"HAPPY TRAINING" FOR YOUR POMS
Shaping your obedience dog into a winner by using a
"conditioned reinforcer", without using physical
corrections will be the subject of this
mini-series. It makes training a "happy" time for
you and your dog. So arm yourself with a clicker or
whatever you prefer to use but I would recommend the
clicker. Bring some "special" treats (please - not
your Pom's regular kibble!) and let's get some more
Poms in that obedience ring. (Conformation people
can use this too - not just for obedience). For
those of you wary of putting your little Pom in the
obedience ring - use this for "fun stuff" - agility
- tricks - not necessary to just be used for
"obedience".
"Shaping" is a relatively new technique used for
obtaining desired behaviors, and by using no
physical corrections, lends itself very well to our
little breed. So we can get rid of the choke
collars. Some of this training can be done with no
collar at all, providing you are training in a
secure, fenced area only, of course.
In order to shape behavior rapidly and effectively,
you must use a distinct signal, such as a touch or a
noise that marks the instant the right action has
occurred. After the signal, puppy is given
something she likes, such as praise, petting, food
or toys. Although the food or praise tells puppy
you are pleased, the marker signal is actually more
important because it tells her exactly what she was
doing that earned the reward. That information
makes it highly likely that she will do the behavior
again. The noise must be distinct, something easily
discernable from other noises puppy hears
regularly. The toy clicker works very well,
however, you can use a tongue cluck, a single word,
however, the clicker is faster and much crisper.
In order to make use of this "conditioned
reinforcer", puppy must become accustomed to the
clicker and exactly what it means: "I get a treat
when I hear that click". To do this, take 10-15
minutes in a quiet spot. Click, then immediately
give her a treat. At this point, the treat should be
something really tasty for her. After several
repetitions of this procedure, she will begin to
associate hearing the click and getting a treat;
that is what you want. You see a little bell go off
in her head. "Wow - mom clicks - then I get a
treat". Then you can begin shaping behaviors and
all the exercises in obedience are just a series of
"behaviors" - some just a little more complex than
others. My little guys started at 4 weeks - the
treats were licks of chicken baby food off my
fingers!! Stacking by 7 weeks!!
Unlike traditional training, with using the clicker
and the treat - the verbal cue for the behavior is
not added until puppy is doing the behavior
reliably. You do not tell puppy to "sit" until you
know that she will sit. So remember - no verbal cue
for behaviors until puppy knows the behavior you are
looking for.
****TRICK FOR
THIS EDITION****
Want to teach
your Pom to "take a bow"?
Get your clicker and treats in hand. When your dog
is just getting up from a nap, she usually
stretches. Catch this stretch - click and give her
a treat. You might have to "catch" her a few times,
but you will soon have a real cute "bow"! After she
is doing it reliably - then and only then can you
add the verbal cue to the behavior.
Roberta Malott
