Training Progress

 

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I am training Jack using positive reinforcement.   Feel free to follow our progress! 

Following is a good start on reading about positive reinforcement.  All the books listed below are available at http://www.dogwise.com.

Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor

How Dogs Learn by Mary R. Burch, Ph.D. and Jon S. Bailey, Ph.D.

Clicker Training for Obedience by Morgan Spector

The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson

 

Training Comments
Date Comments
1/8/01 Have taught stacking, free stacking, and worked on gaiting.  We have sit and stand on cue and are luring the down.  We are working on loose-leash walking.   Next week we start puppy agility and will be doing a lot of different targeting exercises.
9/25/00 Haven't done a lot this month!  A combination of a lot of things - I finished touch transfers and that is going well.  I'm up to about 6 feet on go-outs with only 2 lessons.  I wanted to start left-side walking but Jack has had a sore shoulder.  I also did start some formal retrieve work but Jack started teething so I'll quit that until all those adult teeth are in.  So we're trying a motionless exercise - the stand.
8/21/00 Taught right turn and faded the cue.  Took 2 sessions 5 minutes each.   Started teaching touch transfer - for some reason this was more difficult.   Transfering touch from the target stick to my finger was easy but transferring touch from target stick or finger to some other object was hard.  I transferred it to a kitchen cabinet knob - took 4 sessions x 15-20 reps per session - that comes out to 60-80 reps to get the touch.  I may just do touch transfers all this coming week before I start go-outs.
8/14/00 Not much training this week - too much going on with the kids!   Taught left turn and faded the cue.  Took 2 sessions 5 minutes each.
8/7/00 Continued touch stick work.  Started movement (following the stick).   The goal is to get him to follow the stick in a full circle around me.  Many times he gets about 3/4 the way around and then loses attention or thinks he has done enough for the click.  I'v learned that timing is extremely critical here - not the click so much as how fast to move the stick to 1-keep his attention and 2-yet stay far enough ahead that he doesn't actually touch the stick.
7/31/00 Started the touch stick.  Got the association in about 3 clicks!   There is an exponential decrease in the learning curve now that he understands how the clicker works.  Added the cue and started variable reinforcement.  I am training once or twice per day for about 10 treats per session.
7/24/00 Introduced Jack to the clicker.  It took about 25 reps before I noticed he was getting the association between the click and the treat.  Clicked for "sit" - took about 3 days to get a consistent sit and about 4 days to get it on cue.  This seemed to be a long time for me but I've never started a puppy with a clicker before - my Flat-Coat is a crossover dog.