Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
Boca has started training today...
Today was Boca's first formal obedience training day. It went as expected...nothing interesting to report except that I realized I can't train while I have Natalie in a front pack. I thought I could...but I think it will end up allowing Boca to cheat. But it didn't hurt things today. I ended up taking her out of the front pack and placing her in the middle of the large grassy area on the empty college campus (where we were today) and we worked around her. This worked well because Natalie mostly freezes on grass. I don't mean she freezes in fear but she doesn't like the texture so she RARELY will crawl away from the spot I place her in. So she hung out there and waved at us and talked to herself and pulled grass. We worked until she started fussing. Which between the time with her in the front pack and the time with her sitting on the evil grass was about 30 minutes.
But in a few days we begin using distractions and I want to share some of the list I have made so far (using past experience) and am also looking for other novel ideas.
Here's ones I've used at various times in training:
-- Freshly bought fast food burger & fries meal worked well except for the time bees descended upon it and I didn't want to get close enough at that point.
-- Box of stinky laundry (socks mostly).
-- Bag of trash
-- Open jar of peanut butter
-- Weasel ball (this thing is GREAT for training with distractions): http://www.weaselballs.com/;
-- it worked best once we were starting heeling. I'd turn it on and let it roll around an empty parking lot while I worked Rosco. We'd heel straight toward it, next to it, etc. Did stays near it. Then I broke it :-(
-- Friends walking their dog or standing in one spot with their dog
-- Friends playing catch with their dog
-- Strangers playing frisbee
-- Kids on a playground
-- Smelly trees (so ALL trees =))
-- Squirrels
-- Aviary in a park (all sorts of exotic and interesting birds to see behind a fence!)
-- Dog park (we worked a distance from the fence and then worked our way to right near the fence line)
-- Clark playing fetch with other dog
-- Me playing fetch with other dog while Rosco had to hold positions.
-- Strangers flying toy airplanes
-- People jogging on a track
-- Balls left in the park
-- Stranger dogs on the inside of a chain link fence (random fenced dogs in the neighborhood, that is).
-- Goats in my friend's yard.
A few other ideas that I have heard work well, but never used:
-- Roadkill (well what was suggested to me was that I carry a bag around to pick up what I find...but that was too gross!) I guess I did occasionally use dead squirrels that we came upon on our walk. But I didn't touch it...blech. Just heeled back and forth toward it.
-- You can buy vials of various animal urine as a distraction to plant on a rag ...again gross to me.
-- A toy (stuffed animal, Skineeze, etc) tied to long kite string (or something thin) that a friend will pull around through the grass (or if this friend has a fishing pole can be hooked to the end of the line) to entice doggy.
-- open car door if your dog is likely to hop onto anyone's car
-- open gate if your dog is enticed by escaping out entrances
ANY OTHER IDEAS from every day life? What things are YOUR dogs distracted by that you could use to proof commands during training?
But in a few days we begin using distractions and I want to share some of the list I have made so far (using past experience) and am also looking for other novel ideas.
Here's ones I've used at various times in training:
-- Freshly bought fast food burger & fries meal worked well except for the time bees descended upon it and I didn't want to get close enough at that point.
-- Box of stinky laundry (socks mostly).
-- Bag of trash
-- Open jar of peanut butter
-- Weasel ball (this thing is GREAT for training with distractions): http://www.weaselballs.com/;
-- it worked best once we were starting heeling. I'd turn it on and let it roll around an empty parking lot while I worked Rosco. We'd heel straight toward it, next to it, etc. Did stays near it. Then I broke it :-(-- Friends walking their dog or standing in one spot with their dog
-- Friends playing catch with their dog
-- Strangers playing frisbee
-- Kids on a playground
-- Smelly trees (so ALL trees =))
-- Squirrels
-- Aviary in a park (all sorts of exotic and interesting birds to see behind a fence!)
-- Dog park (we worked a distance from the fence and then worked our way to right near the fence line)
-- Clark playing fetch with other dog
-- Me playing fetch with other dog while Rosco had to hold positions.
-- Strangers flying toy airplanes
-- People jogging on a track
-- Balls left in the park
-- Stranger dogs on the inside of a chain link fence (random fenced dogs in the neighborhood, that is).
-- Goats in my friend's yard.
A few other ideas that I have heard work well, but never used:
-- Roadkill (well what was suggested to me was that I carry a bag around to pick up what I find...but that was too gross!) I guess I did occasionally use dead squirrels that we came upon on our walk. But I didn't touch it...blech. Just heeled back and forth toward it.
-- You can buy vials of various animal urine as a distraction to plant on a rag ...again gross to me.
-- A toy (stuffed animal, Skineeze, etc) tied to long kite string (or something thin) that a friend will pull around through the grass (or if this friend has a fishing pole can be hooked to the end of the line) to entice doggy.
-- open car door if your dog is likely to hop onto anyone's car
-- open gate if your dog is enticed by escaping out entrances
ANY OTHER IDEAS from every day life? What things are YOUR dogs distracted by that you could use to proof commands during training?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jane, Guinness and Murphy on
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Wow, this is a great list. When we practiced for Guinness's Therapy test my trainer brought a ham hock (a very smelly one). Of all the distractions, this was the most difficult one for him to resist. We put it right next to the chair where the person he had to greet calmly was sitting. The other thing that is always hard for my guys is a Soccer game. There's something about that ball being kicked across the grass and little kids chasing it that makes them want it.....bad. They do well when we go to the kids' little league games, but the soccer games are really tough...still.
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Permalink Reply by Camilla and Darwin on
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Darwin has the same fascination with soccer balls. I think maybe it's because it's large and visible. He doesn't love fetching tennis balls, sticks, anything. But soccer balls... totally different story. Also, his favorite stuffie EVER was a soccer ball. Funny!
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Permalink Reply by Adrianne Matzkin on
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The HARDEST thing for Samantha was a ball being rolled literally in front of her feet as we were walking. Even harder, several people rolling balls in front of her feet spaced out throughout our walk. OMG I thought we would fail but she did surprise me - got our CGC in spite of them!!
IF Boca is ball obsessed, this is THE thing, IMO!
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Permalink Reply by Kyoko on
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Wow! These are all great distractions!! I should copy this list and cross them out as she accomplish them....
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Permalink Reply by Laurie, Fudge, and Vern on
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Believe it or not....goose poop. The park where we go is loaded with it and my trainer said to bag it and bring it home. I decided that was too gross and just go to the park :) Adina, my daughter was the same way about grass when she was little. She would not venture off of the blanket and if we put her on the grass, she would sit balancing with her legs in the air. To this day, she hates shag carpet or anything like it. Thank you for the great list.
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Permalink Reply by Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom on
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3 things that I have problems with (one mentioned above) on therapy visits because they are in the facilities are:
birds (aviary mentioned above), hamster and rabbit! Sophie goes crazy for all 3 at Petsmart as well.
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Permalink Reply by Suzann, Rosey & Bandit on
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Wow I am impressed! I didn't know you could keep a dog from all these things! We are starting training in a couple of weeks with our trainer called Outdoor Adventures and I think we will be covering some of this.
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Balloons, especially balloons that are being pushed around in the wind.
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Permalink Reply by Adina P on
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All good additional distractions. The more distractions I can come up with that don't require a 'helper' to assist...the better. Training takes a while and eventually I run out of friends' patience with all this crazy dog training business. They don't understand.
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Permalink Reply by Joanne ~ Spud* on
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No they don't understand. Two beautiful teenage girls greeted Starlit on our walk yesterday. I saw them from a block away. I saw them rush towards us. Well, Starlit is GREAT with distractions--she would prefer no noise, no greeting, let me just run out of here, so I needed them. I almost paid them because they helped me so much. Sad for them..they never did get to pet her. Our training is a little different with her so I made them stand in the road so I could go in and out between them. Her job is to not cower, stay in a heal, and avoid the distraction ( a little different). Then I made them come in close like a huddle to chat. We were all real close. These were the best girls but I doubt I could hold their attention for weeks. After all, humans want a treat also. They want to pet the dog. But for Starlit her reward is they don't pet her. She hates that right now and has a long way to go. She behaves, obeys the command, nothing happens to her that is too invasive in her mind. UGH> Hard to find this out there.
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That is not too "different" Joanne. She has different demons to deal with but the purpose of distractions (in our training) is to help the dog pay closer attention to the task at hand. Some find it difficult because they want to be near the distraction, others find it difficult because they want to get away...but they all have to learn to work despite the distraction so it's all the same in the end. It's just harder in different ways.
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I read your list yesterday so forgive me if this is /or not mentioned. ROSCO. Both my dogs have a hard time not doing, investigating, or participating in what the other is doing. Since a lot of your training is going to be alone, with another dog and a baby, use those as distractions. For example, Rosco is playing but Boca is in a stay. Natalie is eating a cookie, but Boca is in a down stay. On many days that is all I can find for distractions because Starlit could care less about many toys--only food. Oh and Kitties. In our house kitties are a great distraction.
Fake sounds work too. I use my iphone for sound--barks, doorbells, meows, and others.
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