Clicker Training: Day Two...

Well, yesterday we started clicker training.

First I want to say that I've never been a fan of clicker training. I never liked the idea of relying on a training aid. My dogs are trained off finger snaps, with praise as a reward. I don't give treats to reward behavior, just praise. I also practice NILIF, my dogs sit for dinner, and leave it until I release them to eat. Ruger has all his basic commands down, has a fairly solid recall, walks pretty darn good on a loose leash now without a prong collar, and knows a few tricks.

That being said, recently Asher got me interested in the idea of clicker training. I started looking into it, to teach tricks. Ruger is a great trick dog. So we started yesterday. I went though all the basic commands, reinforcing them with the clicker and treats. Just so he'd get the idea. Well... he didn't. In fact, it was like the clicker wasn't even there. He still did everything, but paid no attention to the clicker. But still, we went at it for 20 minutes (I don't like to train longer than that, as dogs tend to get bored).

Today, we started again. Basic commands, completely ignored the clicker. Even the treats. However, once I started teaching him his two new tricks, sneak (crawl) and hide, it clicked (no pun intended). He suddenly recognized the clicker, and started doing hide without the aid of the tape on his nose. Sure, we still have a lot of work to do, but still, I think he's starting to get it.

(My idea behind the tricks is, he already knows BANG and he plays dead... I thought I'd teach him to hide and sneak, then get caught and shot... thought it would be cute... later we'll move on to more advanced behaviors like fetch beer, y'know, the important stuff)

I'm just so excited... I was discouraged at first, but stuck with it, and it's a lot of fun. Hopefully I can reinforce some manners with it as well, like jumping on people. He does ok with it, he doesn't exactly barrel people down when they come to visit, but after a minute he tries the hop to see if someone will let him up or not.

Anyway, we'll write again later in the week!

OMD I've been tagged!!

The Rules
(Hint: Copy and paste the rules so you don't have to type them again):

Each player starts with seven random facts about themselves. Dogs who are tagged, need to post in their diary the rules and their 7 pawsome facts. Then choose 7 dogs to tag and list their names. Don’t forget to bark them a pmail that they have been tagged and to read your diary, or, send them a fun Rosette announcing they've been Tagged!

Ok... seven things about me...

1. My mom was hit by a car and I was a bottle fed pup, so my mommy took me home just two days shy of five weeks old.

2. I listen very well except around water.... I'm such a swim-a-holic. I swim until I'm ready to collapse.

3. I already know a bunch of agility commands and have run a mini course at our local dog park... once I'm a year Mom is gonna take me to the big course

4. I got my name after Mom's favorite firearms manufacturer, Strum Ruger and Co.

5. Cheyenne was my surrogate mom, and when she died I was completely lost... luckily human mom is home all the time and I never leave her side.

6. My best friend is a German Shepherd the same age as me... who'se dad use to be a police dog.

7. My tail is a weapon.

Ok I think I did that right... now I gotta find someone to tag...

I'm gonna tag:

Maggie Frances
Winkee, in memory of
Thunder
Andrew
Mollie
Montecristo
Cherokee Forever Loved

This leash thing ain't so bad...

Saturday mommy and me when to Petco AND Petsmart. In both stores, for the first time, I stayed right by mom's side. I didn't pull or try to sniff crazily at everything. I sat when told, stayed when told, and behaved very well. Mom was so proud! In Petsmart there were a bunch of other doggies. As much as I wanted to go see them, mom just tugged the leash and said here and I stayed right with her. I did get to go meet a few of the doggies as a reward for my good behavior. There were a bunch of trainers walking around giving people advice and such. When one came up to us, mom told me to sit and I did. The trainer was very impressed. She asked if I could have a treat and mom said yes. This behaving stuff is pretty cool! When mom said I was only 8 months old, everyone was just blown away.

See? I'm a good dog!!

So dedicated...

After I lost my best friend, I latched onto my hooman. After seven months I'm still unsure of the Alpha Male, but the Alpha Female is my bestest friend. The other pup and I have come to accept each other. She gets tastier food than me, and she gets to sleep inside, but she doesn't get the cuddles I do.

Last weekend my pack went to the county fair. I patiently waited at home; apparently the fair people aren't fair to dogs. They returned after a short while and took me over to a relative pack's house, like we do most weekends. I love hanging out over there. I lay by the Alpha Female's feet, calm and complacent. People often comment on how well behaved I am for only seven months. I don't see what the big deal is, I just stay where I've been since I was just shy of five weeks old...

Well, when it started to get dark, both my pack and the other pack decided to return to the fair. Something about rides at night and car races. So, I was put in the back yard at the other pack's house. After a while, I started to wonder when they would be back. So I moved aside some cinder blocks (which apparently managed to foil escape by the other dogs who use to reside there) and got out of the yard.

The other pack returned before my pack did, and they found me sitting next to the only car left in the drive way, patiently waiting. They brought me in and gave me some treats and water. A short while later, my pack returned. They were very impressed with me. I guess they figured I wasn't at my own house, I'm still a pup, and there's a busy shopping center right across the road, and an IHOP (oh the wonderful smells). They probably thought I'd run. Maybe try to find my hoomans or my way home. But I didn't. I knew my pack would return for me.

Later the Alpha Female was commenting on how surprised she was that I stayed around the other pack's home. The Alpha Male told her that I knew where home was. She said yes but I wasn't at my home. He told her that I know home is where she was, and that I knew she'd come back for me.

And he's absolutely right.