Sunday, December 23, 2012

Dog Trick of the Day

12/ 23/12
Paw Targeting:

1. Put your hand or lid out for the dog to see, but withhold the click until he/she steps near it.  Since you have already taught your dog to target with his/ her nose, she may off only this behavior at first.  Be patient and wait for paw action near the target.

2. Withhold the click to let your dog know you want something other than a nose touch and see what happens.

3. Make it easy for your dog by moving the lid or your hand along the floor so that you can click him/ her for moving toward it.  An easy way to get your dog started is to put the lid at the base of the stairs and click for your dog when he/ she steps on or next to it. 

4. When you withhold the click your dog may get frustrated, but don't be to quick to help right away.  Wait your dog out and see if she'll/ he'll paw at the target or move toward it.

5. Practice a paw target separately from a nose target and make sure you have two distinctive cues for each one.

6. Frequent short training sessions will help your dog figure out what you want faster than long confusing ones.

7. If you were having trouble with any of the past tricks, be sure to try this one to get your dog familiar with touching in different ways.  When done, well done!