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4.YOUR DOG CAN BE A DAY TRADER
It's fun to watch two dogs playing a game of tag-keep-away. The instigator
usually brings a stick or toy close enough for his playmate to see and
then ducks and dodges just enough to keep his buddy from grabbing the
treasure. Wild canines play the same game exactly the same way. Trouble
starts when we find ourselves involved in a game of canine tag-keep-away.
Spiffy comes just close enough for us to notice the stuffed toy he's
carrying as an invitation to play. We may want to join in as tag-keep-away
playmate, but the same game takes on a different meaning to you when
Spiffy invites play for a pair of expensive glasses he "found"
on a low table. We try to save the glasses and the game is afoot. Spiffy
has a wonderful time playing; he's just following ancient rules.
A little proactive conditioning can go a long way
toward keeping your blood pressure under control and Spiffy in everyone's
good graces. Resolve to teach your dog to be a day trader!
As with everything else we teach our dogs, we set
them up to succeed from the beginning. Decide on the verbal term and body
language your family will use so everyone is consistent in conditioning
the dog to relinquish any object upon request.
My personal way of teaching dogs to be traders is to use the word
"Give" with the hand signal being palms-up to receive the item.
I either put the dog on lead or go into the smallest possible space and
close the door. This prevents Spiffy from instigating any games of his
own. I give him something he likes and then hold out my flat, palms-up
hand with a slice of hot dog on it simultaneously saying,
"Give." He drops the toy for the much higher value goodie. I
repeat this little exercise several times in a row, several times a day
with different toys. Each time Spiffy drops the toy into my hand, he is
rewarded with the treat.
I gradually fade the food reward out of sight. The dog will
"give" the item at the palms-up signal; the paycheck arrives a
few seconds later. I then gradually fade the reward to verbal praise with
that paycheck food coming a minute or so after the trade. If I move
through the process slowly enough with very gradual raises in degree of
difficulty, the end result will be a dog whose automatic response to a
palms-up hand and the word "give" will be to drop the item in my
hand. Consistency coupled with gradual raises in criteria establishes the
desired end behavior.
I can then move the whole conditioning process to a different location and
gradually add distractions. After all, a year from now Spiffy might come
charging through the living room with an expensive leather glove in his
mouth pursued by shouting grandchildren. The odds are not great that I'll
have a slice of hot dog handy, but I can always say, "Give," and
hold out my hand. Proactive conditioning can save the day and make our
dogs day traders into the bargain.
by Maggie Blutreich, charter member of the Association of Pet Dog
Trainers,
an American Kennel Club Public Education Coordinator and Canine
Ambassador.
BRAVO! Force-Free Training
704-282-4947
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<MBlutreich@Carolina.rr.com>
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