This is something we are already working on, so this will be fun!!
Trick Club: December 2020
Hello and happy holidays! It's a busy season, so let's keep things simple and practical:
Maybe you've got decorations up for Christmas. You might do what I did last year and drop a glass bulb on the floor, watching in horror as it shatters into tantalizing shards right under your poodle's nose. There may be lots of yummy foods, some of which isn't good for poodle tummies. Maybe you're a little more stressed than usual, and your house isn't as poodle-proofed as you'd like. What trick would serve you best this month?
Leave It!
You may be thinking, "Well that's a boring trick!" But not only is it a potential lifesaver, when taught correctly, it's also rather impressive:
"The goal of teaching your dog to ignore dropped items is developing automatic behavior. In other words, rather than taking an item from the ground, your dog should leave it be without being asked. You won’t always see the hazards first, so you might not say your cue in time. Ideally, your dog should look to you for permission before eating anything off the ground."
www.akc.org
Can you drop a treat on the floor, inches from your poodle's nose, and know that they'll ignore it until you give the okay?
If not, let's get started.
As always, please share your progress, big or small. Challenges, too. And if your poodle is already doing this one reliably, increase the difficulty and share your goals here.
Happy training!
Robin & Peggy
P.S. Missed a previous month? It's never too late! Check out Trick Club: September, Trick Club: October, and Trick Club: November.
Maybe you've got decorations up for Christmas. You might do what I did last year and drop a glass bulb on the floor, watching in horror as it shatters into tantalizing shards right under your poodle's nose. There may be lots of yummy foods, some of which isn't good for poodle tummies. Maybe you're a little more stressed than usual, and your house isn't as poodle-proofed as you'd like. What trick would serve you best this month?
Leave It!
You may be thinking, "Well that's a boring trick!" But not only is it a potential lifesaver, when taught correctly, it's also rather impressive:
"The goal of teaching your dog to ignore dropped items is developing automatic behavior. In other words, rather than taking an item from the ground, your dog should leave it be without being asked. You won’t always see the hazards first, so you might not say your cue in time. Ideally, your dog should look to you for permission before eating anything off the ground."
"Leave It": Training Your Dog To Ignore Food & Other Items On Command
"Leave it" is an important and potentially lifesaving command that all dogs should learn. Training your dog to "leave it" takes patience, but it's worth it.
www.akc.org
Can you drop a treat on the floor, inches from your poodle's nose, and know that they'll ignore it until you give the okay?
If not, let's get started.
As always, please share your progress, big or small. Challenges, too. And if your poodle is already doing this one reliably, increase the difficulty and share your goals here.
Happy training!
Robin & Peggy
P.S. Missed a previous month? It's never too late! Check out Trick Club: September, Trick Club: October, and Trick Club: November.
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
Here's Peggy practising:
I mix it up. Sometimes she gets the original item (like in that video), and sometimes she doesn't. When she does, it's not automatic; she doesn't get to race for it, unprompted. I use the "Get it" command after she's been rewarded.
Another way I mix it up is by sometimes picking up the item before she gets a reward. Sometimes she gets the original item after. Sometimes she doesn't.
I practise those variations in moderation, and always with a jackpot reward of treats and play. That's because Peggy has shown a tendency to guard some resources, and I don't want to trigger any of that anxiety by training. In fact, I want to do the opposite.
If your poodle is prone to resource guarding (something you may not know until you inadvertently trigger it) tread lightly and playfully with this stuff. In fact, we should all tread lightly and playfully.
I'm not a trainer, but in my personal experience, to be most effective, the words "Leave it!" (or whatever will roll best off your tongue in an emergency) should have the same impact as "Let's play with this cool toy!" or "Want some yummy chicken??" It should elicit anticipation.
That doesn't mean you're being permissive or wishy washy. It just means you're outsmarting your very smart poodle.
I mix it up. Sometimes she gets the original item (like in that video), and sometimes she doesn't. When she does, it's not automatic; she doesn't get to race for it, unprompted. I use the "Get it" command after she's been rewarded.
Another way I mix it up is by sometimes picking up the item before she gets a reward. Sometimes she gets the original item after. Sometimes she doesn't.
I practise those variations in moderation, and always with a jackpot reward of treats and play. That's because Peggy has shown a tendency to guard some resources, and I don't want to trigger any of that anxiety by training. In fact, I want to do the opposite.
If your poodle is prone to resource guarding (something you may not know until you inadvertently trigger it) tread lightly and playfully with this stuff. In fact, we should all tread lightly and playfully.
I'm not a trainer, but in my personal experience, to be most effective, the words "Leave it!" (or whatever will roll best off your tongue in an emergency) should have the same impact as "Let's play with this cool toy!" or "Want some yummy chicken??" It should elicit anticipation.
That doesn't mean you're being permissive or wishy washy. It just means you're outsmarting your very smart poodle.
A dead bird! I can’t even imagine how Peggy would react to such a thing. She’s agreed to leave dead fish before, but birds are the most thrilling thing, as far as Peggy is concerned. I think we’d have used a solid “Let’s go!” in that situation and done a 180. But it’s hard to constantly scan the horizon for poodle treasures. Sometimes you’re upon them before you even notice them.
We had a remarkably error-free month, which was a relief after last Christmas’s broken lightbulb fiasco. But we continue to practise every single day.
One thing I’m learning is that having “the good stuff” on me doesn’t necessarily mean I have to feed it to her. If I’m stuffing her with cheese for every nice thing she does on a walk, she’s not going to choose cheese over a tantalizing sidewalk treasure.
I need her to believe that I always have something even more amazing in my pocket. And that only the VERY BEST POODLES unlock it.
That’s what we’re currently working on—building that anticipation/trust rather than relying on a lure. As with most things, it would be much easier if I were her sole trainer. But...patience.
We had a remarkably error-free month, which was a relief after last Christmas’s broken lightbulb fiasco. But we continue to practise every single day.
One thing I’m learning is that having “the good stuff” on me doesn’t necessarily mean I have to feed it to her. If I’m stuffing her with cheese for every nice thing she does on a walk, she’s not going to choose cheese over a tantalizing sidewalk treasure.
I need her to believe that I always have something even more amazing in my pocket. And that only the VERY BEST POODLES unlock it.
That’s what we’re currently working on—building that anticipation/trust rather than relying on a lure. As with most things, it would be much easier if I were her sole trainer. But...patience.
What a cool use of “touch”! Nicely done. I’ll have January’s trick posted shortly.
Late reporting in here...
We did have improvement thru the month in "leave it" whether open hand or dropped on the floor unless the bit of chicken bounced right at their feet. I need to try with not-chicken to see if that helps.
Eye contact improved considerably, so yay!
I sometimes traded a chicken bit, sometimes inspected the floor chicken and authorized that and other times just authorized the floor chicken without inspection.
I'm calling this one better than expected and will continue on it, as with the others.
We did have improvement thru the month in "leave it" whether open hand or dropped on the floor unless the bit of chicken bounced right at their feet. I need to try with not-chicken to see if that helps.
Eye contact improved considerably, so yay!
I sometimes traded a chicken bit, sometimes inspected the floor chicken and authorized that and other times just authorized the floor chicken without inspection.
I'm calling this one better than expected and will continue on it, as with the others
.
Yay! I do think this one’s worthy of daily practise. Luckily, there are so many ways to make it fun.I'm calling this one better than expected and will continue on it, as with the others
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
