Wednesday, April 06, 2005

All work and no play.....

In case you thought we were slacking (well we were a little), here's our homework for the next four weeks.

1) Work on faster sit. Get attention, say sit, reward only fastest ones. PLAY! Reward criteria must change. "Beat the dog" / PLAY! / Attenion / SIT

[Ahem....we Labs really enjoy being thumped on the side when we are good, in case you were wondering about that last part. I personally like being thumped with my tug toy, but that's my own little fetish.]

2) Attention with heeling. If Splashy is in correct position he should be able to catch the toy when drop from under arm. PLAY!

3) Mom must pick ONE AND ONLY ONE release word and practice using it.

4) Play "Ready Steady Go" when on stay, releasing to my wonderful awesome very cool tug toy. I just adore this game but Jewel says she does not get what go means.

5) Work on attenion when dog's name is said. Reward fast response only. This one is for Jewel too.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

the problem with my human's release word is that it's used in everyday human language. So I have to be more intelligent than they are and listen to the intonation and nuances of the word "okay" to make sure they really mean it! What's your humans release word(s)?

Just wondering,
Cal

Freda said...

Hey Splash,
Me thinks you work too hard. Aren't the humans the ones to do the hard work and we do the easy stuff?
I agree with Cal. I too need to be the smart one in my human relationship. The guy person has changed the release command and several other 'guiding' words several times. I am thinking of carrying a dictionary with me when we go on walks. That or just go by myself.

Good luck with your training.
Freda

Lisa said...

Ooh, release words! Kiwi's is "OKAY" like Cal's. I have to kind of sing it in a high pitched tone or she'll think every time someone says "okay" she can jump up and dance!