blue cape
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Unintended Consequences
Puppy raisers know not to make their dogs sit at curbs while waiting to cross the street. This creates a bad habit that trainers have to break when we get the dogs in for guide dog training. And since I know that puppy raisers do exactly as they are told (!) I couldn't figure out why I had a whole string of dogs that were sitting at curbs. After a few days of puzzling over this and watching the dogs closely, I suddenly realized that the dogs weren't sitting for the curb, they were sitting for the treats that are part of clicker training. Dogs would stand at the curb perfectly, but as soon as the treat appeared, their butts hit the ground.
So at my next obedience class I asked the raisers if they gave their dogs treats. After we got past the looks that plainly said "is this a setup?", we determined that yes, of course, they gave their dogs treats. Then I asked if everyone made the dog sit before giving the treat. And every single person said yes. Ah ha!
This is a great example of how dogs are easily habituated to behaviors. From the dog's perspective, every time a treat appears, if he sits, he gets the treat. In fact, he ONLY gets the treat if he sits. It's not surprising that eventually the sight of a treat triggers an automatic sit. Flash forward to guide dog training and a trainer and a curb and a treat. It is no surprise at all that many dogs sit when the treat appears.
Now, this is not a deal breaker. Not at all. In the whole big picture, this is minor. We fade out the treats pretty quickly and the problem usually goes away. But it is still an inconvenience because the dog is constantly sitting and we are constantly having to get him back into a standing position.
So, what can you do? You know the answer to this one: When you give your pup a treat, don't always make him sit first. Do a down or a stand or a recall. Keep 'em guessing! Now, this is going take a little work with older dogs who are firmly habituated for the sit. But stick with it and soon you should have a dog who simply stands and waits to be given a command even when the treat has appeared.
So at my next obedience class I asked the raisers if they gave their dogs treats. After we got past the looks that plainly said "is this a setup?", we determined that yes, of course, they gave their dogs treats. Then I asked if everyone made the dog sit before giving the treat. And every single person said yes. Ah ha!
This is a great example of how dogs are easily habituated to behaviors. From the dog's perspective, every time a treat appears, if he sits, he gets the treat. In fact, he ONLY gets the treat if he sits. It's not surprising that eventually the sight of a treat triggers an automatic sit. Flash forward to guide dog training and a trainer and a curb and a treat. It is no surprise at all that many dogs sit when the treat appears.
Now, this is not a deal breaker. Not at all. In the whole big picture, this is minor. We fade out the treats pretty quickly and the problem usually goes away. But it is still an inconvenience because the dog is constantly sitting and we are constantly having to get him back into a standing position.
So, what can you do? You know the answer to this one: When you give your pup a treat, don't always make him sit first. Do a down or a stand or a recall. Keep 'em guessing! Now, this is going take a little work with older dogs who are firmly habituated for the sit. But stick with it and soon you should have a dog who simply stands and waits to be given a command even when the treat has appeared.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
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