Kody and I have been learning fetch and roll over. He just did a true roll over for the first time. I’m so proud, and he has so much fun. What’s amazing about training is once you know the process of training your set up to train anything once you learn the “recipe”. The other thing that’s nice is it’s so fun for the dog. Kody gets so excited to learn something new, and then when he gets it he just wants to do it again and again. I could barely get him to do a normal down because he wanted to roll over so much.
Part of the reason I tell these stories is to tempt those of you who haven’t gone to a training class to go. It’s just as fun as I’m saying. And I bet, if you’re like me, maybe you wish you could have that much fun with your dog. To teach “tricks” and stuff, and have it be a completely positive experience for the dog, and it burns off excess energy too, so you get a better dog in a number of ways.
Dogs aren’t like humans. If someone told you to roll over and offered you $100 you’d feel insulted. Dogs love training though. They love the affection you give them when they do good and the treats aren’t bad either. This is what makes my dog truly happy. And that, in turn, makes me happy.
I think humans and dogs aren’t that far apart when you’re talking about getting them to do things for a reward. Sure – if you offered a person to roll over for $10, they’d probably laugh in your face; but if you offered them $1000 they’d probably do it. Just look at what people will do on gameshows to make a quick buck.
From what I’ve found with Shopsy, it’s much the same way with dogs – if you’re teaching something new and he doesn’t get it; you need to use a higher value treat or he won’t even try.
We’re still working on roll-over – but that’s my fault for not working on it frequently enough. Once he understands something, he’ll add it to his list of offered behavior when he wants something. Currently that list seems to go along the lines of: 1) sit and look cute; 2) if you didn’t look at him, jump vertically up in the air in front of you, then go back to 1); 3) lay down; 4) put his chin down on the ground (and unless you have something he *Really* wants, it doesn’t usually go much past there, after that you get 5) “Around” walk round behind you and sit at your side ready to heel; 6) go sit in his kennel
We were working on fetch outside in the summer and doing pretty well, but there are too many other things to get into inside, and we can’t really play much outside with all this snow at the moment, so it’s had to go on hold.
Roll over is a tricky one. He’s still not at the point where I say it and he does it. But he will mostly allow me to lure him. The physics of roll over are tricky for a dachshund I think.
You wouldn’t think so the way they sleep sometimes :&) Sounds like Kody and Shopsy are at about the same point with this one. We had great fun with “tunnel” (we got a cat tunnel and trimmed off the dangling balls – perfect size for a doxie) but I think we need a new command because he gets “tunnel” and “kennel” confused
Oh, I totally want a tunnel. I need to remember that.