Tag: clicker training

CHAIARY – TRICKS: PICK UP OBJECT/PUT ONE OBJECT IN ANOTHER ONE (part 1)

Leave a comment

July 31, 2023

We had 5 pick-up-an-object sessions throughout the day. That’s no problem at all for a workey dog, but not what I would advise for a dog who isn’t crazy about training. Train the dog in front of you and don’t overdo it! Stop training while they still want to keep going!

In Chai’s case, this is easy: if I train as much as I have time to, I still won’t hit her limit. That makes her perfect for me. How do I know? As soon as I put out the puzzle mats (they are usually up against the wall, not on the floor), she races there. As soon as I grab my tripod, she starts jumping up at me. As soon as I ask Game to station on her mat, she gets all excited because it’s a predictor of a session for her!

August 2, 2023

The second day we’re working on this!

Session 1: how about picking up this football-shaped toy we found at the park last night?

Session 2: adding a second object since the goal for this is to put one object into another.

I’m using a water bowl here because it looks different from the bowls we have been using for the 4 in trick.

August 3, 2023

2 sessions with the basketball toy and the water bowl!

August 4, 2023

Today, I tried using a larger container the toy wouldn’t bounce out of – and one that we haven’t worked with in a while: box #2 from our 4-in trick. We’ve been using bowls for weeks now, so I hope to get less paws in a box! I’m happy with the results so far!

August 7, 2023

Session #1:

Same object, slightly smaller box I have never used for 4 in:

Session #2:

Same box, switch to a new object mid-session: a paper cup!

I am REALLY happy with how well Chai did today! Go puppy! Is there anything more fun than an operant dog?!

August 8, 2023

Put the baseball toy, a paper cup, a shoe and a roll of tape into the crate! Superstar puppy! doG, I love operant dogs!

Below is an example of Chai saying, “I know I can’t do this so I won’t try. Basic physics, human!” I respect what she tells me. Her communication below is as clear as the one above: she considers one of the two behaviors a solvable riddle and the other one not. Listen to your dog – they know themselves best! Good listening skills on your part will lead to trust and trust leads to excellence.

CHAIARY: TRICKS: 4 PAWS IN A BOX/BOWL (part 1)

Leave a comment

I’m taking Silvia Trkman’s excellent puppy/tricks class for shaping accountability and fun.1

One of the first tricks we teach: 4 in! I am starting with a big box and will be working all the way down to a small bowl over the course of the next weeks.

My thoughts about these sessions will mostly be in the subtitles.

July 7, 2023: our very first session with a large-ish cardboard box

I’ll show you my real sessions – wins, mistakes, good decisions and not so good ones, good mechanics and not so good ones … this is what real training looks like. It doesn’t need to be perfect but it sure should be fun!

July 8: 4 in a box from different angles!

The pride flag? Yep, it’s big. It’s the one I bought at CDMX Pride to wear as a cape. My philosophy is to either use things or give them away/throw them out. That way, I don’t accumulate stuff I don’t need. So I turned the flag into wall art, i.e. it’s being used now. Shrug.

July 14, 2023: going down in box size!

Our second puzzle-box session of the day

July 16, 2023: my first compilation of going down in box/bowl size

I videoed all these steps but didn’t edit all of them – today, I turned them into compilation #1:

July 20, 2023: from bowl #2 to bowl #3 (there will be 6 bowls altogether)

We went from bowl #2 down to bowl #3! This is difficult and Chai is being a superstar!

July 22, 2023: starting with bowl #3 right away

July 23, 2023: first 4 in bowl #3 session of the day

Second 4 in bowl #3 session of the day: 4 in with room service marker (“Good”) for building duration

July 24, 2023: the training journey continues

Part 2 of our 4-in journey coming soon! As with my other series, I’ll try to not put more than 10 videos in a single post in order to not break the Internet.

  1. 10/10 would recommend this class for advanced trainers. It is denser and requires more self-discipline and previous knowledge on the student’s part than many FDSA classes, which is why it may not make the best choice for absolute beginners. You can’t be too advanced for the class though: Silvia has extra material for dogs who already know some of the tricks and there is little chance you will run out of things to train and creative variations on behaviors your dog already knows.

    Silvia is lovely and supportive in their feedback, flexible about students’ idiosyncratic training approaches (such as the fact that I use multiple marker cues) and generous with their time. Their student community is the most international I have come across in any online dog training organization so far. I very much appreciate all of the above in online learning.

    I am a student who tells my mentors and teachers how I would like to learn/how I learn best, and Silvia has done an excellent job adapting to me. This is a skill I value in the people I learn from and the second part of the reason I’d very much recommend this class. It’s a fantastic primer for future sports puppies as well as a great choice for non-competitive training geeks in search of fun and inspiration. You can take it with an older dog as well – anything goes! ↩︎