Clicker Training my Dogs

On my business facebook page I have posted two articles about clicker training. I have been "re-vitalizing" clicker training in my group classes as well. L&L are clicker trained and I highly recommend it!

My two know a lot of tricks. They know so many that I frequently am at a loss of what to teach them next! After my daughter is asleep I get my "me" time online. Sometimes I scour the internet for tricks, read dog training blogs and links, peruse facebook or read funny websites. I will tell you though that the best dog trick ideas to be found are on youtube. I like to follow one person in particular called Kikopup. She uses clicker training with her border collie, and two small breeds.

The latest trick we have been shaping is what she calls "orbit." It is a rear-end awareness exercise. Most dogs don't know they have hind legs and this is important for things like agility, flyball etc but also a crucial step for some advanced tricks. My dogs can do the ladder rung test just fine and can do box-turns for flyball and confidently use agility equipment. They know enough about their back legs to do that! However in my quest to teach some more advanced tricks I realized that this was the step I forgot about.

You see, I have been wanting to teach Lucy in particular, how to weave BACKWARDS between my legs for years after I saw it on a dog freestyle video (doggie dancing). She can weave forwards with me standing still or walking and I taught her to flip around between my legs and walk forwards or backwards.We have been working on this "orbit" trick for a few weeks now, on and off and tonight I had a major break through with both dogs.

Orbit:
1.The first step of this was to get an elevated surface, such as a book, and teach the dog to step-up on it. I quickly realized that for my dogs, it needed to be a high elevated surface for them to remain on it and not slide it, so we use a box or tote that Elsie's toys go in. This part was easy since they already know "paws up."

2. Next click the dog for any back leg movement. Wait for it, or walk into the dog or lure a treat to get some movement. Treat luring didn't work for them. However if I was across from them directly and moved, they mirrored my movement. I think this has to do with their herding instinct (keep the sheep between handler and dog).

3. Slowly raise criteria or change criteria. Click for more movement, try both directions, go for a full revolution. This is where we got stuck for a while. I wanted them to move without me moving across from them. It was slow going at first. For a week they would do a few steps without me moving and then I had to lean my body to fake I was going to move. That was until tonight.

Tonight after a few reps, Lucy did a half revolution without me moving. Lex did a whole revolution with me way off contact (7 feet away) with a little movement. Since I used the word "orbit" from the get go before the trick was complete, I have to repeat it to keep them going around. So I could change the word later to something else to mean a complete revolution, or just keep repeating it.

When does this turn into backwards weaving? The orbit on an object is a trick in itself, but once the object is removed there is more steps.

4. Get the dog to do the orbit in place with paws on the carpet.

5. Insert your leg and tell dog to orbit and voila, backwards weaving!

I hope that wasn't boring! This is what dog trainers do after their dogs can sit, stay, leave-it, crawl, high-five, bow, spin, bounce, speak, whisper, retrieve things, find things, say their prayers, roll up in a blanket etc!

Here is the link to Kikopup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEqQDw8Jo9M