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11-05-2011, 08:50 AM
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#1 (permalink) |
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Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 143
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Perch Training
Hi all.
I've been introducing Gunner to the Perch. Using a bathroom step stool that I found at the dollar store. He's doing well and will run to and "mount" the perch on command. However that's it... I can not get him to even start to turn. As soon as I lure with my hand in the least bit, he steps off the perch and sits. I'm luring above his nose so he points his head upward slightly and trying to lure lightly one way but to no positive result. I'll then throw a treat a few feet away, he'll go get it and I'll then say "perch" and he will mount the perch. It's only been three days, am I trying to rush the turn? Am I luring incorrectly? Am I missing my mark? I don't see any effort to even begin a step.. Any thoughts? |
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11-05-2011, 09:55 AM
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#4 (permalink) |
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Knighted Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Indiana
Posts: 3,230
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Yes, of course we all enjoy training a dog to do something fun like perch work. But in the end, a brilliant dog is one who thinks for himself and makes decisions on his own. So when you lure- you are teaching the dog that "when you follow the treat, you just might get it." You aren't teaching the dog to think on its own and choose to perform the work you desire.
With shaping, whether you use a clicker or verbal marker for your bridge, it's important to allow the dog to make the choice to perform the work. In other words you want to shape their behavior into the end result you want as they offer you more and more. This creates a dog that loves his work, and loves working with you. (Not to mention that in very demanding work such as agility- creating a dog that thinks about his job is so much less demanding on his body than constantly drilling the dog to get the end behavior.) For perch training- it might go something like this:
So you are letting the dog figure out what will earn reward and shaping the desired end result in the process.
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Willy Pimg - DOB: 2/06, CL1-R, CL1-S, CL1-F, CGC Last edited by wildo; 11-05-2011 at 09:59 AM. |
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11-05-2011, 10:05 AM
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#5 (permalink) |
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Knighted Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Indiana
Posts: 3,230
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This is an excellent guide:
I will add that I have recently learned that the taller your perch, the more weight shift happens to the back legs of the dog. Since the end goal is to create rear end awareness by teaching rear end independence- you want to use a lower perch rather than higher to allow less weight shift onto the back legs. The less weight shift will result in the dog more likely moving its back legs. Further, you eventually want to fade the actual perch anyway. By starting low, you are just that much closer to the end result.
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Willy Pimg - DOB: 2/06, CL1-R, CL1-S, CL1-F, CGC Last edited by wildo; 11-05-2011 at 10:08 AM. |
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11-05-2011, 10:12 AM
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#6 (permalink) |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 355
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I shaped the initial perch behavior, but I did not "pure" shape the turning (I am too impatient!). You can see in the video what I did. Keep in mind that Tara already knew this behavior in other contexts, so I did an extremely long session just to show the entire process in one video. When she was learning, I went much slower and broke it down into several sessions. Do not expect your dog to start turning around the perch as quickly as she did. I believe we did several sessions of just the smallest bits of back paw movement before I had her reliably stepping around the perch in both directions. You can see I did a fair amount of work in front of her, but I also do it on both sides as well.
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Kristin Tara CGC - GSD 2008 Suli - Blue Kitty 2006 |
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Willy - looks like we were posting at the same time!
