Training Breakthroughs

I love training breakthroughs, especially when I have been working on a very difficult trick with my dog and we finally have reached the next step of the trick. It is so awesome to see those "light bulb" moments with dogs in class as well that are struggling with doing a complete down or getting into heel position. For a few weeks I have had my mind set on teaching Lex and Lucy (but more Lex) to high-step. At first I was completely perplexed on how to teach this, but got a few pointers from a friend that taught a freestyle
introduction seminar (see the post called Freestyle).

I started very sloppily with Lex trying to do a "wave" in a standing position, but he associated that cue with sitting, so he would sit each time I asked for a "wave." Then I cued him to stand and gave him a hand signal for high-five, which he did. So began the long road to the high-step!

I had to slowly phase my hand away so he was lifting his front leg and not slapping my hand, then put a cue to it for the one leg and start the process over for the other front leg.

As of this morning, his right leg was on a verbal cue, lift, and a hand-signal and his left leg still needed an assisted hand-signal that I wasn't going to continue to use AND I had to reward for each leg lift and couldn't string the two together.

Then came our breakthrough! With the help of one of his favorite foods, cheese, I got him to do "lift" and "other" in succession and only treated after he lifted both legs once. That is major progress because the next step is to get him to do a few reps of one leg at a time and put those reps on one cue like, "march" or "prance." Then I will need to get him to actually do the leg lifts while moving forward! I hope that once he gets good at them in place, the movement will come naturally. If not, then I will have to do some brain storming!

In the end, I will have 4 different brand new tricks. I will have each leg lift on a cue (already accomplished) and a stand in place march and a walking high-step.

Yes, trainers teach their dogs weird things lol.