One of the things I love most about Throwback Thursday is looking back and seeing how much progress we’ve made over the years.
The funny (strange, sad) thing is how well I actually remember this particular training incident. At the time I had just started trying to use the clicker for training purposes. To say Delilah was excited about this, is an understatement.
This was originally posted on August 31, 2016 and titled “Let Me Show You How It’s Done…Day Two Hundred, Sixty Five.”
We are back to clicking for treats again. Since I didn’t find the time to finish the book and we haven’t gotten to the ‘stays’, I decided to try to teach Delilah the ‘high-five’ command.
To start with I am trying to get Delilah to look at my hand, if she does then I click and treat. I will eventually work her up to ‘high-fiveing’ my hand with her paw.
We started out on the edge of the kitchen which is normally where I want her to stay when I am working in there. I had the container of green beans on the counter, a handful of green beans and the clicker in my left hand and I had my right hand palm open at about chest level. Remember my goal here is to get her to look at my right hand.
Sampson meanwhile was lying on the floor waiting for his turn.
When you are trying to ‘shape’ a new behavior, initially you will click and treat for the slightest acknowledgement (meaning if she even shifts her eyes to my right hand I will click and treat.) Delilah was so focused on my left hand with the food, that she was having trouble even glancing at my right hand.
I decided a change in tactic was necessary, I moved my right hand down to waist level and wiggled my fingers to try to direct her attention. She remained focused on my left hand.
At this point Sampson decided to take over the training, he sat up and high-fived my hand with his left paw; as if to say, “This is what she wants you to do, watch and learn girl.”
“Good Boy!” Click and treat.
Then the lightbulb came on in Delilah’s brain and she went immediately to raising her paw and tapping my hand.
There is no better teacher than an old dog. 🙂
This is how it’s done Delilah. And who you calling an old dog, Mama?
There is no dog like an old dog, especially when it comes to teaching another dog.
Thankfully Delilah has gotten used to training with food, so I can usually focus her now without that intensive stare. In fact, we are working on a new command that I hope to share with you soon. Have you ever had a dog that was so focused on the food that they couldn’t work on the trick?
Right now I’m trying to train Ducky to wear a muzzle so that, eventually, I won’t have to drop her off at daycare every time we have a service person, friend, or family member coming to the house. It’s proving to be a long process with her. It’s going to take tons of patience. She doesn’t mind sticking her snout into the muzzle in my hand to get the kibble; but that’s as far as I’ve gotten to this point. Patience is a virtue they say. Lately I don’t seem to have very much of it.
BTW – Good Job Sampson!! Callie was Shadow’s and Ducky’s main teacher. I’m lost without my “mother’s helper”!
Sometimes we doggies are smarter than humans think we are. #brilliantgeniusdogs
Love and licks,
Cupcake
That’s Cricket! We tried clicker training and all she does is sit there looking cute, wagging her tail, and wondering why I don’t just give her the damn treats. LOL
Mom used Katie and I to teach Bailie some stuff. She learned much faster when we showed her how it is done!
Your post just made me think in retrospect how much my dog has grown too.
Oh Sampson, you are such a pawsome big brother…then and now. Way to respond to the pawsitive training, D-girl. 🙂
We do not do a lot of clicker or treat training. Brown dawgs are not that food motivated. Sometimes I will reward with a treat after they have done something I asked like go into their crates.
Barley is technically younger than her foster brother, but she’s been training with me a lot longer, so she’s trying to help him learn things, too! Unfortunately, I’m not coordinated enough to give hand signals, click, and treat (AND hold a leash if we’re in class), so we don’t do any clicker work.
I couldn’t agree more! I’ve always used the older dogs in our pack to train the younger dogs – so when we brought home Walter it was Bruiser and Sherm that taught him to use the doggie door. I stood on the other side for days, treating when he used it and clicking. We did this a few times a day and then finally he just started watching and Bruiser would look up at me and then move his body in front of mine and show him!