When Pigs Fly_ Training Success With Impossible Dogs - Jane Killion [18]
If you want to do some “extra credit” work on your clicker skills, you could practice while watching TV—pick one behavior and click that. You could click for nods, or smiles, or tosses of the hair, handshakes, whatever. You don’t need to practice in this way, but some people enjoy it and it is helpful. Either way, you will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly your timing improves.
If you did lesson one, you have a dog that stares at you every time you pick up a clicker. Now you are going to go for something more.
Thinking About the Box
Your Dog’s First Learning Game
Do you remember playing a game when you were a kid where a friend hid something and you had to find it only by moving around the room while your friend gave you hints by saying “Warm – warmer – colder – warmer – red hot!” That is exactly the game you are going to play with your dog. For this exercise, we are going to use an empty cardboard box. The exact size and shape of the box is not particularly important, but it should be low enough for the dog to step into easily, and large enough to fit at least two of his feet in, if he wishes. A shirt box will do nicely for most dogs. Here are the rules:
1. The object of the game is to have your dog interact with the box in any way he pleases. Touch it with his nose, paw at it, step in it, pick it up in his mouth, sit in it—it makes absolutely no difference what the behavior is. As long as he interacts with the box, he gets clicked. You may say “yes!” or “good!” after you click as a reinforcement in addition to the treat, but you may not say anything to help him along. Just like in the “warm, warmer” game, you are restricted to the clicker to tell the dog if he is getting close.
2. Do nothing if your dog is getting “colder.” No helping allowed! This game is about your dog figuring it out on his own.
3. After your dog has offered any interaction with the box and you have clicked it, you may throw the treat in the box to reinforce that the box is a “hot” area. Only throw the treat in after clicking, though—don’t throw the treat in the box to lure him towards it!
As soon as you put the box down, be ready to click—there is hardly a dog in the world that will not investigate something you put on the ground in front of him. Then click any interaction at all with the box. As you can see, this is a very enjoyable game that makes dogs eager to offer to do things for you.
To begin the game, hold the box in one hand and the clicker in the other. Make sure the clicker is facing the right way in your hand and you are ready to click. Put the box down on the floor. Most likely, your dog will investigate the box by touching it with his nose the second you put it down. Click immediately! If your dog does not touch the box with his nose, but just looks towards it, click that and drop the treat into the box. By clicking him for just looking at the box, you are saying “warm!” Wait for him to interact with the box again. Click any interaction, even if it is not the same one as before. Click and treat him even if he accidentally touches the box. Here are some tips to help you:
1. If your dog just stands there like a lump, staring at you, wait it out for a long time. If you really can’t stand it longer, walk around the box so your dog will accidentally touch it and click that. Looking pointedly back and forth between your dog and the box also helps.
2. Try putting your hands behind your back when you want your dog to free shape. This helps in two ways. First, if the dog can see the food and clicker in your hand, he often will become fixated with it. Taking those things out of the picture helps him start thinking and stop staring. Second, putting your hands behind your back will become a cue for your dog to start offering behaviors, rather than waiting for you to tell him what to do.
3. If your dog acts shy or afraid of the box, you have two options. If the shyness is not severe, just click for looking at the box or any movement