Dog Training Again (At Last!)

With the infusion of dog treats that I got at the beginning of December (thanks to my "dog treat fairies" in the US), I've reestablished a regular training program for the dogs.

Every morning I have 10-15 minutes between their last trip outside to potty and my walk to the curb to catch the bus to work. It's a perfect time to work with them. They are alert, fed, pottied but not frenzied like they are when I get home from work.

I've got several training projects going at the same time. Harry is getting the lion's share of the attention right now. I'm working on fast sits and teaching him to sit by my side in a heel position, two different but related behaviors that started out as separate tasks but are slowly fusing into one. He wants to face me or sit far away from me but I want him to pop into that heel position sit--on either side per my direction--with the same command I use with Mimi: "get ready!" She usually leaps straight up into the air first, turning mid-leap, and lands by my side in the correct position--it's a real crowd pleaser and hardly even a trick for these dogs. I'm also working on having him take treats gently.

Harry was my first smooth fox terrier and when I trained him initially I never worked on any of these skills. For one thing, I lacked the experience to recognize why they were important. But I didn't train him too thoroughly then because I just didn't know how to do it. Harry didn't need any of these skills for flyball! But now that he's retired (but still ever so awesome!), I think he needs a bit more self control and manners.

He even has to sit for his meals now, which is causing him quite a bit of consternation. I stand there holding both bowls and say "sit!" Mimi of course has her butt on the ground before I even say the word. Harry stands there wagging his tail, looking up at me with those wide brown eyes. I stand there and wait...and gradually it dawns on him that I'm still standing there holding the bowls. He slooowwly drops into a sit, still unsure about the entire thing.

The other training project is for both dogs. I am teaching them how to "honor" the other dog. By this I mean that Mimi has to sit--quietly--while I work Harry. I may work him next to her or across the room but she still has to sit in one place calmly while he and I move around and he gets treats and praise. No wiggling, no getting up. Same rules for Mr. Harry--he has to honor Mimi when she is working. The second part of this skill is to ask both dogs to sit then move away, call ONE dog, and have only that one dog get up and come to me.

Now I know that for some of you this whole honor thing sounds sort of lame. But, people: terriers! I'm talking about two resource-guarding, food-obsessed, bite-the-other-dog-at-a-moment's-notice, hyper fox terriers! This is crazy mad difficult for them! Self control! Delayed reward! Patience! Ack!

The first time I tried to get one dog to sit while I worked with the second dog, it was total chaos! Dogs were whirling around everywhere. As soon as I would get one dog in a sit and even twitched towards the second dog, the first would pop back up and try to muscle in for the goodies.

I decided that I needed to make the sitting part more special. It couldn't feel like punishment but part of a game. So I designated a chair as the special "sit and wait" spot.

Because both dogs are already pretty savvy about training, I can skip some steps like having to make the chair special by rewarding them in it. I only have to point to something and both dogs are on top of it in a flash. The trick was to just have one dog jump up at the time but that was easy to sort out with some practice on my part (my hands, clutching treats, were flapping about which was distracting both dogs). I'm not even using a clicker for this, just simple verbal commands both dogs already know. I'm not shaping new behaviors, you see, just changing some external parameters and duration of existing ones. With time they are becoming new behaviors but they are built from familiar things like "sit".

We have made excellent progress: each dog will now honor the other--for a limited amount of time but I'm working on that. I can have the working dog do several things for several treats then go over and jackpot the sitting dog. I'm now able to designate random "sit and wait" spots, not just the same chair every time. And I can now have both dogs sit, walk away (the current limit is about 8-10 feet), and call one dog and have that dog come for a treat while the other dog remains sitting.