Training the heel.
Get out clicker. Get slab of carver's treats. Get mobbed by Two dobes and a Pinhead, all doing the dog equivalent of, "it's the CLICKER!! THE CLICKER!! My turn first. No, I want to be closer to her, back off! Look! I'm prettiest. Well I sat first. Ooooh, lifting paw here, admire me. I need food because I'm oldest.!"
Shoo two big black dogs into office with some difficulty, finally resorting to pitching a couple of pea-sized pieces of Carver's in then slamming the door to howls of protest.
Am left with Mr. Boing-Boing. "Oooo! It's me! Me, me, me!" (boing-boing-boing-boing-boing). Take tiny treat in my left palm, fold thumb over, hold hand down, two fingers extended downward, and start walking. Boing-whap, boing-whap, boing-whap as Mr. Boing-Boing smacks his head repeatedly against my fingers trying to get the treat. Finally, a momentary boing-trot. Click, treat in position. "ooo! Food!" Boing-whap, boing-whap, boing-whap, "hey, what's that on the floor?" looks down and floor and, amazingly, has all four feet on floor at the same time. Click.
"I get it! I get it! Look at floor, get a click!" Mr. Boing-Boing trots along, staring fixedly at floor, waiting for click. "What's wrong with you! I'm looking at the floor just like you wanted." Stares harder. Glances up at his stupid human to make sure she's watching how good he's looking at the floor. Click. "Okay, this must be it then," look at floor, look up. Look at floor, look up. Down, up. Down-up. Downup-downup-down-up. UP. I wait for two strides of looking up, click. Five more strides, looking up, perfect heel...CLICK!
"Good boy! We're done." "What do you mean we're done. I'm not ready to be done yet. I want more!" Boing-boing-boing-boing-boing! Pick up mid-boing and deposit into office, bringing out Cala for her session clicking for straight backups 90-lefts and come-fores from a stationary sit.
Clicker training makes me laugh.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Mr. Boing-Boing and the clicker
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3 comments:
love the boing-boing-whap...too funny!
very informative...
I've been searching the internet and I stumbled upon your website. A lot of the things I've read on it so far sound like what our trainer says and it seems like you really understand and know dogs. My question is, do you agree with our trainer? She says that he is too dangerous to have in our home with our children (ages 9, 4, and 1), that putting him outside would be cruel because he's a pack animal (which I totally agree with), and that giving him away could be dangerous to another owner or even our dog. She also told us that he may never bite us or our children, but if it were her dog, she would have it put down, just because of the possible risk. She said she knew it was hard to hear, and it is ... which is why I'm asking what you would do - would you ever suggest putting a dog down in this type of situation? I would truly value your opinion and appreciate you taking the time to read this and hopefully reply.
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