When Pigs Fly_ Training Success With Impossible Dogs - Jane Killion [60]
It is handy to be able to position your dog with the flick of a hand. Here, the owner’s hand says, “Move over to my left side.” Then, “No, wait. Move over to my right side.”
The touch works very nicely to get a sniffing dog’s nose off the ground and back up into your territory. If you were trying to take a walk with a reluctant and distracted Basset Hound whose nose is glued to the ground, you could ask him to jump up and touch your hand—at once getting his nose up off the ground and lighting a little fire under his tail with a fun movement.
Teaching your dog to touch an object like a large yogurt container lid with his nose (“targeting”) is also a very useful behavior. Pigs Fly dogs seem to feel that if you have any influence over them at all, it only extends to a two foot diameter around you. Beyond that, all bets are off and your Pigs Fly dog is unlikely to honor any requests. By training your dog to go out to targets, you can teach him the important concept that you do still exist, even though you are four feet away. Also, if you want to shape your dog to do something like go lie down on his bed, or go to his crate from anywhere in the house, teaching your dog to target is a great way to get him used to the concept of moving away from you.
Once your dog learns how to jump up for a hand touch, they often enjoy it so much that you can use it as a reinforcer.
Shape the touch. Here are the steps to shape a touch:
1. Extend your empty hand, palm up near the dog’s face. Be very still—do not move your hand toward his nose at all. The behavior you want to isolate and click is your dog’s head moving towards your hand, not your dog allowing you to hit him in the nose with your hand. He will almost certainly check out your hand with his nose. As soon as he moves his nose towards your hand, click/treat out of the other hand. Within a few clicks he will be boinking his nose on your hand.
2. Once your dog is very deliberately boinking your hand with his nose, you can start moving your hand around. At first, move your hand so that your dog only has to turn his head, then move your hand so that he has to take a step, then two steps, and so forth. Now you can position your dog anywhere you like by just moving your hand!
3. Gradually move your hand over your dog’s head until your dog will reach his nose up and touch your hand.
4. Now gradually hold your hand higher and higher over his head and shape a “leap up into the air” behavior. This bouncing motion is a lot of fun and very stimulating. You can mix quick nose touches in with loose leash walking to rev up the activity. The touch behavior is a good example of a cold behavior that can quickly become so hot that it can be used to reinforce other cold behaviors!
Pig Tale
Kody the Pharaoh Hound had a nose that his owner described as “almost prehensile.” Poking something with his nose was a huge pleasure for Kody and the touch game was one of his favorites.
Shape the target.
1. Place a lid, like one from a large yogurt container, down on the floor in front of your dog. He will almost certainly investigate with his nose. Click and treat him if he does. If your dog is more foot-oriented and he would prefer to paw at the target, that is OK, too. Pick either the nose touch or the paw whack and always reinforce it.
2. Place the target further and further away from you and your dog will run away from you to go touch it. You will eventually be able to send your dog away in any direction and he will run out to find the target.
If your dog can learn to run away from you and target something, you can use that to teach him to his mat, go to his crate, go out the door, or any other behavior that requires him to turn away from you and go in the direction you indicate.
Add a cue. Once your dog is clearly offering to touch your outstretched hand or the target, you can add the cue: “touch” for a hand touch, and “target” for touching or pawing a lid target.
Frequent but short sessions. Touch and target are not complicated