I will be accepting new clients in 2013. Please stay tuned.
During the month of December, please enjoy various posts about animal training!
-Michelle McClelland, KPA-CTP
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Post Eight: Distractions
Lilli has been practicing her skills in the house a lot! We also work in the front and back yards, but this weekend has been all about working with distractions.
Our house is mostly hardwood floors, so I did not even think about vacuums being a problem. Some of the other Extreme Mutts have been working on getting them used to the vacuum, so I thought I'd turn it on the other day to test her reaction.
Our house is mostly hardwood floors, so I did not even think about vacuums being a problem. Some of the other Extreme Mutts have been working on getting them used to the vacuum, so I thought I'd turn it on the other day to test her reaction.
See her reaction here:
We took another trip to a local pet store yesterday to pick up a few things and we worked on some "easy" stuff in the back of the store while we waited for the check out line to go down. Piece of cake for this little girl. She was even showing off in line by doing her "sit pretty" for anyone that would watch.
Today we took a trip to Canine Connection in Fort Worth to visit their Tricks class. Lilli had a blast! She responded so well with the other dogs and learned how to put her front paws up on a bucket. She slept the entire car ride back to the house. We worked on targeting, which was great practice for her since we are using a target to teach spin right now.
This week I've learned that Lilli has a very open mind. She is willing to try anything, as long as she has your trust.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Post Seven: Remember to Have FUN
Lilli is my "fun" trainer. Everyday she reminds me to slow down, breathe, take everything in, and enjoy life. Sometimes you just need some fun in your life to get you past a bump in the road.
So, this post is a lesson from Lilli.
What kind of enrichment do you have in your life and in your pet's life?
The dictionary says enrichment is "act of making fuller or more meaningful or rewarding."
Enrichment helps build motivation, subsides boredom, and can build confidence skills.
Lilli was waiting for me in the "training room" the other day. I had put in a couple of her squeaky toys while I prepared some food rewards. I started to hear some squeaks coming from the room and decided to pull out the camera.
Those particular toys are only brought out during training time, so they're "super cool." Once she caught on that I was watching, she got into training position- we were working on stays on a chair.
Toys can be very enriching. I also like to have Kongs available during times of stress. Hiding food in different objects can be very challenging and enriching to your pup. You can stick kibble in a paper towel roll and wind up the ends. It is a challenge for them to find out they have to either unroll the cardboard, or shred it to get to the food. Pet stores are now starting to carry food puzzles that are great for dogs. Remember, dogs can be just like kids. You buy that really expensive toy and they love the box it came in so much more!
What can you do to make your dog's life more enriching?
So, this post is a lesson from Lilli.
What kind of enrichment do you have in your life and in your pet's life?
The dictionary says enrichment is "act of making fuller or more meaningful or rewarding."
Enrichment helps build motivation, subsides boredom, and can build confidence skills.
Lilli was waiting for me in the "training room" the other day. I had put in a couple of her squeaky toys while I prepared some food rewards. I started to hear some squeaks coming from the room and decided to pull out the camera.
Toys can be very enriching. I also like to have Kongs available during times of stress. Hiding food in different objects can be very challenging and enriching to your pup. You can stick kibble in a paper towel roll and wind up the ends. It is a challenge for them to find out they have to either unroll the cardboard, or shred it to get to the food. Pet stores are now starting to carry food puzzles that are great for dogs. Remember, dogs can be just like kids. You buy that really expensive toy and they love the box it came in so much more!
What can you do to make your dog's life more enriching?
Stay tuned for more videos and updates!
Friday, September 14, 2012
Post 6: Lilli Blossoms- Shaping
I love clicker training!
In the week and a half that I've had Lilli, I've watched her confidence grow so much. She's always been a very spunky dog that will "sit pretty" to get anything she wants, but within the last couple of days I have really seen another side of her. She is really so much more than the "one trick wonder" dog.
We have been working on walking through a hula hoop. She loves squeaky toys, so I thought it would be fun just to throw it through the hoop to see if she would go through to get it. She would walk through it to get to the toy and then quickly realized she could just as easily go around the hoop to get to the toy. Great little problem solver :)
I then began to to shape her going through the hoop so we would have a solid behavior. Shaping means that you reward small approximations to the overall behavior. With the hoop, a look in the direction of the hoop received a reward. Then a paw in the right direction received the reward. She caught on quickly and was soon walking through without too many click/treats.
I was able to document the progress. You will see that I started to add the cue words "go through" after a couple of passes. She was doing so well, that I wanted to add the extra direction of "yes, this is what I want you do to and these are the words that will let you know when I want you to do it."
I was even able to ask her to do other behaviors she knows to make sure that going through the hoop only happens when I ask.
Eventually, we will raise the hoop higher so that she will be jumping, but tonight's session was a great step forward!
Here is a little video of our training session. Shaping is a great tool for training because it builds confidence and allows your dog to think for themselves and make the right choices!
In the week and a half that I've had Lilli, I've watched her confidence grow so much. She's always been a very spunky dog that will "sit pretty" to get anything she wants, but within the last couple of days I have really seen another side of her. She is really so much more than the "one trick wonder" dog.
We have been working on walking through a hula hoop. She loves squeaky toys, so I thought it would be fun just to throw it through the hoop to see if she would go through to get it. She would walk through it to get to the toy and then quickly realized she could just as easily go around the hoop to get to the toy. Great little problem solver :)
I then began to to shape her going through the hoop so we would have a solid behavior. Shaping means that you reward small approximations to the overall behavior. With the hoop, a look in the direction of the hoop received a reward. Then a paw in the right direction received the reward. She caught on quickly and was soon walking through without too many click/treats.
I was able to document the progress. You will see that I started to add the cue words "go through" after a couple of passes. She was doing so well, that I wanted to add the extra direction of "yes, this is what I want you do to and these are the words that will let you know when I want you to do it."
I was even able to ask her to do other behaviors she knows to make sure that going through the hoop only happens when I ask.
Eventually, we will raise the hoop higher so that she will be jumping, but tonight's session was a great step forward!
Here is a little video of our training session. Shaping is a great tool for training because it builds confidence and allows your dog to think for themselves and make the right choices!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Post Five: Through Lilli's Eyes
Lilli and I have been a team for a week now. We have learned a lot about each other!
Today I really realized how much Lilli appreciates the little things in life. We went to the park to work on loose leash walking, focus exercises, and distractions. There was a little sitting area near the car with lots of flowers and benches, so I decided to make that our "chill out" zone. We worked on focusing on me and sitting. I've also been asking her to jump up on things on cue to have just in case we need it during the competition. We were both sitting on a bench when I looked over at Lilli and saw complete joy in her face. She was gazing at the sky and the people walking by and looked so peaceful. How long has it been since she was able to enjoy life like this? We enjoyed life together for a few minutes after that.
My goal in this next week is to see life more in Lilli's eyes. What do I take for granted that she values so much because of her past as a shelter dog?
I'm learning more from this little dog than I ever imagined.
As for training, she is becoming more confident each day with hand touches. I love teaching targeting with hand touches because it is a very useful tool. It is a physical object that they can focus on while in public that means "please come touch my hand." It is a great recall tool! Tonight while we were working on it, one of my other dogs wanted to join in on the fun. See the video below!
Today I really realized how much Lilli appreciates the little things in life. We went to the park to work on loose leash walking, focus exercises, and distractions. There was a little sitting area near the car with lots of flowers and benches, so I decided to make that our "chill out" zone. We worked on focusing on me and sitting. I've also been asking her to jump up on things on cue to have just in case we need it during the competition. We were both sitting on a bench when I looked over at Lilli and saw complete joy in her face. She was gazing at the sky and the people walking by and looked so peaceful. How long has it been since she was able to enjoy life like this? We enjoyed life together for a few minutes after that.
My goal in this next week is to see life more in Lilli's eyes. What do I take for granted that she values so much because of her past as a shelter dog?
I'm learning more from this little dog than I ever imagined.
As for training, she is becoming more confident each day with hand touches. I love teaching targeting with hand touches because it is a very useful tool. It is a physical object that they can focus on while in public that means "please come touch my hand." It is a great recall tool! Tonight while we were working on it, one of my other dogs wanted to join in on the fun. See the video below!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Post Four: Getting to Know You
Lilli has been in our home for three days now. She's acclimated well with our two dogs and three cats.
It has been a great learning experience so far with this little girl. I wanted to start training her as soon as possible, because she wants to win! Just like any new animal, each one learns a little differently. At the trainer draw, I brought a training pouch full of treats. She would not take any of them. I was a little concerned, but then realized that my other dog will not take treats when she's stressed. Lilli had no idea who I was, no wonder she wouldn't take any treats!
When we got home, I tried again. She ate each flavor I had in my pouch. I decided to try to capture a sit, since that is a natural behavior for a dog. She caught on quickly and tried to slip in her "sit pretty" every once and awhile. Lilli came with "sit pretty." She will gladly sit up on her hind legs if you put a piece of food above her head. It is adorable and a great crowd pleaser, but I know she's got so much more in her.
Lilli is catching on quickly to the clicker way of life. The moment she does something I want, I click and she gets a treat or gets to play with her favorite toy. During our "sit" training session, I took a break and clicked for any kind of focus of me when I called her name. Focus is such a great tool to have for a dog owner and it will definitely help with recall work.
My other dogs love to work for treats and Lilli is really engaged to learn all of their "stuff." It'll be interesting to see any mimicry start to happen!
Another tidbit we have learned from this little girl...she loves to play fetch! Preferably with stuffed animals that have squeakers!
We have now moved on to target work, sitting on a mat, jumping through a hoop, and lying down. Stay tuned for more information on those!
It has been a great learning experience so far with this little girl. I wanted to start training her as soon as possible, because she wants to win! Just like any new animal, each one learns a little differently. At the trainer draw, I brought a training pouch full of treats. She would not take any of them. I was a little concerned, but then realized that my other dog will not take treats when she's stressed. Lilli had no idea who I was, no wonder she wouldn't take any treats!
When we got home, I tried again. She ate each flavor I had in my pouch. I decided to try to capture a sit, since that is a natural behavior for a dog. She caught on quickly and tried to slip in her "sit pretty" every once and awhile. Lilli came with "sit pretty." She will gladly sit up on her hind legs if you put a piece of food above her head. It is adorable and a great crowd pleaser, but I know she's got so much more in her.
Lilli is catching on quickly to the clicker way of life. The moment she does something I want, I click and she gets a treat or gets to play with her favorite toy. During our "sit" training session, I took a break and clicked for any kind of focus of me when I called her name. Focus is such a great tool to have for a dog owner and it will definitely help with recall work.
My other dogs love to work for treats and Lilli is really engaged to learn all of their "stuff." It'll be interesting to see any mimicry start to happen!
Another tidbit we have learned from this little girl...she loves to play fetch! Preferably with stuffed animals that have squeakers!
Monday, September 3, 2012
Post Three: The Draw
The moment is here! We had the Extreme Mutt Makeover Trainer Draw on Saturday.
Each trainer's name was attached to a dog toy and placed into a basket. Each dog was then asked to choose their favorite toy (trainer) out of the basket.
So, ladies and gentlemen....MEET LILLI!
Each trainer's name was attached to a dog toy and placed into a basket. Each dog was then asked to choose their favorite toy (trainer) out of the basket.
So, ladies and gentlemen....MEET LILLI!
Lilli is an approximately 2 year terrier mix. She was pulled from the Mansfield Animal Care and Control. She is spayed, up-to-date on vaccinations and currently on flea and heartworm preventative. She is also up for adoption after the competition on October 13th!
Here is a picture of Team Lilli and the toy she chose out of the basket!
Let the 6 week training journey begin!
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