When Pigs Fly_ Training Success With Impossible Dogs - Jane Killion [47]
Use the reinforcers that your dog naturally likes. This Rhodesian Ridgeback might not care much for a game of tug, but playing with a lure is very enjoyable for him.
This Norwich Terrier goes crazy for a furry mouse toy on a string!
4. The Pharaoh Hound likes to sniff. Good thing you read the previous section and put this one on cue! If the dog does what you want, he gets released to sniff. Be creative—scope out the area you will be training in before hand and see if there are any animal burrows around. You could run over to the burrow after releasing your dog and give him something really good to sniff.
5. Here are some other ideas. A dog that is “birdy” might like a toy that flutters like a bird. Another dog might really like to dig—bring a little spade in your pocket and start a hole with him. I used to bring a garden trowel to training class so I could dig a hole for one of my Bull Terriers and she loved it! I had a dog in class that really went crazy for used tissues. Yes, I let him have pieces of tissue. Some dogs love soap bubbles, or having you tear up pieces of grass and toss them in the air. If any kind of prey drive activity was high on your dog’s list, save up your old 16 oz water bottles, put a couple of tablespoons of un-popped popcorn in them, and put them in an old sock. If you feel like sewing you can make a fur sleeve with a handle and sew Velcro on the top so you can change the bottles as they become crushed. The crunching, rattling, action of this toy is a big hit in certain circles.
Take it on the road very gradually. Once your dog is performing a behavior flawlessly in your kitchen, move into the living room. Once he can perform in every room of your house, try the back porch, then the back yard, then the front porch, then the sidewalk in front of your house. Gradually work up to the point where your dog will do behaviors anywhere, anytime.
The way you use a toy can make all the difference. This bird dog might not care much for a toy dragged on the ground, but he goes crazy for a ribbon on a stick that flutters like a bird.
The mistake that most people make is they assume they have a right to go anywhere with their dog at anytime. This is not true. You have to train your dog before you can go for walks, and then train some more before you go for walks in very stimulating places, like a trail or at a crowded park. It does not take much, but you have to put in the time to gradually raise the stimulation level of the environment in which you expect your dog to perform. Remember, every time that you change the context, your beautiful behaviors that you trained at home might fall apart. You may have a great loose lead walk on Main Street, but as soon as you go to New Street, your dog is a mess. Don’t despair—the behaviors are still there, but you need to go back to the last place where your dog was good, and gradually work your way up again
Pig-tionary
Context: the circumstances and conditions in which a dog is performing his behaviors. Physical location is the most obvious context, but anything that changes, different people, different smells, different position of handler, are all changes in context and will impact the way your dog performs.
You may also find that, when you try to take your dog out in public and work the behaviors he has learned, he suddenly has no interest in his hot reinforcers. It is very common for a dog to refuse his favorite toys or games when in a public situation. A dog has to be comfortable to play, and if he is stressed by his surroundings, he may be too inhibited or distracted to enjoy his usual games. Keep working on behaviors your dog will perform, using whatever reinforcers he will