hold. He talked about how managed training session and gave different tools handle it. One basic tool was to use different shaped stationing mats. This application you could use everywhere and have a nice training set up multiple dogs. Other thing he underlined that all dogs should feel like they had the most attention and by doing that you could reduce aggression and other bad behavior issues during your training session. Dog can feel envy if the other dog gets more attention which can lead food aggression or etc. One thing Ken also emphasized was you have treat/give attention to the dogs that "do nothing" because they are waiting patiently to their turn. He showed lots of different ways to make the training session fair to each learner. We also went through some way to make dogs or animals work in the same time. I got lots tips to improve my training session because I train both of my dogs together all the time.

Last he showed a introduction protocol. First Ken showed a example clip how they introduced new dolphin in the aquarium to new pack. All of the animals did first basic training, then they started to do basic training. So that they saw it's other behind a fence. Gradually they worked some task together over fence like target training. After this basic training was done without the fence and then finally animals started work together in the same pool. This introduction gave them time learn about each other and work together which made final grouping easier. This protocol had helped to prevent aggression and fear when introducing a new animal in to pack.

Next Ken shared with us project where they had used this protocol with highly aggressive dogs. In this project they had 9 trainers working with this protocol to introduce three very aggressive dogs to each other. Even though this project had taken huge mount of man power and time 2,5 years, it was amazing to see former fighting dog that wanted kill any dog in sight to learn to play with them. Project gave a little peak that even the most aggressive can be change to better. Although this amount time and man power isn't realistic to conduct in real life but this study gives hope that we can change even the most aggressive animal to better. I hope this work continues! This introduction protocol has been very effective in everyday use with less aggressive case than they used in this study.

So this was just quick note from the morning part of the day. 

Stranger Danger - Emma Parson

First afternoon session I had Emma Parsons lecture of reducing fear and aggression against people. In this lecture we went through training protocol how to teach dog stay under threshold and learn how to have alternative reacting strategies. Actually this protocol was pretty familiar to me because I had used it Freya. Doing first at looking that game and then making other greeting alternatives is a very effective way to teach to dog to relax and take in information calmly. Reactivity can be reduced and then help the dog gather information first. It's like change the dogs way of thinking.

Simplyfying Complex Tools- Ken Ramirez

Last I had lecture of Simplifying Complex tools with Ken Ramirez. This was a interactive lesson. Ken first introduced the topics we could talk about and then voted what we wanted learn more deeply. Topics were: Jackpot, Keep going signal, Time out, Non reinforcement marker (NRM), End of Session marker, Least Reinforcing Signal (LRS), Recall Signall, Chained Behavior and Differential reinforcement (DRA). Room first choose Keep going signal, then LRS and End of Session signals. So here is little bits of everything.

Keep going signal is training tool that has no real science base. Although there are many practical example. KGS can be continued praise or sound or something that makes the animal keep doing what it's doing. It is debated if its necessary to use. Behaviors can be trained to have stamina and endurance of long work without reinforcement. In army (Bailey 2007) they used a sound to control the dogs movements so it would move until the sound stopped and then had to turn until the sound started again cuing a go signal. Many of us might use KGS in form a continuing praise and some behaviors might be feared to stop with out KGS. I think in the end it's up our training do we needed. If you train well back chained behavior or endurance to long working time task like tracking you don't need to have KGS. Some KGS can even work as a punisher when it has purpose of telling that animals behavior made to KGS stop and reward is not available anymore.

Second Ken told about LRS which is one the tools to have errorless learining circuit. LRS used when animal makes mistake then you have 3-5 sec pause (micro pause). During this pause trainers don't change their response or change environment. During pause animal should do a default position if its trained well. After pause you ask LRS which is something easy and simple task that the animal can do like target training. Goal is not to interrup the rhythm of reinforment and not to cause frustration to the animal. LRS is proven scientifically to work and help the learining process to be more effective. This is good basic skills to have when you doing positive training.

Last Ken talked about End of session - signal. This has no scientific background. Although many of use it to let the animal do their thing or stop the animal to keep offering behaviors. Ken showed us a film where they worked with sea lion as example that with dangerous animals this kind of signal could be dangerous. Animal might not think that session shouldn't end and reinforcement should be gone this and this could lead to trying to the trainer going out of the training area. With dog this isn't the case but do we need it? Does it really make difference? I think many of our animals learn when to work with us and when not from our behavior. Most of have routines how we end training - some might give water or play longer or take the dog to walk. I have used "go free" as  end of session signal. This means my both dogs can go and play together. This doesn't really make a difference to our actual training but it is routine we are used of doing.

In the evening we had a net working event. I had so much fun and I met a lot of new people from all over the world. Lots of talk about training and dog sport.. What else can ask?? :D So a wonderfull first day!!! Next post from the second day....

That's all from the first day!

MPF

New winds and new ideas to catch

Agilitycoach course 2016-2017

I glad to be chosen to second level agility coach course. This course will deepen our knowledge in agility training and also our ability train the handler even more. We a training book that introduces the newest training tools in human sports and goes through how human physiology develops. This has been interesting to read even though some of it pretty familiar from own sport background and my studying in the University. I think this will be a very interesting journey in to more training tools. During this course I will also work with a dog team and train both dog and the human part of team. It will new thing to train more specific way the physical part of the human training. More I read it more I feel I want to know about it.

I have also started train in a gym. I haven’t done this kind of training in a long time but I think it will a good way built up my physic and also learn more about training from training classes in Mentor Gym. Learning to train right is journey. Sometimes you get too excited and train too much. Sometimes your training doesn’t take you anywhere. It’s cool to learn more tools to test and analyze training to make it more efficient. I have already got a some training how train and built up a sport dog but I hope learn from that even more during this course. Goal is to be able to train better both dogs and humans and give tools to become even better agility team.

Competition and training

We had a nice competition day in Kirkkonummi last weekend. Both Pixie and Freya did some nice runs even though we didn’t get a clear ones. I tried Pixie’s running A-frame in competition and it went pretty well. The hit was little too high to my liking but much better it used to be. We still need work on that in training. Pixie jumped really well this time. I hope her body starts be in good condition again. Freya had yet again amazing contacts. I just absolutely love her work with contacts obstacles. Freya and I had few spots where she wasn’t sure what I wanted with my handling. So we have some work to do with handling maneuver separation training to make sure she doesn’t always turn away from me when I put my hand down.

In Tuulias training last week we had the same turning away from me problem when I started to do a normal handling of a wrap. We did some work with it but it needs more training. Otherwise she did pretty nice job. Her jumping has improved a lot. Our forced front cross starts to look pretty ok. I need take off from marking site really fast to give her enough space and time to make a nice jump. Freya can really commit to handling maneuver and obstacle really early. This is something I need to learn to be faster and give her room to do her thing. Slalom was a little slow but we haven’t trained it so much so yet another thing we can improve to get more speed.

ClickerExpo 2017 and my first clicker training class

CE is coming again!! I can’t wait to be there again. Lots of super classes and lots new people to meet. New training ideas and improving my old skills. CE is one the best training events I have ever been. Your just get overwhelmed from all the exciting lectures and the faculty is just full of amazing trainer. If you haven’t been there yet you should go! This year it will be held in Denmark. So I have a very short fly to get there. I hope to have a backpack full new books to read and head exploding from new ideas.

I have also put together my first clicker training class. Well actually I want to share training tools that have helped me to get better performance in different dog sports. I have learned to use different target training in rally, obedience and dog dancing that has made training easier and make dogs performance even better than before. I have also included social learning to my course. I want share the wonder Do as I do protocol created by Claudia Fugazza. My dog have just loved to train copying. I have notice that their focus have improved and they pay much attention to my doings. I hope that this would be a nice plus for everyone that has passion for dogs training.

TALENT DOGS - TYÖKALUJA KOULUTUKSEEN KURSSI

That's all for now!!!!

MPF

Talent Code - What is talent??

Talents aren’t born, they are made.

I finally had time to read a book Talent Code written by Daniel Coyle. This books takes a research how some place have produced multiple super star in their field. Studies have shown that there isn’t talents. Talent is made with right guidance and support. More Daniel found out about the talent hot spots, more story seems repeat itself. Behind every talent is a coach that can support deep practice and motivation. Usually behind talent weren’t any fancy places and top class facilities. They just needed a teacher that ignited their motivation and fueled the hunger for learning for the rest of their lives. These stories came from music and sport world but similar way talents were created in business world.

Ignition

Sirpa Saari

When you start your sport or other hobby, you don’t need to have a super coach or teacher. The person just has to have a way of teaching that fuels your motivations to practice yours skills in your chosen sport or other trait. First touch to for example to new sport can be to key factor does your inner flame burst in fire and to learning start on the right path. This really makes it even more important to find the right persons to teach to first steps. When ground work has been done solid and motivating it can create a life long journey of learning. This can be transferred to agility too to both in humans and dogs. Motivation base must be built well to help the team go through the hardships and difficulties on the route. Passion must be fueled to help fire the learning. So do we support enough the learning of the handler and the dog to give start to route to become supreme agility team?

Deep practice

Sirpa Saari

Next part on the journey is to learn to train in deep practice mode. Deep practice is based on error solving. We learn most efficiently when process the mistakes we have made and divide them in to small pieces. This actually reminds of clicker training. There we chop up the skills in to little pieces and built them together. In clicker training we try keep learning error free but do animals learn also from mistakes? We all learn from our mistakes. Of course as humans we can make this process deeper but I think dogs will also learn from their mistakes in life and in training (this means when dogs don’t get rewarded which makes them change their behavior).  Deep practice is mental zone when we work more slowly and work the problem bit by bit. Deep practice actually helps us built myelin in our brain which enhances the neural transmission. This is a important part the learning in brain.  

Deep practice is something we can learn and train but to help it we need a teacher or a coach that knows how keep us in the deep practice zone. Super coaches can change way of teaching to match each learner. It key to find the best way individual learns and take the teaching in. Everyone has little things that helps them to keep in deep practice zone and coaches in the hots spots have learned see them in every learner. Coaching is another skill to learn to become a deep practice expert. It takes 10 000 practice hour to master a skill, it needs about ten years of training and deep practice to become the talent.

Sirpa Saari

The deep practice idea can be also transferred to dog training. I actually just had light bulb moment when I thought of jumping technique training – deep practice! We give dogs training exercises where they can learn and feel about the jumping and built up their myelin wrapping in their brain circuits. Of course the dog need to be in deep practice zone which in dog training terms is in the right alert state and motivated. So how can we take deep practice to more consideration when coach our dogs? One for starters remember built up everything from little pieces. Clicker training rules are quite like building animal to do deep practice. So more you understand science based training more you can coach your dog work in the deep practice zone. I know this is my conclusion but to me it really make a lot of sense.  My thought may not be totally true. But if it makes even few people to explore operant training this writing has open few new windows to clicker training world.

That's All for now!!

MPF

Dog Dancing and agility

Dog dancing training

We finally got confirmed that both of my girls got place in a dog dancing competition. Pixie will dance in a open class level freestyle and Freya will make first try at beginner level HTM (heelwork to music). Pixie will do old routine with Jari Sillanpää’s song Bum Bum Bum. I hope our routine will be complex enough get us through the open class. We have been working on a new more difficult routine but I hope I this will be shown in the highest class in the end of the year. Freya’s music will be Maniac from Flashdance. It was just so her song. We did a pretty simple routine to it and we had a lot of help from Sanna Lipponen a member of the Finland National team of dog dancing. I hope this will be a nice entering routine for her and we will have lots of fun.

I think the best part of dog dancing is the training. I can use shaping with very creatively and even the dogs become more and more creative. Pixie has developed many new tricks during our shaping processes. It has been so much fun and also sometimes challenging to find away make the dog do certain things you have in mind. One evening few weeks ago I was training with Pixie with a paw target and doing 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 2 – 3 lifts in variable schedule. We had done this already many session and I started feel that this wasn’t working the way I wanted it to. Then on our third mini session I just adjusting my treats and target, Pixie started to do Spanish walk in continuous space. JACKPOT TIME!!! Pixie had super light bulb moment with our Spanish walk work. I was so trilled. These are the moments why dog dancing is just great. New things to learn and train all the time. It was sad I didn’t get this moment to a video but I try remember film our next session.

Jumping technique training and smooth runs

I have started a jumping technique trainer class with Vappu Alatalo. To this class we need first have project dog and later on own group that we train. I have started to do more of the basic training with my dogs and filmed the trainings. This has been already a very interesting project and I have learned more about dogs. Freya has been very good and adjusting her jumping to different exercises. Pixie in the other hand has shown a little decline in her jumping skills. So it has been interesting work with both girls and make confidence in jumping even better. Here are some of the training we have done so far:

Pixie has had a little problems with her body and we had to discontinue our competition in Lohja. After that we had Piira’s osteopathic treatment which showed that Pixie had multiple locks on her spine. 1,5 weeks of rest and some physical training to her right leg. Little brake and treatment worked well and we did 5 clean runs from 7 at Easter competition. This meant that Pixie had all the needed results team try outs and Finnish Championship competition. Best was that Pixie didn’t drop a single bar during two days of competition. This was a very relieving feeling. And of course when we had good flow in competition, I don’t have a single run on film. Freya had also her moments but I have still few things we need train on and one is slalom distraction. We had few spots that were little too hard for her. So more training to do but Freya found a totally new gear in speed. Super girls!! This is good point to continue.

That's all for now!!

MPF

Obedience training and our first winner class

Learning curve

I have trained Freya for the winner class in obedience. It has lot of new tasks and some that are more challenging version of open class tasks. It has been fun to see her progress and also to see how learning curve goes up and down. When you teach a new behavior chain it usually works pretty well at first. Then follows a testing time where dogs test can they get away with different kind of behaviors. This a normal learning curve period which tests the handlers’ patience and skills to overcome the testing phase. Today Freya had her test period with controlled retrieve. She had her stocking mode on and stopped to a U-shape position to watch the dumbbell. This was the first time she anticipated the retrieve part. It actually looked really funny. So I rewarded her from healing nicely to the dumbbells and next reward point was doing nice straight stop. This is just one example of the testing of the behavior chain in ob.

Scent discrimination

Freya have had problem of being in too high drive while doing a scent discrimination. When she is in a hurry she takes the next wooden object to the right one or she runs so that half of objects are behind her and when she doesn’t find the right one she just brings the nearest. I have tried in many ways to correct her working energy but I haven’t got the results that I wanted. I wanted to find something knew to change the way she worked. I got my answer from video library in Karen Pryor Academy.

I watched a lecture of Hannah Branigan from Clicker Expo 2015 library. She had a very interesting idea how to train scent discrimination. Hanna used a cover of a plastic containers to teach scent discrimination. You start with one cover to teach a strong nose touch, then introduce second cover that has touch only from the edge. You click every time the dog touches the right cover that has touched between hands (a hot target). At first the dog doesn’t know what it’s doing but it doesn’t take too long and the dog hits always the hot target. As soon as you have more than one cover you should change the order all the time. Later on you just add one cover at the time to make this search more complex. If you dog makes mistake, you just wait it to find the right one. With these cover you can easily stop dog from lifting the wrong one and you just click for the right one. Gradually you can also introduce distraction between the cover. Also you can start using retrievable object that you make as the hot object to bring the retrieve part to the task.

With this exercise I could make Freya find out hot object even though it was behind her. With plastic covers she couldn’t retrieve closed object as panic choice if didn’t find the real hot object. I could just wait her to look for the cover that she had left behind her. All together this way of training has made her scent work calmer and I have had change reward her more during one session. I think this plastic cover technique would we super to start to whole scent discrimination work even though I only used it to improve Freya work. Here is a video of scent discrimination work right now, not the best:

Winner Class

Today we had our winner class competition. Freya was in low drive mood but she did the task pretty well. We could have got even 1st prize but I didn't wait her to correct her position in the box. My biggest win today was scent discrimination!!! She got 9,5 points and it was just wonderful. Really liked her work. Few homework for next time but she did really well today. I hope that we get her competition confidence as good she has in training. She could be my best ob dog so far. Love her to pieces. Here is our whole winner class:

That's all for now!!!!

MPF

Testing some new things and working on old ones

Do as I do protocol

There has more and more studies coming out about social learning used in dog training. Recent topics has been mimicry where dog are teach to copy a behavior from another dog. Second hot topic has been copying a behavior from an example from human ( Topa et.al 2006). I was fascinated by both topics. I have shown my younger dog always performance of my older in obedience. I know she probably wouldn’t pick up the whole thing but I have always thought she might learn something. The most interesting was the copying protocol. Ken Ramirez had a nice lecture in the new training frontiers in Clicker Expo Europe and this inspired me try this with my own dogs. Plan was to use this method in dancing routine.

I have started to my work with the basic protocol where you use 3 familiar behavior that are under a cue. I chose sit pretty, lay down and volt (dog goes around counter clockwise). Behaviors needed to be easy demonstrate with my own movement. First step was introduce copying cue. I did my behavior first and then I gave “Do it!” cue followed by my cue to dogs wanted behavior. I repeated all 3 tasks in random order with this protocol in short session. It took Pixie about 4 repeat to start reacting to copying cue. In of my first session she was able to repeat all three behaviors from my example. Freya had problem of starting always the sit pretty behavior before I got time to give her behavior cue. She will need another session to figure it out. Although I did with her a copying test without any commands and she did three different touch behavior correctly. So I can’t wait use this to behavior they don’t know! So much fun!

Obedience training with Freya

Our open class test is getting nearer and nearer. I have worked on our tasks through and I’m trying make as full behavior chains. Box training has had its testing phase as it worst but I think / hope it’s starting to be over. Freya has worked really well under different distractions and has started ignore a ring guides commands to me. We have still work ahead but everything starts to look really good. Especially healing and sit-down-stand during healing. I have managed to build very high drive healing that is also really accurate in turns and position.

We had box problem a month ago that Freya went around of mark post on the front. After I fixed that we had a problem going around big mark object. She just stopped seeing it. I tried to show her where it was but still she could start running around the training area without any goal to do something. It took few session and we got the basic going around behavior back. Then I wanted make a sure she watched the mark cone on cue. I put few mark cones all over the training are and started walk around then took straight line randomly to each cone. On the second try Freya tried to go around the first mark cone which was behind me. But this was goal of the exercise to make her focus her look to mark cone that is straight front of us.  

Clicker Expo Europe 2015 - just pure fun!

Clicker Expo Europe 2015

Wow!! I had one the best days of my life. Expo was very well organized by Positive Animal Solutions. We had wonderful expo shop were we could fill our library with dog training books and dvds. I bought a big pile of them to get even more information but the best part was still the lectures. There’s lot of topic choose from. I wanted to see as many of faculty speak as possible. My plan really paid off! Each speaker had gave a lot to think and learn even though some topics were familiar to me. One person I waited the most was Ken Ramirez and he sure didn’t let me down. He was just super at giving lectures. Very lively and I got lot of insides in both topics I went to hear. Actually all the lecturers were just super! So big thanks to the whole faculty!

I learned so much new training techniques and also new stuff for my old training tools that it will take some time to get everything in use.  Since I have come home I have made new training plans for own dogs and I have started design a puppy class. My plan is to build up more course plans as digest all the things I have learned but first my own dogs will be my little test animals. I have tested already some training protocols like Do As I Do. It is still an ongoing progress but I have had a little taste of it how it works. One thing I have also given deeper thoughts has been back chaining. I have used is a lot but I had little wakening in Cecile Kostes lecture how I can use it with even more power. I will tell more about the things I have learned but now I show you few things we have done since I came back home.

Platform work – Michele Pouliot

Platform work has been something I have read about many times but always thought that I wouldn’t have any use for it. This time I wanted learn more about it and I found out that I would have more than one thing I could use it for. My goal is to teach Pixie more dog dancing tricks so we can enter to a competition and I will use platforms to teach Freya a working dog trial recall. So I started to do some foundation work with my dogs. Here is a bit of our work so far:

Paw Crossing

I have seen paw crossing trick many times but finally I had energy to start building it up. I used had target to get the paw movement going. Now later on I learned that it would have been better to use a target stick because the dogs got really stuck to any movement of my hands. In the end I got what I wanted. I want to make this work with a verbal cue and with a leg cue. So far I have given the movement a cue but still use hand as a help but most of the time my dogs don’t need it. Here is a video of our second session:

Orijen Tundra

Pixie waiting for Platform training

It has been also wonderful to test our new sample from Orijen. This time we had a new Orijen Tundra. This is grain free kibble with lots protein that is comes from multiple sources like venison and goat. My dogs went just wild with it! It smelled very yummy for them and we did all our training above with it. I use a kibble for basic training to keep my dogs calmer and in right drive to learn new stuff. Also by this I can control better the energy in take. Orijen Tundra was almost too good but it gave my dog nice high drive to work. I love to use high protein treats in our training and Orijen Tundra was just a perfect for it! 

Planning is the big part of the game

Think – Plan – Do, Bob Bailey

I have forced myself to write training diary again. My plan has been to make my training more focused and efficient. Too many times I have done just some training and realized that I haven’t been training the right things. Training diary has given me a change to be more analytic of my training and make every training count more. I have kept diary for three weeks now and it shows. Both of my dogs have advanced much quicker and our training time has been reduced a lot. I actually have got much more energy to train because I have proven record of our improvement.

One thing I have also taken under training is me. I have planned different training session just improve my mechanical skills as a trainer. Target stick training has been one the task I have done. This is a simple task for dogs but it gives me a change to improve my rewarding speed and also my accuracy with clicker. I have had a bad habit of keeping treats in my hand to speed up my rewarding. I have been determent to learn to be as fast as that when I take the treats out of my pocket.  Dog like this training and I usually use their evening meal so super treats are left for competition task training. I also use a timer in this training to keep the training session short to improve my concentration and also my dogs.

I have also started to analyze my training more during the session. I stop and write notes or even watch my training session from video. This is still a habit in training but I hope to make as every time thing. Training analyzing between different little session has help my reduce frustration in my work and also from dogs. The little time that it takes to THINK what has happened and what is the next goal (PLAN) gives me more effect to my training (DO) and better result with dog. This is something I have read many times over from training manuals and guide books to animal training. It’s just hard to change your habits. I hope that I will have strange to do this change to training and really become even better dog trainer.

As I have learned from many books and courses – training is really a mechanical skill that you need to practice. Planning of training is also a big part of the deal when you want results. I have known these things for a long time but change need time and effort to be part of life. It’s the same thing with mental training but life has really become more interesting when I have found goals that I want to work for. My goal is to improve my training and mental work. One of my treats for myself is the Clicker Expo Europe. When you have something look for you have strength to do your best! 

MLPF

Scent work with both girls

Can you find a tea bag?

I just read an article of different nose work things from Canis magazine. I have done some track work with all of my dogs but the idea of scent search in a room or car sounded just fantastic. So I took two tea bags, glass jar and clicker. I teach the dogs to smell from the glass jar to get a scent what they needed to find. First hiding places were really easy so that the dog almost founded immediately. As soon as the dog sniffed the target tea bag, I clicked and rewarded. After few tries Freya got the idea. Pixie and Louise had a problem of offering different tricks at first. It took few tries before they really started to search the scent.

After my dogs got the idea, I started to hide the tea bag to harder and harder places. I used sofa cushions as hiding place. I put the tea bag between them in different places and also under sofa pillows. These were pretty easy places. On our second day I started to use closed hiding places like cupboards and pen sharpener. In these cases dogs needed show me that they had found the target. I used laying down as a marker position. For this I gave a cue to the dog as she sniffed the target smell. Here are some videos of our work as girls have done this few times:

Nose Work and scent discrimination

This work also made me interested in a dog sport called Nose Work. This sport has been invented in the US and its coming to Finland. In Nose Work dog needs find certain scents from four different scenarios - car, box search, room search and open area. Dog needs to show it has found to scent and there can be more than one hide. This sport sounds super interesting so I have started our work in scent discrimination. At this point I have used tea smell and spices as scents. I just want to sold the idea to my dogs. On our first training I used two different scents and one scent as distraction. I built our set up from glass jars and holders. Here is video from our first training:



As we trained we used our new samples of freeze tried food from Orijen. Girls just loved it!! It very easy to use and hands were clean the whole time. Next we will try in training as energy food Orijen Adult Freeze dried food that you can solve in water. Here are girls with their super treats:

That's for now.. Our Nose Work scent are ordered so that work will start soon!! 

MLPF

So far story of Freya's running contact

Freya’s running contact project

I wanted make Freya a true running contact dog. I had tried to build running contact with Pixie but her strong 2on2off messed up the whole process. Freya was my empty canvas that didn't have any history on the contact obstacles. I had done work with box method and Silvia Trkman method. More or less I saw weak parts on both of them. Then I saw a video of Jenny Damm and Miss Lily’s contact training and their competition contacts, I was totally sold. They had fast contact but still a control after a contact zone. I started to watch their story from her YouTube Channel. Jenny had work on the contacts with little steps and change the reward ways on the way. This seemed to me our way too. Work little by little our in mind.

First problem I had that I didn't have access to planks or dog walk that I could lower alone. So I started everything with one contact piece and started to make her run the contact plank. I did this few times and then I changed it to a full size dog walk. Firsts few times I just made her climb the contact obstacle so that Freya could get used to it. Next I started make her run half of the dog walk and started to shaping her running style. I was first only on the front so that I could control rewards.  At first I used treats and a bowl. This way Freya has a bowl target but she got treats only from right performance. After her running was nice and low I added new criteria – she had to hit the contact zone as low as possible. I rewarded the right performances even if the speed wasn't super. I only change one criterion at the time. Speed wasn't my big concern I just waited it to build up later on when Freya gets more confidence.

Soon as she started to hit the contact zone from half of the dog walk I started to do the whole obstacle. This change rhythm a bit and we needed to clear the criterion a little bit. At this point I started to make straight runs on the whole dog walk to a toy target so that Freya would start build up speed. Second thing I started was turning cues to left and right. I used long jump mark poles in the in the dog walk to help her got the idea and also stop her from jumping of too early from the contact zone. I used the same turning cue that I had used jumping. This made easy for her to catch the idea.

When she learned run full dog walk, I also started to work on the A-frame. In A-frame work I just watched first her natural rhythm on the obstacle. This turned out to be a perfect two canter technique. Only thing I needed to do was not reward her too crazy contact performances. This meant jump from contact zone to contact zone with one leap. Right now I have been working on Freya rc performance in course work and also worked on different obstacle combination.  I do also do every now and then some run trough work with basic set ups so that I can click for sharp and accurate turn and hits on the contact zone. We will see how these contacts will last in competition drive. I have tried to do every different contact in new places to make her used to different situations. So far so good…… 

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That's all for now!!

MPLF

Obedience debut coming closer and closer

Freya heat is still not here so it looks like we are going to our first OB trial next week. Time just flied. We have been training our basic ob skills for last few weeks. Most inside in our living room- I have been sick again. Freya has been working really well and her attitude is just perfect. Our hardest task has been laying from healing. Sit and stand is much easier for her than laying down. It a bit odd problem for a bordercollie. Oh well something need to be challenging. Here are some video of our work:

Pixie has done some dog dancing work instead of ob. She has sometimes problems in concentration. Pixie might start doing multiple tricks and don't listen to my commands. So we have a big stimulus control problem. Although I do change our chain of tricks all the time. We have work on the control more to be able built a routine. I don't know will I have courage to enter her to a dog dancing competition in the future. I think it would be fun but I'm not a very skillful choreographer. Anyway here are some our trick we have been working on:




That's all for now!! Just a quick note.. I hope to have some agility update soon... I hope to get in running condition soon.

MLPF

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