Saturday, March 1, 2008

Sit Training


As soon as the 2nd week when Slurpie was effectively toilet trained, we started on teaching him basic commands. We read that while puppies looks oooh so teeny their brains are very developed and they are very eager to learn. We bought a couple of books (will do a review later on the books) and read extensively online too. Sigh this puppy is time-consuming!

Items prepared: Treats! we used kibbles and beef jerky. Try to use small size treats so the pup will not take too long to chew it and also not get obese feeding on treats! Ideally the treat should be able to be swallow with minimal chewing so he can get back to attention for the next treat.

No distractions

I started with Slurpie indoor with no other distraction like TV or sounds; holding 5 to 10 of his favourite treat. While puppies have brains that are thirsty to absorb new trainings, they also have short attention spans. Thus in the first week we only did the training 5 to 10 times each round so as to keep his interest and leave him wanting more.

Praise and reward

The ideal situation is to have your puppy looking at you but Slurpie is a very hyper dog and I found that pretty hard. Thus we made sure he knows I have something good in it for him by letting him get a whiff of the treat. Once I got his attention, I moved one of my hands holding a treat over his nose and slowly move it above his head. By now I have his full attention as he really wants to slurp up the treat =)

When I move the treat above his head he will naturally tip his nose and head up to follow the scent and the treat and will also naturally end up in the sit position. As soon as his bump hit the ground I made a big hoohaa praising him and giving him the treat. Once he finish the treat I repeated the process. By the 3rd time or so he does it very quickly sometimes even without waiting for my treat to totally reach above his head. Tip: try not to push down his backside or even touching him at all.

“Sit”

On the second session I starting associating the action of his bump on the floor with the command word "Sit". I repeated all the steps above with the addition of saying a firm “Sit” while moving my hand and just as his bump was about to hit the floor. Again repetition is the key to his understanding and I did this another 5-10 times. As Slurpie is pretty interested and fast, I did one session in the morning and one at night. hehe like having medicine, twice a day before meals. Tip: do trainings before meals so they are slightly hungrier (yes they are always hungry believe me so i use slightly hungrier) so they will be more attentive.

“Ok” release command

Release commands are important so let the pup knows he is finish with the action required. This is especially important later when I want to teach Slurpie the stay command so he knows he is to maintain the command until he is "released". I used "ok" cos i started using it before i read it is not recommended since it is a word we tend to use frequently and now i have to stick with it as Slurpie has already associated that as a release command. Other words that can be used will be "Done", "Off" etc, any single syllabus word should do I think. I would say “ok” before giving the treat to Slurpie when he successfully do the Sit command. This act as a “clicker” training where I can imagine the thought bubble of Slurpie would read: command+ action + ok = yummy reward.

Phase out the treat

After lots of repetition and patience, Slurpie could sit upon hearing the command without the hand signal. So I started to stop giving the treat but use lots of praise and head rubs/pets in place. I mean it would be impossible for me to forever give him a treat for every command in future ma so I used prasie inetead. Tip: Do not use the treat to lure your dog after you are convinced he understands the command.

Daily routine

I worked this command into his daily routine. maybe that is also why started with a Sit command as it does help me to gain some control over him when I need him to stay still. It also reinforces my status as the "pack leader" or owner so he knows who is the boss. Slurpie has to “sit” before he receives his dinner or before I give him his ball or any other toy.

Distraction

When the Slurpie became really a master at the Sit command at home, i started training again with the command and release BUT also with a treat outside during his walks. Distracted he sometimes may ignore me when that happens I do not repeat "Sit Slurpie Sit Sit Sit" instead I walk a little wait till I think he is less distracted and try again. He has to learn to do the act at one "Sit" and not after "Sit Sit Sit" everytime!

Key notes (from website la not me):

  • Be consistent. Always use the same word to mean the same thing. Remember, human language is not natural to your dog—he has to learn that words have specific meanings. He'll learn “Sit,” but he'll have a lot of trouble with “Aww, baby, pweeze sit here by me” or “You better sit right now, dammit!” or “Sit … sit down! … sitsitsit …” So play fair and use one word consistently.

  • Be concise. Give your command once and once only. If you repeat a command three, four, or five times, your dog learns that he doesn't have to do it until you say “down … down … down … down” or until you yell really loud or until you say the word and wave your arm at him or some other silly thing.

  • Be generous. Reward your dog for doing what you tell him to do. When you begin teaching a new command, reward him every single time he gets it right. A reward is something your dog likes—that might be a treat, a toy, or a butt scratch, as long as it obviously makes your dog happy. Use a word of praise—“good dog” or “pretty!” or whatever you like—along with the reward, and eventually the word itself will become a reward.

  • Be smart. If you're not in a position to enforce a command, don't give the command unless you know for certain your dog will obey. If you're in the bathtub, don't tell your dog “Down” unless you're willing to get out of the tub, drip through the house, put your dog where you want him, and have him lie down. If you give a command that you can't enforce, your dog learns that he has to do it if you're standing there holding the leash, but he doesn't have to do it if you're all wet or otherwise unable to make sure he does it. The point of training is to teach the dog that he must do what you say when you say it—and if you're consistent and smart when you're training him, you'll end up with a reliable dog.

  • Be prepared. If you're going to need a leash to manage your dog while teaching him to sit, then have the leash on him or close at hand. If your dog doesn't yet come reliably when called, then keep a long line near the backdoor and put it on him when he goes out at night to potty. Then if you say “Come” and he doesn't, you can reel him in.

  • Be happy. Your dog is your friend, and he really does want to please you. Use a happy voice when you give commands, and a very happy voice when you praise him. Put yourself in his place—if two people called you, one in a tone that said, “Oh, I'm so happy to see you; come and be here where I am!” and the other in a growling tone that said, “You get over here right now,” which one would you go see? Use your voice to tell your dog how delighted you'd be to have him do what you tell him.

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