Targeting

Last week I decided to start working on targeting with Netta. Basically, the dog is taught to put its nose against a target on command. Once established, it can be used to train other behaviors, such as standing for grooming and going to a specific place. I use a plastic yard reflector, since it has a nice long handle, but you can use anything the dog can easily recognize.

This was a very easy behavior to teach Lily, but Netta is scared of anything unusual, especially if it is held by a person. I don't know if she was abused in her past or if she's just very timid about new things, but either way she wanted nothing to do with my target stick. So I had to lower my criteria for her. Normally, I would click any time the dog sniffed at the target, which most dogs will do as soon as you present it to them. With Netta, I started out clicking her any time she looked at the target. I spent the first session just getting her to look at it without backing away. Fortunately, she is very food-oriented, and will work for kibble even if she has just eaten a meal.

By the second session, Netta had decided that the target stick wouldn't hurt her, and was perfectly happy to sniff it for treats. I'll spend some time really cementing the idea in her mind before I start moving it around so that she has to follow.

Netta's Conformation Photos, Session 1

For the first attempt, I was too busy juggling the leash, the dog, and the treats to really get a good stance. The best part about this photo is that Netta's head is mostly pointed forward.



On the second try, I got Netta into a better stance and hubby figured out the zoom lens. Unfortunately, I didn't notice that Netta's head was turned too far back towards me, mostly obscuring her face with her ears.



Considering that this was the first time I was trying to get Netta to stand in one place, I think things went fairly well. She was confident and under control, so it will just be a matter of teaching her what I really want in the exercise.

Busy Busy

I had family visit last weekend, so between preparing for that and then recovering afterward, I haven't done much training. There certainly wasn't time to work on loose leash walking, but I did work in some clicker training during feeding time.

It just takes a few minutes per dog to use part of a meal as rewards for clicker training. It adds up pretty quickly, especially if you do it every day.

I've been working on the down with all of the dogs. With Lily, I had already captured the behavior previously (taking her into a small room, letting her get bored, and clicking any time she lay down). It's now one of the behaviors she tries when trying to figure out what will get a click. Now I'm working on attaching the cue "down" to the behavior.

Since Netta hadn't already learned that lying down was a behavior that could get her a click, I used luring to teach it to her. I held a treat over her head until she sat, and then moved it towards the ground to encourage her to lie down. Well, that's how it's supposed to work, but I've never had a dog actually lie down on the first try. Instead, I used shaping in addition to luring. So, at first, all she had to do was tilt her head down a bit when the treat went by, and I clicked her for it. I gradually required more and more movement, until finally she was lying down every time I put my hand on the ground. I got this far in a single lesson that was less than five minutes long. Now I'm working on fading the hand signal, with the eventual goal that she'll lie down with just a small gesture. After that, I'll add the verbal cue.

One really nice result of this training is that when I go out to visit Netta, often she will lie down instead of jumping all over me. I make sure to always give her extra attention if she sits or lies down, and ignore her if she jumps up.

Bibb is less food motivated than the girls, but he loves petting even more than Netta, if that's possible. So he gets pets as well as food as a reward. I did the luring and shaping the down with him, too, although in his case it only took a couple of repetitions before he was throwing himself to the ground before I could even start to lure. He's a very quick study, and the easiest dog I've ever worked with.

Spaying

I took Netta in to be spayed today, and she also got her shots and a microchip. It's been nearly a month since I found her, and nobody responded to the posters I put up, so at this point I consider her to be my dog. We just need to get her county license now, and then she'll be set. She came through surgery beautifully, and hardly seems drugged at all. It's such a relief not to have an intact female around anymore.

Meet Netta

We found Netta trotting down a county road a few miles outside of town in late April, 2008. She was tired and hungry, but otherwise in good shape. We had the space for another dog so we decided to take her home. I made up posters with her photo and put them up in our town and neighboring ones, but no one ever called.

She looks like she might be a Black Mouth Cur, or some mix containing it. I plan to send some photos of her to a breeder to see what he thinks, since I've never seen examples of the breed in person.

Netta is a very energetic young dog, but she calms down pretty quickly once she is given a task to do. She bonded to me within a day, and needs a lot of attention to keep her happy.

Current Training

Netta came to us completely untrained. I've been working on her loose leash walking, and she improves every day.

Training Goals

Basic obedience and reliable house training are the main goals right now.