Boca has started training today...

[Adina P]

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?

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Oh I see above--Clark playing ball with Rosco. But the Sound files of the doorbell work! Or should I say, don't work here and it needs practice to calm Spud down. :)

Skateboarders is good. Here we have a lot of bike paths. So maybe a Bike Path might be a good idea if you have one to walk on. Spud loves a good biker now and then :)

[Adina P]

Yup. Exactly. Either Clark or I will be playing with or working our other dog for the sake of a distraction at different times.

But early on I prefer to work out of the house because we need more wiggle room and room for error. So I need SPACE away from whatever distractions I'm working with. I need to be able to be far enough and to get farther if necessary. So I prefer open spaces like in a park or college campus, empty parking lot or field. We also need a good 200 feet of heeling space in any direction otherwise a few feet of heeling and I'm walking into a wall or window or door (my house is not large). So early on most of what I do is away from home. As the dog gets more refined I do more work in the house and yard, tighter spaces (like PetCo aisles) and tougher outdoor distractions (like near the dog park or by other dogs, etc...etc...).

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Joanne....that's brilliant. I never thought of using the phone for those sounds. I get plenty of barks in the neighborhood, but kitties and doorbells would be a new thing for them. Nobody ever gets to ring our doorbell because the Doods are at the door the minute anyone pulls into the driveway. I wouldn't be actually desensitizing them to those particular sounds, because who cares - they'll probably never hear them. I would be training them to stay calm and in their training position when they hear a sound that is unfamiliar to them. Thanks for this great idea.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Jane--just watch your phone for awhile....... my dogs are not destructive chewers but they do get curious and I saw some teeth on my phone the other day. I think they just wanted to bury it for awhile but still.

Yes, Sounds are an important sense especially since dogs have acute hearing. Spud is very reactive to sounds especially when he can't see where they are coming from.

[Vicky & Cassidy]

This looks like a great list, Adina. Keeping in mind I know absolutely nothing about babies, I am very impressed that Natalie entertained herself for even 30 minutes!

[Vicky & Cassidy]

P.S. Jammers still freaks out a little at cyclists in full cycling gear ~ bicycle, helmet, goggles, etc...

[Adina P]

No it was probably LESS than half the time that Natalie entertained herself...the rest of the time she was in my front pack (like a baby back pack that you wear on the front instead of the back).

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

skateboarders, children's area of the park with swings, running etc., feathers (this is from Gordie my Springer)

[Adina P]

Thanks for reminding me of skateboarders. We have a skate park here and I'll be sure to go there for some training! Right now Boca is easily distracted by everything.

[shelly]

WOW! We truly have a long way to go! Great job, Boca and Rosco and can't forget cute little Natalie!

[Adina P]

Another tip I just remembered. It's important to find and use all senses/drives when you work with distractions. In other words incorporate scents as distractions, visual things as distractions, play distractions, prey distractions, etc...