Answer These Three Questions to Teach Your Dog Anything
Overview: This worksheet describes a plan for teaching your dog to lie down using a verbal cue and hand signal. The principles behind this technique can be used to teach virtually any behavior.
The 3 Questions
1. What is the goal?
What does the end result look like?
Be specific. At what point will you feel like your dog has learned the behavior to your satisfaction?
Remember: We are not teaching the dog how to lie down. She already lies down when sleeping or relaxing. We are teaching her to perform a behavior that she already knows in response to our signals.
What does the end result look like?
Be specific. At what point will you feel like your dog has learned the behavior to your satisfaction?
Remember: We are not teaching the dog how to lie down. She already lies down when sleeping or relaxing. We are teaching her to perform a behavior that she already knows in response to our signals.
2. What is the Starting Point/Baseline?
Reassess the Starting Point before every session. This is the difficulty level at which the dog is able to perform a behavior correctly 80-90% of the time in that specific environment. Starting Points will probably vary from environment to environment. For example, you might find that a dog is 80-90% reliable at home at a certain level of difficulty, but only 20-30% reliable at the park at that same level of difficulty. The dog tells us his/her starting point, not vice versa. When teaching a new behavior, the starting point might be some behavior she has learned before. For example, "Sit" might be the starting point to "Down". The Starting Point can also be thought of as the Baseline, and the terms can be used interchangeably.
Reassess the Starting Point before every session. This is the difficulty level at which the dog is able to perform a behavior correctly 80-90% of the time in that specific environment. Starting Points will probably vary from environment to environment. For example, you might find that a dog is 80-90% reliable at home at a certain level of difficulty, but only 20-30% reliable at the park at that same level of difficulty. The dog tells us his/her starting point, not vice versa. When teaching a new behavior, the starting point might be some behavior she has learned before. For example, "Sit" might be the starting point to "Down". The Starting Point can also be thought of as the Baseline, and the terms can be used interchangeably.
3. What are the steps that will take us from the Starting Point/Baseline to the Goal?
Each time your dog is able to correctly perform one of the steps between the Starting Point and Goal three times in a row during your current session, that step becomes the new Starting Point for that session. If the dog does not respond correctly to the new Starting Point, remind your dog by doing one or two repetitions at the previous Starting Point, before trying the new Starting Point again.
Below, I've given you a sample first step to goal step sequence. Remember, these are just suggested steps. You may need more or you may need less.
Each time your dog is able to correctly perform one of the steps between the Starting Point and Goal three times in a row during your current session, that step becomes the new Starting Point for that session. If the dog does not respond correctly to the new Starting Point, remind your dog by doing one or two repetitions at the previous Starting Point, before trying the new Starting Point again.
Below, I've given you a sample first step to goal step sequence. Remember, these are just suggested steps. You may need more or you may need less.
Sample Starting Point to Goal Sequence
Step 1 (Starting Point)- Dog has no reliable 'down' cue but will sit reliably to some kind of cue. Start with dog in a 'Sit' position.
Step 2 (Food lure 1): Food in right hand. Right hand lure head all the way to ground. Reward with food from right hand.
Step 3 (Food lure 2): Food in both hands. Left hand behind back. Right hand lure head all the way to ground. Reward with food from left hand (should be behind back).
Step 4 (Empty hand/Closed fist lure): Food in left hand and behind back. Right hand closed fist lure head all the way to ground. Reward with food from left hand.
Step 5: (Flat hand lure): Food in left hand and behind back. Right hand open flat with palm facing down. Lure head all the way to the ground. Reward with food from left hand.
Step 6: (Flat hand lure 6 inches): Food in left hand and behind back. Right hand open flat with palm facing down. Lure head toward the ground stopping hand 6 inches above ground. Reward with food from left hand.
Step 7: (Flat hand lure 12 inches): Repeat Step 6 but stop hand 12 inches above ground.
Step 8: (Flat hand lure 24 inches): Repeat Step 6 but stop hand 24 inches above ground.
Step 9: (Flat hand signal standing straight): Food in left hand and behind back. Right hand open flat with palm facing down. Stop hand before your back begins to bend (your posture should remain standing straight). Reward with food from left hand.
Step 10: (Goal: Verbal/Hand signal): Say the word "Down" in your normal tone of voice, then 1 second later present right hand open flat hand with palm facing down. Move right hand no more than 3 inches downward. Reward with food from left hand.
Steve DeBono - Dog Behavior Consultant
DeBono Dog Training
Specializing in Fearful and Anxious dog behavior issues
View http://www.stevedebono.com for more free articles and tips
DeBono Dog Training
Specializing in Fearful and Anxious dog behavior issues
View http://www.stevedebono.com for more free articles and tips
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